Taste buds are a funny thing. To say that I was a picky eater during my formative years is a colossal understatement. I subsisted mainly on cereal and PB&H sandwiches (honey girl all the way – to this day I do not touch jelly). Additional food groups, consumed during my youth were: meat and potatoes (English dad), tamales and popcorn (Venezuelan mom) and massive quantities of pasta (swimmer). As an early-college student I lived off of pretty pasta, cereal, PB&H, Totino’s pizza rolls, Taco Bell (a fact which is possibly one of the greatest regrets of my life to date) and Chick-fil-a. The list of foods that I would not eat was as long as the Monday after the Superbowl until my mid-twenties. On that list: any tomato-based sauce.

I never ate tomato sauce. EVER. I ordered pizza sans sauce. I pitched fits, reusing to eat anything that I even thought included tomato sauce (this lead to many full-blown tantrums over lasagna that I refused to eat even out of politeness at friends of my parents). In all fairness, my tomato sauce aversion was not irrational picky-ness. When I was 11, I got the flu after spaghetti night and threw up red sauce for three days (all over white carpet much to my mother’s dismay). From that day forth,  the sight of tomato sauce sickened me. Until the past year. I started small, eating my pizza with a light layer of tomato sauce, dipping my Rocket Pockets in Meaty Porcini Marinara and eating copious amounts of tomato soup. But recently, I have been on a full blown tomato-based sauce kick. I have experimented with Pomodoro sauce, but my biggest craving (and it is a damn strong one) has been for meat sauce. So strong this craving has been that I made meat sauce four times in five weeks (and hoarded every batch). This intense craving is [thankfully] not pregnancy craving-related, so I have only by taste buds to blame – however bewildered that makes me (and anyone who has known me longer than a year or two).

I have altered the versions a couple times and each one has been sensational. I personally like my veg to be a little less processed because I like to bite into a carrot every now and then, but feel free to process the heck out of the veggies to make the sauce more silken. I added miso paste to two batches to up the umami factor with very tasty results. Between the umami-packed miso and the Parmesan cheese rind, which lends a unique depth of flavor that cannot be emulated, the meat sauce has that awesome “Je ne sais quoi” quality that coaxes you to have bite after bite. Whether that is a good or bad thing is up to you (I do know that I have put on some pounds that are directly correlated to my increased sausage intake). Feel free to include miso and rinds if you have them on hand, but the meat sauce will be just as spectacular in their absence. Brief side note, you can now buy Parmesan cheese rinds at HEB.

In an effort to cut calories and ingest something of nutritional value, I typically eat my meat sauce with spaghetti squash versus pasta. Feel free to use fresh or dried pasta, squash, polenta or baked potatoes as your meat sauce vessel. I actually ate meat sauce soup on a least 10 different occasions. Don’t judge – I  love my meat.

 Meat Sauce 

Serves 4-6 (or one if you are me)

One medium yellow onion

One and one-half large carrots, peeled and cut into one-inch pieces

One celery stalk, cut into one-inch pieces

Ten garlic cloves

One 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes

One pint Cherry Tomatoes, divided

One-Fourth cup Olive Oil

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper To taste

Crushed Red Pepper, to taste

One-Half Cup Flat Leaf Parsley

Two Tablespoons Fresh Oregano

One pound hot Italian Pork Sausage (bulk or removed from casings)

One pound ground beef

One tablespoon tomato paste (plus a squeeze or two more)

One scant tablespoon Miso Paste (mellow) Optional

One Parmesan Rind (optional)

Two cups water (or beef stock)

One spaghetti squash, halved, seasoned and roasted

Ten Basil Leaves, Julienned

Three-fourths cup Pecorino Romano

In a large food processor, pulse onion, garlic, celery, carrot, oregano, and parsley and pulse until finely ground.  Transfer to a small bowl and reserve. Using the food processor, puree the tomatoes (juices included) until smooth. Heat oil in a large dutch oven (or other heavy pot) and add sausage and cook until browned (about four minutes). Add beef seasoned with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning (latter being optional) and brown until no longer pink. Transfer meat to a plate using a slotted spoon and reserve. Add reserved veggie mix to the pan, season with salt, and cook for about eight minutes (stir often). Combine tomato paste with one cup of water (or stock) in a small bowl and add to the pan, scraping the bottom bits. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is nearly evaporated. Add tomato puree, crushed red pepper, half of the cherry tomatoes, one [additional] cup water – or stock – and the browned meat to the pan and bring to a boil. Upon achieving a boil, immediately reduce heat to a simmer. Add more water as necessary to ensure that the meat remains nearly submerged the entire cooking time.

Once the meat sauce has simmered for two to three hours, add the cheese rind and miso paste if using. Check for salt and pepper content and adjust as necessary throughout the cooking process. Simmer for an additional two to three hours and remove from heat. Roast remaining cherry tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper whilst the squash is roasting. Serve with roasted spaghetti squash (or other meat sauce vessel of choosing), topped with Pecorino Romano and Basil.