Tony's Chunky Pasta Sauce

• 1 lb ground turkey or beef

• several cloves garlic (potentially supplemented with garlic power)

• 1 teaspoon basil

• 1 teaspoon oregano

• 1 teaspoon salt (adjust according to taste once sauce has cooked for a while)

• Roughly a pound of tomatoes (can use fresh, chopped, or canned)

• One bottle store bought pasta sauce (I use whatever is cheapest, this is basically a replacement for tomato paste because it is cheaper. Alternatively you can use 6 oz cans (1 1/3 cups) tomato paste.  Remember to consider that the store sauce will have some basil/oregano/garlic/onion/etc. and adjust the rest of the recipe.  Also store bought sauce tends to be sweeter than home made, but given all the other ingredients you are unlikely to notice the difference)

• 2-4 shallots

• 1-3 onions

• 1-2 bell peppers

• 1 carrot/1 celery stalk/1 zucchini/any additional veggies you have around that you think will work (if you use a small amount of almost anything it will give a richer flavor without altering it too much, and add some more variety to the texture)

• Black pepper/onion powder/parsley/whatever to taste

Note: All proportions are rough and should be adjusted according to what you want (for example, you can chop the veggies coarsely for a really chunky sauce, or blend them finely for a smoother one, or anything in between), and you whim on the day you make the sauce. If you get the same sauce every time you're not making it correctly.

Makes a LOT of sauce. I usually get enough for a pan or two of lasagna with enough left over for a few pounds of sauce to use on spaghetti or freeze for later use.

Dice a few cloves of garlic, a shallot or two, and maybe a smaller onion and place in a large pan on medium heat with olive oil. After a minute or two, add the ground meat and cook until browned (try not to overcook, you want it just barely no longer pink, it will cook more as you simmer the sauce). Add to your sauce pot or slow cooker whenever it is done.

Chop tomatoes, onions, remaining garlic and shallots, carrots, celery, etc. and add to a large sauce pot on medium low heat, or slow cooker as you finish chopping them. Add meat mixture when it is browned, and store bought sauce/tomato paste. Add spices to taste. Make sure, initially, to stir things thoroughly to make sure the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Cook/simmer on low heat on in a slow cooker for several hours (the longer the better, as long as you don't go for days at a time and dry it out/turn the veggies to complete mush).