Diane'S Pasta Sauce - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/8 to 1/4 lb. lean (96% fat-free) ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small green pepper, chopped
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 (29 oz.) can Italian plum tomatoes, crushed (with juice)
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1 c. mushrooms, washed and quartered, or 1 (8 oz.) can sliced mushrooms
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 small bay leaves or 1 large
hot red pepper flakes to taste
2 to 3 Tbsp. tomato paste

Preparation

In a large Dutch oven, put beef, onion, garlic and green pepper; saute on medium heat until beef is done.
Add nutmeg, oregano and basil; cook 2 minutes.
Add the canned tomatoes and the next 7 ingredients; simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add tomato paste to thicken sauce; taste to see if any salt and pepper are needed.
Simmer another 10 minutes or so; taste again for any seasoning adjustments.
If a little bitter, you can add more sugar or squeeze a little orange juice into the sauce.
Surprisingly, this mellows the flavors.
Serves 8 with 1 pound of pasta (ziti, spirals or shells).