To paraphrase Bushie,

I like the meat sauce that I make, and everyone tells me it’s good. Let me state however, that I am a Tennesseean who moved to Louisiana 10 years ago, and I don’t know of one drop of Italian blood in my veins, so basically I don’t know sh*t from Shinola about making a "real" sauce. Over the years I just played with making it, and here’s what I usually do:

It’s easy to adapt for smaller quantities and if you do, it’s very fast.

Be sure to read the notes & suggestions at the end!

Spaghetti Sauce in Quantity
6 lb. lean ground beef
6 lb., 3 oz. canned tomatoes in juice (1 large can)
90 oz. Italian style tomato sauce (6 15-oz. cans)
24 oz. tomato paste (2 cans)
.62 oz. dehydrated bell peppers
.25 oz. dehydrated celery flakes
.9 oz dehydrated minced garlic
.25 oz. Italian seasoning
.55 oz. anise seed
4 oz. dehydrated chopped or minced onions
3 oz. fresh grated Parmesan
1� T powdered allspice
3 T sweet basil
1 t Tabasco sauce
2 bay leaves, whole

Brown beef lightly and drain thoroughly in colander. (For extremely low fat content, rinse it with hot water and drain some more.)

While meat is cooking and draining, crush canned tomatoes. Put them, with tomato sauce and paste, in large stockpot; laminated stainless and aluminum recommended.

When meat is thoroughly drained, add to stockpot. Add a quart of water and mix thoroughly.

Add seasonings and mix thoroughly. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat, and mix in cheese.

Cover and simmer as long as is convenient.

Chill quickly, then refrigerate overnight; freeze in desired portions.

Notes, suggestions and options: Be sure to add Tabasco (no substitute) at beginning of cooking period; this will cook off the "hot" but keep the flavor. (If you want more heat you can also add crushed red peppers.) Substitute sweet Italian sausage for beef; do not add anise until you’ve tasted the sauce. Fresh bell pepper, celery, and onions are excellent but labor-intensive. If you use them, do not add water until mixture has cooked for at least two hours, as they will add to the liquid content. Mushrooms are optional and expensive. Use Romano cheese if you can find it: it has a slightly different flavor which I prefer. Add a cup of red wine during simmering period.

All herbs and spices are dried. When an odd quantity is given it’s because the seasoning comes in that quantity.

Experiment with seasonings!