Versatile Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 (29 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 pound pepperoni sausage, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 (4.5 ounce) can mushrooms, drained and chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions

Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and green bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until softened.

2. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the lean ground beef, break it up, and cook for about 8 minutes until no longer pink and it reaches 160°F (71°C) in the thickest parts. Drain off excess fat.

3. Stir in the sliced pepperoni sausage and cook for 3 minutes to heat through.

4. Stir in the tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, drained chopped mushrooms, garlic salt, salt, black pepper, onion powder, dried oregano and Italian seasoning.

5. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and partially cover. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes so it does not stick.

6. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot.