Sicilian Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound mild Italian sausage
• 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 (6-ounce) can Italian-style tomato paste
• 3 cups water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• Hot cooked linguine
• Shredded Parmesan cheese
• Breadsticks (optional)

Preparation

1. Remove casings from sausage, and discard. Cook sausage and ground beef in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat 6 minutes, stirring until meat crumbles. Add onion and garlic, and sauté 4 minutes or until beef and sausage are no longer pink. Drain and set aside. Wipe skillet clean.
2. Combine sauce and next 7 ingredients in skillet or Dutch oven; cook, stirring occasionally, 1 hour. Add sausage mixture and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 hour and 30 minutes or until mixture thickens. Serve over linguine; sprinkle with cheese. Serve with breadsticks, if desired.