Diane'S Pasta Sauce

• 1/8 to 1/4 lb. lean (96% fat-free) ground beef
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1 (29 oz.) can Italian plum tomatoes, crushed (with juice)
• 2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
• 1 c. mushrooms, washed and quartered, or 1 (8 oz.) can sliced mushrooms
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. red wine vinegar
• 2 small bay leaves or 1 large
• hot red pepper flakes to taste
• 2 to 3 Tbsp. tomato paste

1. In a large Dutch oven, put beef, onion, garlic and green pepper; saute on medium heat until beef is done.
2. Add nutmeg, oregano and basil; cook 2 minutes.
3. Add the canned tomatoes and the next 7 ingredients; simmer for about 20 minutes.
4. Add tomato paste to thicken sauce; taste to see if any salt and pepper are needed.
5. Simmer another 10 minutes or so; taste again for any seasoning adjustments.
6. If a little bitter, you can add more sugar or squeeze a little orange juice into the sauce.
7. Surprisingly, this mellows the flavors.
8. Serves 8 with 1 pound of pasta (ziti, spirals or shells).

lean, onion, garlic, green pepper, nutmeg, oregano, basil, italian plum tomatoes, tomato sauce, mushrooms, sugar, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, bay leaves, hot red pepper, tomato paste

Taken from www.cookbooks.com/Recipe-Details.aspx?id=414619 (may not work)