Canning Spaghetti Sauce (with meat)

This is something that we can year round, based on when we run out. Between my father raising cattle and my boys being deer hunters, we always have ground meat in the freezer. We prefer to use home canned tomato sauce, but in a pinch we have bought gallon containers of tomato sauce to use as a base. I really like knowing what I’m eating and feeding my family so we try to stay away from anything processed or loaded with preservatives.

This recipe is what we used to make 14 quarts which fills 2 pressure canners.

Put sterile jars in the oven and turn on 200°.

3 gallons of tomato sauce
6 lbs of ground meat
6 green peppers, diced
2 onions, diced
1 head of garlic, minced
2 T Basil
2 T Rosemary
1 bottle of Oregano 0.75 oz, as pictured
2 T Sugar
1 c Beef Broth
Salt and Pepper to taste

I know what you’re thinking, sugar? Yes, sugar…it takes the bitter bite out of the tomato sauce. We’ve played with this recipe alot, John’s one to say, add another garlic clove or two, throw in another tablespoon of Basil, or more Oregano. We’ve added Bay Leaves before, but in this batch, we chose not to. In the end, it’s delicious!

Dice the onions and peppers. Cook the ground meat and drain any grease. We use a big roasting pan to start cooking it, a stock pot works great too.

In a large pot or roaster, start heating the tomato sauce and spices. Mix in the minced garlic, diced onions and diced green peppers. Add the beef broth and ground meat. Simmer 30 minutes and allow all the spices to combine. Taste test and add salt and pepper to your liking.