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1
Place the Italian sausage in a large, nonstick skillet or Dutch oven.
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2
Drizzle with the 1/4 cup olive oil and saute over VERY low heat for 5 minutes, turning occasionally.
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3
Add the tomato paste and stir.
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4
If necessary, to avoid sticking, add another drizzle of olive oil and stir well.
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5
Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for approximately 30 minutes, until the tomato paste darkens and looks almost black.
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6
Meanwhile, put the remaining vegetables in a blender and add the 2 cups tomato juice.
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7
Blend until the vegetables are no longer solid.
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8
Add the two tablespoons of sugar, the salt and the red pepper flakes.
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9
Pour this mixture over the sauce and stir well to blend.
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10
Simmer, partially covered, for 2-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
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11
Add the red wine in the last hour of cooking.
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12
Continue to simmer at least one hour, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until sauce reaches desired consistency.
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13
At this point, you can add any additional meat that has been pre-cooked, such as ground beef, sausage, or any vegetables such as mushrooms, as desired.
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14
This makes a large amount so you can freeze extra sauce in ziplock bags for the freezer.
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15
Simply thaw and reheat to use in lasagne, as pizza sauce, for spaghetti & meatballs, etc.
