hearty meat sauce

Sometimes you want delicious but you don't want to spend an hour getting it.  This meal is for those times.

I created this hearty meat sauce once when we spontaneously invited company over.  We are usually not spontaneous people - I generally plan for days when I know someone is coming over.  In this instance, though, I had to create something fast with ingredients we already had in the refrigerator.  We loved the result so much that we wrote down what I did and have been having it ever since!

This sauce is delicious no matter how you serve it, but we love it over gnocchi.  Since gnocchi only takes 3 minutes to cook, this truly is a 15 minute meal!

Hearty Meat Sauce 

• 1 t. olive oil 
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 4 oz. mushrooms, chopped
• 1 lb. smoked sausage, chopped into small bits
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 14 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
• 8 oz. tomato sauce
• 2 T. tomato paste
• 2 t. brown sugar
• 1 t. oregano

Saute peppers, mushrooms, and sausage in olive oil until the veggies are tender and meat is heated through.  Add wine; cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and heat through.  Serves 6.