Since its just my husband and I, amounts are on the small side, yet we still manage to have leftovers!
1/2 pound ground turkey
1/2 pound ground italian mild sausage (I wanted turkey italian sausage, but they were out)
1 whole onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 can 14 oz petite diced tomatoes (drained)
1 can 14 oz tomato sauce
2 Tbsp tomato paste (I used tomato paste in a tube, rather than the canned kind)
1 cup red wine (whatever wine you'll be serving with pasta is fine) (optional!)
5 cloves garlic (minced/chopped/pressed)
2 Tbsp olive oil
Shredded parmesan cheese (optional)
Spices: (all to taste, no measurement here, start small and add gradually to fit your taste)
Italian Spice Blend
Sea Salt
Crushed Pepper
Directions:
In large non-stick skillet, begin browning ground turkey and ground italian sausage over medium heat. Generously salt and pepper meat, ground turkey is easy to be bland.
On separate burner, start heating up dutch oven, or whatever large pot is handy, with olive oil on medium heat. Once pot heated thoroughly, add in chopped onion, green pepper and garlic mixture, stirring all to get evenly coated with oil, until onions translucent and peppers soft, do not let them brown, especially the garlic. Next add in tomato paste, stirring to make sure onion mixture is coated with the paste, and let absorb for a couple minutes.
Once meat is browned, turn off heat, and add meat mixture to the large pot with onion mixture. Stir everything completely so that all meat and all onion mixture incorporated. Turn heat down to lower temperature, and let simmer for a few minutes, allowing the meat juices to coat the onion mixture, and visa versa, you want the flavors to mingle and get to know one another.
Add the wine and let pot simmer again, stirring to make sure evenly absorbed. Once wine incorporated, add the diced tomatoes, again stirring to evenly distribute throughout pot. Stir occasionally and let flavors meld for about 5 minutes. Then add tomato sauce and spices, I was really generous with the spices, mostly with salt and pepper, as all of these ingredients can be bland, this is why to taste.
Let pot sit for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally, on a low heat.
And that is it! Use for spaghetti, tortellini, ravioli, as your lasagna sauce, whatever Italian dish you desire, you have this wonderful sauce, and it freezes beautifully to reuse later, as it makes a lot!
Bon appetit!