Busy Momma Recipe: Awesome Spaghetti Sauce

I thought of my fellow busy mommas as I was making large quantities of this homemade yumminess this past week to have in the freezer post-Lila's arrival. Disclaimer: This sauce is not super quick to whip up. Yes, it does have lots of ingredients; yes, it does need to simmer for several hours; and YES, it is totally worth the effort!!! As an added bonus, this recipe makes a ton of spaghetti sauce (12 cups!) so you, too, can stock your freezer with it for a quick meal later...it's the gift that keeps on giving!

Awesome Spaghetti Sauce

1 c. onion, chopped
6 ribs celery, chopped
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 (28 oz) can Italian tomatoes
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (12 oz) can tomato paste
1/2 c. ketchup
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 c. water
1 c. red wine
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 c. sugar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Juice of 1 lemon

Saute 1 c. chopped onion & 6 ribs celery in olive oil in large pot until tender. Add all tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, ketchup, chili powder, water, red wine & Worcestershire sauce to sauteed veggies. Add sugar, 2 crushed garlic cloves & lemon juice- mix well. Reduce heat & simmer while preparing meats.

1 lb. Italian sausage
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic cloves, minced
1 can drained mushrooms
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. sweet basil
1 tsp. allspice
2 Bay leaves
salt & pepper to taste

Remove casing from Italian sausage. Cook Italian sausage & ground beef with 1 chopped onion & 2 minced garlic cloves in large skillet until brown & crumbly- stirring frequently & drain well.
Stir sausage mixture into tomato mixture. Stir in mushrooms. Add Italian seasoning, dried parsley, fennel seeds, sweet basil, allspice, bay leaves, salt & pepper- mix well. Simmer, uncovered, for 3 hrs, stirring occasionally & adding small amounts of water, if necessary. Cool sauce & discard bay leaves. Divide sauce into meal-size portions for freezing.

Yield: 12 cups sauce