Aunt Lola's Sweet Red Sauce

I want to give you fair warning: If you're a sucker for Italian like I am then this post will make your mouth water! I'm sharing a recipe that is kind of famous in our family: my Aunt Lori's red sauce. She has been known to go by many names...I decided to use Lola when I named the recipe because it just seemed to fit. My thanks to her for letting me share this! (You'll want to thank her too.) First of all, this recipe is semi-homemade because it uses store-bought pasta sauce and convenience ingredients. So if you've never tried to make your own sauce - this is the recipe for you! Also...it is delicious. I make lasagna, stuffed shells, and spaghetti often. This sauce just takes those dishes to another level! Here's what you need:

One large jar pasta sauce or two standard size (Brand of your choice - traditional flavor)
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 scoop brown sugar (to taste) 
1/2 stick butter
1 lb ground beef browned and rinsed

Once you've browned your beef work it well with your hands so that there aren't any really large clumps of beef. I like mine to be really fine in this sauce. I put it in a ziplock and worked on it this way so I didn't have to get my hands gross. So now we're ready to start throwing stuff in the pot. You'll want a large one as this recipe makes lots of sauce! I first added my sauce, tomatoes, and for the yummy parts...brown sugar and butter! (You can use white sugar too! Lori and I prefer the brown.) Use a scoop or a large spoon. I don't use a specific measurement and sometimes I add a little bit more. This takes the bitterness out of the tomatoes and makes the sauce nice and sweet so don't be shy!

For the butter add 1/2 of a stick. No wonder this recipe is great, huh? It is definitely rich!

On a side note...sometimes when I'm working on a blog post and I find myself doing things like...taking pictures of butter...I have to laugh. It feels a little strange, but doesn't it look pretty?? I love it. Ok, so back to the recipe! Once you've added your beef and mixed it all together, all that's left to do is let it simmer.

Doesn't that look so yummy... Let it simmer for about 30 minutes at least and then you can do a taste test to see if it needs more sugar. This recipe is great because it makes plenty of sauce for dinner, to share, and to save! From this batch I made two small pans of lasagna, I shared a jar with a friend, and I froze enough for another dish later on. Hope that you will love this simple sauce as much as I do. Is it lunchtime yet?...