This Italian meat sauce is made with minced beef and minced pork and a handful of simple ingredients. It is a wonderful versatile meat sauce, perfect for serving on spaghetti or other cooked pasta, on polenta, using in a lasagna, or spooning over jacket potatoes.
Like my savoury mince recipe and slow cooker bolognese sauce, this Italian meat sauce is one of my favourite ‘fall-back’ recipes for those times I can’t think what to cook but need something kid-friendly that I can batch cook and serve various ways throughout the remainder of the week.
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Ingredient notes and substitutions
Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient quantities.
- Minced beef – together with the minced pork, creates the perfect rich meaty sauce.
- Minced pork – using half pork mince adds extra juiciness and rich flavour. If you don’t want to use pork, substitute with more minced beef.
- Fresh sage leaves – sage adds a slightly peppery, earthy flavour. Substitute with a bay leaf, couple of sprigs of thyme, or a sprig of rosemary.
- Vegetables – onion, carrot and celery make up the soffritto, the traditional flavour base for many Italian dishes, including sauces, stews and soups.
- Red wine – adds a richness and depth of flavour to the meat sauce. Leave it out if not wanting to use alcohol.
- Tomato puree / tomato paste – adds a richness to the sauce.
- Passata – or use a tin / can of crushed tomatoes or plum tomatoes and blend with a stick blender until smooth.
How to make this sugo di carne recipe
Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for the full recipe.
- Cook the vegetables and sage over a low heat to release their sweet flavour.
- Add the beef mince and pork mince, turn the heat up and cook until the meat is browned all over.
- Pour in the wine and let it bubble for a few minutes to help burn off the alcohol, then add the passata and water.
- Cover with a lid and simmer over a very gentle heat for an hour and a half. You want to cook the meat sauce very gently, and the sauce to be barely simmering. This creates a real depth of flavour that doesn’t develop if you cook the sauce quickly.
- Take the lid off the saucepan and simmer for half an hour to reduce the sauce.
FAQ
Can I freeze this meat sauce?
Yes! You can freeze this meat sauce. Freeze for up to 3 months and defrost in the fridge overnight. Reheat thoroughly before serving.
Can I make this sauce with just minced beef?
Absolutely! This sauce is also delicious made with just minced beef rather than a mixture of minced beef and minced pork.
My recipe tips
- Cook the vegetables until tender before adding the meat – to release their flavour. You don’t want any colour on them.
- Simmer the sauce gently – the sauce should be barely bubbling. This creates a sauce with a great depth of flavour.
- If serving with pasta – reserve some of the starch-rich pasta cooking water, and toss the cooked pasta in the sauce, adding a little of the pasta water. This helps the sauce stick to the pasta, creating a silky sauce.
Serving Ideas
With spaghetti or your other favourite cooked pasta, on top of polenta, in a lasagna or beef mince pasta bake, on baked potatoes, or make into a pie and top with puff pastry or shortcrust pastry! If you want to serve something on the side, try:
- Garlic bread baguette or air fryer garlic bread.
- A simple salad like this rocket salad or pear and walnut salad.
Make ahead/storage
- Fridge – store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer – this sauce freezes very well! Freeze for up to 3 months and defrost in the fridge overnight.
Why not try…
You may also like these other family friendly Italian dinner recipes:
Sugo di carne (Italian meat sauce)
Author: Robyn
This rich Italian meat sauce recipe is made with minced beef and minced pork and is rich and comforting. It is perfect for serving with spaghetti, polenta, or using in lasagna.
Equipment
- medium heavy based pan with lid
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 4-5 small sage leaves finely chopped
- 1 carrot finely diced
- 1 stick celery finely diced
- 250g (8½ oz) minced beef
- 250g (8½ oz) minced pork
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 120ml (½ c) red wine
- 400g (14 oz) passata
- 660ml (2¾ c) water
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium sized heavy based saucepan over a low-medium heat and cook the onion, carrot and celery and chopped sage until soft, with the lid on, for around 10 minutes.
- Turn the heat up and add the minced beef and minced pork and cook until browned, breaking up with a spoon as it cooks.
- Add the garlic and cook for a minute before adding the tomato puree.
- Pour in the red wine and let it bubble for 1 minute.
- Pour in the passata and water, season with salt and turn the heat down to a very gently heat (you want the sauce to be barely simmering).
- Cook, covered, for 1½ hours.
- Take the lid off, turn the heat up slightly and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Serve with pasta or polenta, use to make lasagna or top a baked potato.
- Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze.
Notes
INGREDIENTS
- Minced beef – together with the minced pork, creates the perfect rich meaty sauce.
- Minced pork – using half pork mince adds extra juiciness and rich flavour. If you don’t want to use pork, substitute with more minced beef.
- Fresh sage leaves – sage adds a slightly peppery, earthy flavour. Substitute with a bay leaf, couple of sprigs of thyme, or a sprig of rosemary.
- Vegetables – onion, carrot and celery make up the soffritto, the traditional flavour base for many Italian dishes, including sauces, stews and soups.
- Red wine – adds a richness and depth of flavour to the meat sauce. Leave it out if not wanting to use alcohol.
- Tomato puree / tomato paste – adds a richness to the sauce.
- Passata – or use a tin / can of crushed tomatoes or plum tomatoes and blend with a stick blender until smooth.
- Cook the vegetables until tender before adding the meat – to release their flavour. You don’t want any colour on them.
- Simmer the sauce gently – the sauce should be barely bubbling. This creates a sauce with a great depth of flavour.
- If serving with pasta – reserve some of the starch-rich pasta cooking water, and toss the cooked pasta in the sauce, adding a little of the pasta water. This helps the sauce stick to the pasta, creating a silky sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 466kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 23gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 426mgPotassium: 947mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 3128IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 4mg
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