Easy Anytime Meat Sauce

This rich, meaty pasta sauce is full of bright tomato flavor and texture—it’s exactly the kind of thing you’ll want to stock in your freezer for the nights you absolutely do not want to cook. We used a mixture of ground turkey and turkey Italian sausage to keep things light, but feel free to use whatever ground meat you like best. If you’re using pork or beef, simply drain the excess fat before proceeding with the onions and garlic. Using a variety of tomatoes gives the sauce a little bit of sweetness and keeps things interesting texturally, while adding pesto provides some additional depth. Round it out with red wine for richness. Take your time with the final simmering step: This is where the sauce gets the most flavor. When adding the red wine, allow the mixture to come to a hard boil so the alcohol will burn off before proceeding. The sauce will have more of a red wine aroma rather than an alcoholic scent. This sauce works fantastically with your favorite pasta, but you can also layer it into lasagna or use it as a pizza sauce.