Homemade Tomato Meat Sauce

While trying to find the best off-the-shelf pasta sauce, I realize that nothing beats a homemade recipe. This recipe takes time but is pretty simple. Make a large batch and freeze the rest, it's good for pasta and pizza, or wherever your creativity takes you. I got this recipe from my friend Jenn O., who is a wonderful cook and friend. I guess people who cook good food tend to be great people too, enjoy!

Before...

and After!

Homemade Tomato Meat Sauce 

Ingredients:
Crushed Tomatoes – 3 to 4 cans, 28-oz each (Rienzi or Tuttorosso brand)

Bone-in Pork Chop – 3
Onion - 2, chopped (I like to use sweet onions)

Mushroom - 2 packs (around 16 oz total; I like to use Baby Bella)
Garlic - 15-20 cloves, sliced or chopped

Season with: 
basil, bay leaf, salt, pepper and sugar; can also add parsley or Italian seasoning
(for this batch, I used 2 handfuls of basil and 4 bay leaves)

Serve with: 
Romano Grated Cheese

Optional:
Spicy peppers (I used 8 jalapenos in this recipe and it still wasn't spicy)

Diced Tomatoes – 1-2 cans (for chunkier texture)

Directions:

1. In big pot, put in some olive oil, cook chopped garlic and onion, then pour in tomatoes and all seasoning, cook for 1 hour on low/medium heat.

2. Season pork chop with salt and pepper, brown in frying pan.

3. After 1 hour, add pork chop to sauce. Cook for hours (minimum of 2 hours, but the longer the better) on low heat. Stir occasionally and taste and season, skim fat on top. Careful because sauce can be very splashy. 
4. When it's done, remove the pork chop and bay leaves.

* I used 4 cans of crushed tomatoes for this batch, and it made enough sauce for a meal for about 12 people. I like to freeze half of the sauce, and saute it with sausage/turkey/ground beef, or add mozzarella cheese before serving it with pasta.