Remember those awesome pizza parlors that just smelled like pizza and you would play arcade games while you waited for your pie with your friends? I wish they still had places like that... But being honest, I have discovered that the combination of things in a pizza wreck havoc on my body and that sucks. Because pizza is freaking delicious! So I had to find a way to get all the flavor of pizza without getting flashbacks of spending time in those parlor bathrooms scribbled with Julie's phone number and initials with hearts.

This sauce is AMAZING and perfect for Whole30 or anyone with gluten or dairy sensitivities. It is packed with protein, vegetables and healthy fats with those little olives. If you are vegan, swap the beef out for your favorite bean or legume, I would suggest a cannellini bean or lentil. Spoon it over your favorite pasta or vegetable noodles (voodles?), my favorite are butternut squash noodles, they are the perfect texture and flavor. This sauce makes a big batch and it freezes beautifully, just cool completely and drop it into a freezer bag, and pop into the freezer.

I promise the flavor will bring you back to those simple Friday nights in the pizza parlor and amazingly, when you cook mushrooms in ghee, it literally smells like the pizza parlor. Try it, let me know if I'm crazy, and I hope you are transported to that local pizza joint.

Supreme Pizza Sauce

2 Tablespoons ghee or avocado oil for Vegans
1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 Tablespoon oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 bell peppers, chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
2 lbs ground beef or 4 cups of beans for Vegans
1 1/2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 Tablespoon Sausage seasoning, I leave out the fennel
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground all spice
2 small cans (2.25 oz) sliced black olives, drained or a large can, sliced yourself
1 jar (24 oz) Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce (check for sugars)
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste throughout cooking

- Heat a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot on medium-high heat and melt the ghee. Add in the sliced mushrooms and cook until browned, stirring occasionally. Season lightly with salt and pepper and remove to a small bowl.

- Drizzle a little oil in the pot and add the onions, peppers, and garlic to cook. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until all softened.

- Add the tomato paste to the onion and pepper mixture, stir and cook for a couple minutes. Add the beef to the pot, breaking it up and season with salt and pepper. When the beef is browned, add all the spices and season with salt and pepper. If vegan or vegetarian, just drop in the drained beans in place of the meat.

- Add the reserved mushrooms back to the pot along with the drained olives. Pour in the two sauces and stir. Lower the heat and simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste, be sure to taste test with a bite containing an olive since they add saltiness.

- Serve over pasta or your favorite vegetable noodle.

The awesome group of ingredients, I ran out of the small cans of olives so I used a big one and sliced those pearls up.

I absolutely love mushrooms and I am not joking when I say

ghee + mushrooms = pizza joint aroma

Onions, peppers, and garlic come together and saute in oil, use olive, coconut, or avocado, or even more ghee, whatever! Get them nice and softened and then make a little well for the tomato paste. I like to use the paste in the tube because I never need a whole can of the stuff. you need to cook it a couple minutes to "wake up" the flavors. Then add the meat! I leave the meat out on the counter while I prep everything else because it is easier to cook and doesn't seize up in the pan.

Remember to season with a little salt and pepper at each stage, seasoning throughout the cooking process helps develop the flavor evenly.

This is what it looks like before adding the seasonings or sauces. Your house will smell delicious and your kids, husband, and pets will start milling about asking when dinner is ready...

Season it up, maybe wait on more salt at this point, the olives add some and the sauces have salt in them too. Add back in those mushrooms too, yummmm.

This is one of my favorite brands of pasta sauce, it is delicious and super clean. No sugar or weird stuff in the jar plus it goes on sale pretty frequently at HEB (Texan grocery store) and Whole Foods. Add sauce with a can of basic tomato sauce, check for sugar, and you are ready to simmer for a while, I would say at least 30 minutes.