Easy Anytime Meat Sauce

This rich meat sauce for pasta with a bright tomato flavor and texture is exactly what you will want to keep in the freezer for those nights when you do not want to cook at all. We used a mix of turkey mince and Italian turkey sausage to make the dishes light, but feel free to use any minced meat that you like best. If you're using pork or beef, just drain off any excess fat before going with the onion and garlic. Using different varieties of tomatoes gives the sauce a bit of sweetness and keeps the texture interesting, while adding pesto gives it extra depth. Top it off with red wine for richness. Take your time with the last stage of stewing: this is where the sauce gets the most flavor. When adding red wine, let the mixture simmer to allow the alcohol to burn out before continuing. The sauce will have more of a red wine flavor than an alcoholic one. This sauce goes great with your favorite pasta, but you can also add it to lasagna or use it as a pizza sauce.
Heat the oil in a large roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add the turkey sausage and ground turkey meat; stir to form large chunks. Add the dried basil, salt, and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until the turkey is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 14 minutes.Add the onion, pesto, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the wine, stir, and scrape off the bottom of the roaster to avoid browning the pieces; bring the mixture to a boil and cook, without stirring, for 4 minutes.Add the San Marzano tomatoes, mash them with a spoon and mash them lightly. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste; mix well. Add the parmesan zest. Bring the mixture to a boil; reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 45 minutes. Remove the parmesan peel from the sauce and add the chopped fresh herbs.