All-Purpose Tomato and Meat Sauce

This sauce is a staple in our kitchen. I threw together one night when we had a large group to cook for, and have held on to it closely ever since. It's a perfect, hearty, make-ahead sauce that can be reheated when needed, and tossed over just about anything. Pasta (the obvious), squash (as pictured), in lasagna, over polenta, etc etc.  I'm guilty of even eating it by itself from a bowl with a fork. Yum Yum Yum. 
This is the first time that I've actually written it down, so feel free to adjust measurements, as all are approximate anyway (I usually just throw in a little of this, and a little of that). We love the combo of ground turkey with chicken sausage, as it's a bit leaner than the beef-pork option. Both are fantastic though.
  
**Special note to my Dad: This is the sauce that I made for you and Marm during your last visit to Arizona. You requested the recipe, so I'm adding it here just for you! :)

Ingredients
1lb Ground meat (turkey or beef)
2-3 Mild Italian Sausage - casting removed (chicken with turkey, pork with beef) 
1 lrg onion, diced
2-3 clovers of garlic, minced
1-3 tsp red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like your sauce)
1 6oz can tomato paste or 2-3tbsp double concentrated tubed tomato paste
1 cup red wine (something you would drink...enjoy the last 500ml of the bottle while you cook!)
42 oz canned, no-salt added, tomatoes (any combo of crushed, diced, pureed, etc. For the sauce pictured above, I used 14oz petite diced and 28oz crushed - the diced adds some nice tomato chunks to your sauce. For a smoother sauce, just use a puree)
1-2 bay leaves 
approx 1tsp Italian Seasoning
Adjust the following according to your own tastes:
approx 1/2 tsp each: dried basil, dried oregano, dried parsley
approx 1/4 tsp each: garlic powder (not garlic salt!), dried thyme
S&P

Directions
1. Season ground meat with salt and pepper (if using turkey, lightly salt). Heat oil over med-high heat. Brown ground meat and sausage, breaking up pieces after it begins to brown nicely (you want brown meat, not grey!). Once cooked through, remove meat from pot and set aside. If using beef, drain excess fat. If using turkey, add a bit more oil to the pan for the next step.
2. Turn heat down to med. Add onion, a pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper. Sautee until just soft and slightly translucent. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 1-2min, then stir in tomato paste. Cook another 2-3 minutes, careful not to burn paste.

3. Turn heat down to med-low. Add wine to de-glaze pan. Be sure to scrape up all of the delicious "brown bits" from the bottom of the pan (although the recipe calls for a cup, I usually just do a few "glugs" from the bottle, until all of the bits are incorporated into the liquid). Add meat back into pot. Stir to combine with onion, paste, and wine mixture.

4. Add canned tomatoes. Stir in seasonings and S&P to taste. Turn heat down to low and place lid on pot, leaving slightly uncovered. Let simmer (very gently) for 20-45 minutes. The longer you let it cook, the more developed the flavours will become.

5. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary (does it need more salt? pepper? wine? herbs?) Serve over pasta, in lasagna, or over spaghetti squash (as pictured - to cook, cut squash in half. Remove seeds. Oil, s&P cut side. Place cut-side down on lined baking sheet. Roast at 425F for 30-45min, until soft. String into bowl with fork). Fantastic when you add fresh basil and/or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Keeps well in fridge up to one week, in freezer up to 6 months.