Spicy Italian Meat Sauce

This is a spaghetti sauce recipe from a long-time family friend. I first made this when I was in high school, and I have been craving it for years now. Thankfully she remembered the recipe and sent it to me a few months ago, made it for us just after we brought our son home from the hospital, and made an extra batch for us to freeze. I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we do!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup celery

1/2 cup green peppers

2 tablespoons snipped parsley

2 cloves minced garlic

8 ounces ground turkey sausage

8 ounces ground turkey breast

1 (28-oz) can tomatoes with juices, chopped

1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce

1 (8-oz) can tomato paste

1 1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1/8 tsp ground red pepper

1 bay leaf

Spray a Dutch oven or saucepan with non-stick spray (or coat with olive oil), and add mushrooms, onions, celery, green peppers, parsley, and garlic. Cook while stirring 5 minutes over medium heat or until vegetables are tender.

Add the turkey sausage and breast, and cook about 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Stir in the tomatoes, sauce, paste, basil, salt, oregano, paprika, red pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer covered for 1 1/2 hours. Serve over spaghetti or spaghetti squash.