Chop 3 medium white onions into small pieces, chop 2 celery stalks into small pieces, chop 1 cup fresh mushrooms, slice 3 ½ lbs tomatoes in half, and mince 6 garlic cloves.
Add the 3 medium chopped onions, 1 cup chopped mushrooms, 2 chopped celery stalks, and 6 minced garlic cloves to a large pot over medium heat with the olive oil. Cook until onions turn translucent and mushrooms soften, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the cooked vegetables to a bowl and set aside.
Now add 1 lb ground beef to the pot and cook until brown and no longer pink. Drain excess grease if needed.
Add back to the pot the cooked vegetable mixture, 3 ½ lbs of sliced tomatoes, 11oz tomato paste, 22 oz strained tomatoes, 1 ½ Tbsp dried oregano, ½ Tbsp dried basil, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp salt, and ¼ tsp ground black pepper.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce and let it simmer low for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Once finished cooking, you can discard the bay leaves and scoop out any tomato skins and cores.
Pour sauce into mason jars. Let cool completely then store in the fridge or freezer. You can also store the sauce in Ziploc freezer bags. Use Ziploc brand to prevent them from leaking.
Heat the spaghetti sauce in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour over fresh pasta noodles and sprinkle with parmesan. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
Freeze the leftovers in mason jars or freezer bags. Add cooled sauce to a container and freeze for up to 6 months.
Store in serving portions to save time. 1 ½ to 2 cups per portion.
Keep tomatoes whole or cut in half. Don't chop any further. As the sauce cooks, the tomatoes break down, but the skin and cores do not. You'll have to remove those at the end - the less you need to scoop through the sauce the better!
Let the sauce simmer for a full hour. This allows for a greater depth of flavor in the sauce. Let simmer on medium-low heat. Cover with a lid on an angle.
The sauce will boil and bubble as it's simmering. Sauce splatters on the stove are just part of the process. I kept a wet cloth nearby to wipe up splatters anytime I stirred the sauce.
I used 24 oz wide mouth mason jars (750 ml). These jars are great for homemade sauces! They are freezer friendly and store easily.
Because this sauce contains ground beef, it's best to refrigerate or freeze the recipe.