Oh, sure, you don’t need meat at all, I sometimes just make a hearty mushroom sauce, and it’s great.
Put whatever you want in it, there are no rules. Yellow/orange/red peppers are nice. I hate green peppers, and onions, but if you like them, go nuts, just don’t invite me for dinner.
Some people put lots of veggies in, but they puree them first, so they dissolve better (and the kids will eat it without knowing, too, I suppose).
Experimenting is half the fun of cooking. The other half is eating it.
I went through a period of using ground chicken or turkey, and I used ground beef for a long time. Now I use a combo of ground beef and pork. Ground beef is expensive, of course, but I get the ground pork in a 1 lb roll from Aldi, and it’s usually less than $3. So the pork really fills out the meat portion, and adds a lot of flavor.
Seasoning is important, and chefs talk about three levels of seasoning. First you season the olive oil in the pot as it heats up before before you toss in the meat. Then season the meat as it browns, then season it again when you add the crushed tomatoes.
You will have to balance the seasoning a bunch of times after that, until it tastes right. If you feel like you’re close to right, but you can’t put a finger on it, you probably need to add more salt, or more garlic powder. Add in small amounts until it tastes right, and don’t judge it right after you add them. Wait a few minutes for it to cook in, and then re-taste and evaluate.
If you like a spicy or Arrabiata sauce, add lots of red pepper flakes and cayenne.
Oh, sure, you don’t need meat at all, I sometimes just make a hearty mushroom sauce, and it’s great.
Put whatever you want in it, there are no rules. Yellow/orange/red peppers are nice. I hate green peppers, and onions, but if you like them, go nuts, just don’t invite me for dinner.
Some people put lots of veggies in, but they puree them first, so they dissolve better (and the kids will eat it without knowing, too, I suppose).
Experimenting is half the fun of cooking. The other half is eating it.
Without the meat should I just start with the crushed tomatoes and go from there?
I like the idea of experimenting, another commenter mentioned using different types of mushrooms together as well.
I guess I never really knew the simple part of how to start a sauce so thats why I’m trying to learn more here.
Thank you for the advice I’m saving most of these comments.
Again, no rules, use what you like.
I went through a period of using ground chicken or turkey, and I used ground beef for a long time. Now I use a combo of ground beef and pork. Ground beef is expensive, of course, but I get the ground pork in a 1 lb roll from Aldi, and it’s usually less than $3. So the pork really fills out the meat portion, and adds a lot of flavor.
Seasoning is important, and chefs talk about three levels of seasoning. First you season the olive oil in the pot as it heats up before before you toss in the meat. Then season the meat as it browns, then season it again when you add the crushed tomatoes.
You will have to balance the seasoning a bunch of times after that, until it tastes right. If you feel like you’re close to right, but you can’t put a finger on it, you probably need to add more salt, or more garlic powder. Add in small amounts until it tastes right, and don’t judge it right after you add them. Wait a few minutes for it to cook in, and then re-taste and evaluate.
If you like a spicy or Arrabiata sauce, add lots of red pepper flakes and cayenne.