Homemade Garden Vegetable Meat Sauce (Lower Sodium)
 Recipe){kind=link}
Nutritional Info
- Servings Per Recipe: 27
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 182.0
- Total Fat: 9.1 g
- Cholesterol: 31.5 mg
- Sodium: 95.7 mg
- Total Carbs: 13.8 g
- Dietary Fiber: 3.0 g
- Protein: 10.1 g
View full nutritional breakdown of Homemade Garden Vegetable Meat Sauce (Lower Sodium) calories by ingredient
Introduction
I measured this out as producing 13 1/2 cups of sauce. All the commercial jars say a serving is 1/2 cup, thus 27 servings yielded. This has only 96mg sodium versus the 350-775mgs per 1/2 cup that are in the various commercial brands (Ragu, Prego, Barilla, etc.). Even the 'low sodium' jarred brands have only a little less sodium, and they don't include meat.I am going to calculate this as a veggie/meat-free marinara as well - our family will always use it as a meat sauce, but not all will and it is easier to compare apples to apples (or nutrition labels to nutrition label) if the meat is calculated separately I measured this out as producing 13 1/2 cups of sauce. All the commercial jars say a serving is 1/2 cup, thus 27 servings yielded. This has only 96mg sodium versus the 350-775mgs per 1/2 cup that are in the various commercial brands (Ragu, Prego, Barilla, etc.). Even the 'low sodium' jarred brands have only a little less sodium, and they don't include meat.
I am going to calculate this as a veggie/meat-free marinara as well - our family will always use it as a meat sauce, but not all will and it is easier to compare apples to apples (or nutrition labels to nutrition label) if the meat is calculated separately
Number of Servings: 27
Ingredients
-
1 lb Pork, fresh, ground, raw
1.25 Lbs Ground Beef (Lean 80-90%)
28 oz can Furmanos Crushed Tomatoes
28 oz can Cento Crushed Tomatoes (use chunky next time?)
2 8oz cans Hunts No Salt Added Tomato Sauce
12 oz can Cento Tomato Paste
2 4 oz jars Gerber Baby Food Carrots
1 6oz jar Beech Nut Baby Food Squash and Zucchini
1 large yellow bell pepper
1 large red bell pepper
1 medium-large yellow onion
1 cup of chopped/cubed butternut squash
2.5 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Minced Garlic (jarred - or equivalent fresh)
4 bay leaves
1-2 Tbsp dried Basil (or equivalent fresh)
1 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1/3 cup Red Wine (Mirrasou Pinot Noir)
2 Tbs Splenda Brown Sugar blend
Directions
Heat Olive Oil in large skillet over med high heat
Coarse slice/chop red pepper, yellow pepper, and onion and toss in food processor. Process until fine dice. Put in skillet to begin sautee with olive oil. Add the minced garlic.
Add butternut squash to processor and pulse to fine dice/mince. Add to skillet. Stir now and again to begin to sweat the veggies.
Put large stockpot on stove. Open the cans of crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste and empty into stock pot. Turn on stove to medium heat and stir to combine.
Once veggies are heated through and starting to give up some liquid, spoon them out of the skillet and mix well in to the tomato sauces in the stock pot. Leave some of the fat/veggies clinging in the skillet.
Put the ground pork and ground beef into the same skillet and break up the meat with a spatula. Set the heat on medium to begin browning.
Add the dried herbs (or fresh equivalents) and mix into the sauce. Add the balsamic vinegar, the wine, and the brown sugar - mix well. Cover the stock pot and keep it at a medium-low setting to simmer.
Return to the meat, breaking up and mixing as it browns. When browned through, drain the meat in a collander/strainer, then stir the meat mixture in to the stock pot.
Stir very well and make sure it returns to a simmer. Cover and simmer a minimum of an hour. Longer is better - I did mine for three hours.
Use over pasta or in lasagna, etc. Still figuring out how many servings/cups this makes.
You can add salt or pepper at the end. Recommend - if you think it needs salt - instead adding a few more tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (one at a time) as the acid make wake up the flavor without adding the same sodium.
Number of Servings: 27
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user WENDEP.
Coarse slice/chop red pepper, yellow pepper, and onion and toss in food processor. Process until fine dice. Put in skillet to begin sautee with olive oil. Add the minced garlic.
Add butternut squash to processor and pulse to fine dice/mince. Add to skillet. Stir now and again to begin to sweat the veggies.
Put large stockpot on stove. Open the cans of crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste and empty into stock pot. Turn on stove to medium heat and stir to combine.
Once veggies are heated through and starting to give up some liquid, spoon them out of the skillet and mix well in to the tomato sauces in the stock pot. Leave some of the fat/veggies clinging in the skillet.
Put the ground pork and ground beef into the same skillet and break up the meat with a spatula. Set the heat on medium to begin browning.
Add the dried herbs (or fresh equivalents) and mix into the sauce. Add the balsamic vinegar, the wine, and the brown sugar - mix well. Cover the stock pot and keep it at a medium-low setting to simmer.
Return to the meat, breaking up and mixing as it browns. When browned through, drain the meat in a collander/strainer, then stir the meat mixture in to the stock pot.
Stir very well and make sure it returns to a simmer. Cover and simmer a minimum of an hour. Longer is better - I did mine for three hours.
Use over pasta or in lasagna, etc. Still figuring out how many servings/cups this makes.
You can add salt or pepper at the end. Recommend - if you think it needs salt - instead adding a few more tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (one at a time) as the acid make wake up the flavor without adding the same sodium.
Number of Servings: 27
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user WENDEP.