Italian Sausage Spaghetti Sauce Jo Ann Harston

1 tablespoon olive oil ½ green bell pepper not chopped

l teaspoon minced garlic 4 oz. Grated Parmesan cheese OR

2 lbs. Italian sausage shredded cheddar cheese

1 can (28 oz.) whole/chopped tomatoes, 1 teaspoon sugar

pureed in blender ½ teaspoon oregano

l can (8 oz.) tomato sauce ½ teaspoon basil

1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste ¼ teaspoon fennel seed

l whole onion, not chopped 4 oz. fresh mushrooms sliced

½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Salt to taste

Heat oil and garlic in pan over medium heat. Crumble in sausage and cook until meat loses red color. Drain all but l tablespoon grease. Add pureed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, stir. Add whole onion, green pepper, cheese, sugar, oregano, basil, and fennel seed, stir together. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 1 ½ hours. Add parsley and mushrooms during last 5 minutes of cooking time. Remove onion and green pepper. Serve over spaghetti. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top when serving.) Serves 6 - 8.

(Note: I use King Soopers Italian sausage links - not spicy ones. I like the onion and green pepper, some of my family don’t, so I cut up green pepper in big pieces and put the onion on a side plate for those that want it. I use very little fennel seed - a little goes a long way. I use 2-14 ½ oz. cans of tomatoes, the extra ounce doesn’t matter. Use salt sparingly as the tomatoes and sausage are salty. Freezes well.