Slow-Simmered Meat Sauce with Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 (4-ounce) links hot Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 pound ground sirloin
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
• 1/4 cup no-salt-added tomato paste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 (28-ounce) can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 16 ounces uncooked mafaldine pasta
• 1/2 cup torn fresh basil
• 3 ounces shaved fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preparation

1. 1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and carrot to pan; sauté 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Place vegetable mixture in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add sausage and beef to skillet; sauté 6 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove beef mixture from skillet using a slotted spoon. Place beef mixture on a double layer of paper towels; drain. Add beef mixture to slow cooker. Stir olives and next 6 ingredients (through tomato sauce) into slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 8 hours. Stir in oregano.
2. 2. Prepare pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Serve sauce with hot cooked pasta; top with basil and cheese.