Italian Meat Sauce

Ingredients

• 3 pounds extra-lean ground beef
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 medium-size green bell peppers, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 (26-ounce) jars vegetable pasta sauce
• 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans chopped diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
• 3 (8-ounce) cans no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

Preparation

1. Cook ground beef and next 3 ingredients, in batches, in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain well, and return to pan. Stir in pasta sauce and remaining ingredients.
2. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes. Uncover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes or until sauce is thickened.
3. Note: For testing purposes only, we used Classico Traditional Favorites Garden Vegetable Primavera Pasta Sauce.