Sauces

Spaghetti Sauce X - Polish Spaghetti Ben's Way– 2025
​​​​​Recipe courtesy of Ben Wozny

INGREDIENTS

• 1-2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 large sweet onion
• 3 or 4 cloves garlic - minced
• Italian seasoning
• 1 pound  hamburger
• 2 cans tomato sauce -- 8 oz.
• 3/4 cup  ketchup
• 1 1/2 cups red wine (Cabernet sauvignon preferred)
• 2 cups water 
• 2 Tbs. sugar
• Salt to taste

​PREPARATION

• Open a bottle of red wine.  Pour a bit into a jelly jar and have a sip!
• Add olive oil into a warmed, medium/medium high pan. When warm, add onion and sauté until about halfway done, then add garlic.
• When onions and garlic are nearly done and soft, add ground beef, breaking it up into small pieces.  Spread over pan.
• Shake on some Italian Seasoning to taste, enough to cover the ground beef.  Cook until beef is browned adding salt and pepper to taste.  While beef is browning, have a few more sips of wine!
• When beef is browned add tomato sauces, water, sugar and ketchup. Stir.
• Add wine until the sauce color is a deep red. Have a sip of that wine!
• Sprinkle more Italian Seasoning over the top of the sauce until it is lightly covered.  Stir.
• Raise heat slightly until sauce simmers (slight rolling boil.)  Then turn heat down to a low/medium low.
• Cook on low for 2-3 hours or until sauce reduces to your liking, stirring every 15-20.  Along with a sip of wine!
• Note: It will be thin at the beginning, so it takes some time. The reduction is where magic happens!

Yields enough for 1 lb. package of spaghetti. 

This is Ben's take on Grandma's Polish Spaghetti Sauce! This version delivers a rich, darker sauce that almost tastes like a Bolognese! He's also simmered with one or two beef bones to add richness. Joan likes to serve it over spaghetti squash and it is delicious! ​
 
Salud!  Na zdrowie!

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