Pasta Sauce with Meat

I discovered this recipe a few years ago and our family has come to love it. I don't make it very often but when I do I wonder why I don't make it more. This batch makes enough for one lasagna or 2 lbs of pasta. I always double the recipe.

Ingredients for Meat Sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, sliced
• 1 pound round steak, cubed
• 1 pound veal, cubed
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the sausage, round steak, and veal 10 minutes, until evenly browned. Remove meat from skillet and drain, reserving about 1 tablespoon drippings.  Stir the garlic into the skillet with the reserved meat drippings, and cook about 3 minutes over medium heat. Place the crushed tomatoes into the skillet. Season with Italian seasoning, bay leaf, garlic powder, oregano, pepper, and parsley. Cook 15 minutes.

1. Mix the tomato sauce into the skillet, and continue cooking 15 minutes.
2. Return the meat to the skillet.
3. Use either an immersion blender or blender to puree half of the sauce. (this makes the sauce lose a little of it's dark red color, but makes not so 'full of big pieces of meat') Reduce heat to low, and simmer 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Enjoy!