Italian Spaghetti Sauce

This is a recipe that I found in "The Allergy Self-Help Cookbook" by Majorie Hurt Jones. The original recipe does not call for ground beef and I have adjusted the amount of vegetables in the recipe as well.

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

•  cooking spray
• 1  lb lean ground beef
• 1  large onion, thinly sliced
• 1  cup celery, diced
• 1  large red bell pepper, chopped
• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• 2  teaspoons dried oregano
• 2  tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes (I used Dei Fratelli Seasoned DIced Tomatoes)
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1⁄2 cup red wine (or water)
• 1  large bay leaf
• 1  teaspoon honey
• 1  teaspoon  balsamic vinegar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 red pepper flakes, crushed
• 1  teaspoon dried basil

Directions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.
2. Spray w/oil.
3. Add ground beef, onions. celery, red pepper and garlic.
4. Saute` until beef is no longer pink and veggies are tender, about 10 minutes.
5. Add remaining ingredients and stir well.
6. Bring to a boil and reduce heat.
7. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 1-3 hours.
8. If sauce becomes too thick, thin with a little water.
9. Remove bay leaf and serve with your favorite pasta.