Seven Meat Feast Recipe

Chop and measure

Dice the onion and red bell pepper, mince the garlic, chop the bacon, dice the ham, cube the chicken breast, and remove casings from the sausages. Measure out the passata, stock, seasonings, and other ingredients.

Brown bacon and render fat

Heat a large heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil if pan is dry. Add chopped bacon and cook, stirring, until fat renders and bacon is crisp-tender, about 5–7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towel, leaving rendered fat in pan.

Brown ground beef and pork

Increase heat to medium-high. Add the ground beef to the pan with the bacon fat. Break it up with a spoon and brown until mostly cooked through, about 5 minutes. Push beef to one side or transfer to plate. Add ground pork to the pan (add a bit of oil if needed) and brown until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Drain excess fat if there is more than 2 tablespoons, leaving some for flavor.

Cook sausage and chorizo

Add Italian sausage and chorizo (both removed from casings) to the pan. Crumble and brown until no pink remains, about 4–5 minutes. Transfer cooked sausage to the plate with beef and pork.

Sear ham and chicken

Add the diced smoked ham and chicken pieces to the hot pan with 1 teaspoon olive oil if needed. Sear chicken and ham until edges brown, about 3–4 minutes. They do not need to be fully cooked through at this stage since they'll simmer later. Transfer them to the meat plate.

With the pan still over medium heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil if the pan is dry. Add the diced onion and red bell pepper and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant, stirring to prevent burning.

Pour in the red wine (if using) to deglaze the pan, scraping up browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Let the wine reduce by half, about 1–2 minutes. If not using wine, add 2 tablespoons stock and scrape the pan.

Return all cooked meats (bacon, ground beef, ground pork, Italian sausage, chorizo, ham, and chicken) to the pot. Stir to combine with the softened aromatics.

Pour in the tomato passata and the chicken stock. Stir in kosher salt, black pepper, dried oregano, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer gently for 20–30 minutes to meld flavors and finish cooking the chicken. Stir occasionally. If the sauce reduces too much, add up to 1/2 cup additional stock or water to reach desired consistency.

Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, or red pepper flakes as desired. Stir in chopped parsley and 3 tablespoons of the grated Parmesan to enrich the sauce (reserving the rest for serving).

If serving with pasta: cook the pasta according to package directions in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, and toss pasta with several ladles of the meat sauce, adding a splash of reserved pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce.

If serving with mashed potatoes, polenta or bread: gently spoon the meat mixture over the prepared starch or place in a serving bowl with grated Parmesan sprinkled on top.

Garnish with remaining Parmesan and fresh basil leaves or extra parsley. Serve hot.