Gwen"s pasta sauce

The 2 additional canned tomatoes should be 29 oz. of diced + 29 oz. of puree (wasn't able to find those in the search menu). You can add more veggies if you like---sometimes I add various colors of peppers, celery, or whatever I have on hand. Great on the Miracle Noodles, which have no calories. This makes a lot of sauce-I freeze what I don't need into serving size portions-great for a quick meal. It is easily doubled for a really big crowd or to put into freezer.
The secret to this rich tasting sauce is the "baking" in the oven. It can be cooked in a slow cooker, but the oven method works the best for a great flavor.
Total cooking time is about 8 hours (480 minutes)---no hour measure on cooking time menu.

I usually cook this overnight. The oven method gives the sauce a wonderful roasted vegetable flavor---my family loves it and I makes lots so I can give it away.

Preheat oven to 350.
Brown beef well, seasoning it with the salt & pepper. While it is browning, cut up veggies. In a large pot that can be put into the oven, pour in the 3 cans of tomato products, garlic, Italian seasoning, & vegetables---stir well. After meat is well browned, drain any fat off (there should be very little if extra lean was used), and stir into the sauce mixture.
Cover pot, bake for 2 hours. Stir sauce well, re-cover, turn oven down to 275 and bake for 6 hours. Serve over pasta or use in lasagna.

Serving Size: Makes approx. 25 1 cup servings

Number of Servings: 25

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user GWENDOLYNP49.