So once upon a time, my husband and I lived close to my awesome brother-in-law Peter and his equally cool wife Stephanie. Peter lived in Italy for a couple of years and while he was there, he learned to make fabulous lasagna. Like real Italian lasagna. Now granted, I’ve been about as far out of the country as Disney Cruise Line takes you on a four-night journey, so I’m taking Peter’s word for it here. But I can say that it tastes just like the lasagna I’ve had in little, homey Italian cafes–you know, those ones where you feel like you’re sitting in your Grandma’s kitchen. So take that for what it’s worth. Peter’s Pasta and Lasagna Sauce is a great all around Italian tomato sauce for all of your pasta needs, but it shines brightest in Peter’s Genuine Italian Lasagna!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Ground beef or Italian sausage – I recommend Italian sausage for the best flavor here.
- Onion
- Garlic cloves
- Canned Italian style diced tomatoes
- Canned tomato sauce
- Zucchini
- Carrots
- Celery
- Sugar – Helps with acidity.
- Baking soda – This also helps neutralize the acidity.
How to Make Peter’s Pasta and Lasagna Sauce
- Have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go.
- In a large saucepan or skillet with a lid, you’ll brown some ground beef or Italian sausage with chopped onions and minced garlic until the meat is cooked through.
- To that you’ll add all of your veggies (zucchini, carrots, and celery), a couple of cans of diced tomatoes, and a can of tomato sauce. Sprinkle in a little sugar and baking soda, and salt and pepper.
- Bring to a simmer, cover, and allow to simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally. After an hour, remove from heat, add salt and pepper to taste, and use as desired.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store cooled leftover sauce in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy in 4-5 days for best results.
- Freeze this sauce in individual portions for up to 2-3 months.
- If you have picky eaters, feel free to toss your veggies in the food processor before adding to the pot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure. Mushrooms or peppers would be great additions.
Absolutely! Because of the long simmer time, it’s especially useful to make this ahead if you are making lasagna. Store in an airtight container in the fridge and use as needed, within 4-5 days. You can freeze it for up to 2-3 months if needed as well.
Absolutely. Feel free to add Italian seasoning or any Italian herbs as desired!
Peter’s Pasta and Lasagna Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ pound ground beef or Italian sausage
- 1 onion chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced or pressed, more if desired
- 2 15- ounce cans Italian-style diced tomatoes
- 1 15- ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 zucchini chopped or grated
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped into small pieces
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda this neutralizes the acid
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or skillet with a lid, brown ground beef (or sausage), onions, and garlic until meat is cooked and onions are tender.
- Add the diced tomatoes (don't drain), tomato sauce, the remaining veggies, sugar, and baking soda and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally. After an hour, remove from heat, and use as desired.
Questions & Reviews
Can you make these with fresh tomatoes? I have a lot in my garden and want to use them up? If so, how many do you think it would take?
I’m sure you could, I just don’t know how you’d go about doing it. Keep in mind that the recipe calls for the Italian style tomatoes, so you’d need to get the extra garlic, basil, and oregano in there somewhere, and they’ve also been cooked down. Maybe if you can find a good recipe for canned Italian tomatoes and then go from there? That’s probably my best recommendation. I’m sorry I don’t have more answers! 🙁
I was wondering if you are able to can this recipe without the sausage. I have tried this recipe and I love it. I would love to make it in large batches and have it ready to go in a jar. Please let me know. Thanks
Chandra, we don’t know the answer to that. I would recommend asking your local extension office to be sure.
Can you make this in the crockpot?
I probably wouldn’t–it’s definitely worth the inconvenience factor! 🙂
Made this 2 times last week. I used the hot turkey Italian sausage and doubled it both times. I used my Pampered Chef chopper to do the veggies. My husband doesn’t like zucchini so this was a great way to include it and him not notice. Thanks for sharing!
I made this for our Bunco group on Saturday and it was a HUGE hit with the ladies! The leftovers were devoured by my family! I will definitely be making this sauce again for spaghetti as well as the lasagna. Thanks for a delicious, uncomplicated pasta sauce!!
I made this last week and everyone LOVED it…So, I get to make it again, yay! Thank you so much for sharing. I look forward to reading your blog!
I am simmering a double batch of this right now. I just snuck a taste and it is divine! Great way to sneak veggies in to my kids diets. They will eat anything on noodles. Thanks for a great recipe! I am going to make your meatballs from another post and put them in this sauce for spaghetti one night, and lasagna another. Add in your wonderful breadsticks and I will be in heaven. When I menu plan for the week your site is the first place I come, I am never disappointed in the results! (Even though I can never use the onion, allergies, I always find a substitute that works well, in this one, extra garlic and fresh mushrooms)
Kate-
I'll admit, when I saw this recipe I was excited to try it because I love making my own sauce for lasagna but I was a bit apprehensive about all of the chunky veggies…And I have to say, Thank you soooo much for posting this sauce recipe! It is absolutely, deliciously divine! Please send forth a special thanks to your "awesome brother-in-law Peter and his equally cool wife Stephaine" for giving you permission to post his recipe.
Our (mine and my hubby's) tummies THANK YOU FOR IT!!! 🙂 (Mmmm…leftovers will be soooo great tonight! YAY!)
Hey, Lisa! What a bummer to be allergic to celery and carrots! You know, you can use any hearty vegetable in this–you could add more zucchini or throw in some eggplant or maybe even some parsnips or something like that. It's pretty flexible! 🙂
This sauce sounds awesome but could I just leave out the carrots and celery (I'm highly allergic to both) or do I need to substitute something for the bulk they would make up? And would it really take down the flavor if they were left out? So many yummy things have both carrots and celery in them and I never know how to handle substitutions.
PS – Thanks for previous help to food dilemmas!