Maybe it was his sensitive side, his sense of humor, or perhaps it was his contagious laugh that made Vicki fall in love with Skip…but it all began with his pasta sauce.  While studying at the University of California at Irvine, Skip and his roommates took turns with dinner duty.  From pork chops to pasta sauce, Skip had a few recipes in his repertoire.  Early in their dating relationship, Skip cooked Vicki the recipe below and there was no turning back.  Six months later they were engaged, and six months after that they were married!  Make this recipe for your guy or gal (ok, the kids too) and watch the sparks fly.

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Basic Pasta Sauce

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef optional if you are adding meatballs or chicken
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 small onion minced
• 8 ounces fresh baby portobello mushrooms sliced
• 1 jar Rao's tomato and basil pasta sauce or your favorite jarred sauce
• 1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes 28-ounce size
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasonings
• 1 Tbsp fresh basil

Instructions

• If using ground beef, brown in a large pot and drain off grease.    
• Heat oil over medium heat.
• Add garlic, onions and sliced mushrooms and stir.  Heat for about 2 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Notes

This sauce freezes very well.