• Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. (Note: if you are going to cook the entire sauce on the stovetop, be sure to use a pot that will hold all of the ingredients.)
• When oil is hot, add beef, salt, and pepper.
• Cook beef, breaking it apart with a spoon or spatula, until cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes.

To Cook Sauce in the Instant Pot

• Combine cooked beef, garlic, dried basil, dried oregano, water, and crushed tomatoes in the bowl of a 6-quart Instant Pot / pressure cooker.
• Stir well.
• Set pot to “sealing” and pressure cook on high for 6 minutes.
• Leave sauce to release naturally for 10 minutes and then manually release any remaining pressure.

To Cook Sauce in the Slow Cooker

• Combine cooked beef, garlic, dried basil, dried oregano, water, and crushed tomatoes in the bowl of a 4 or 6 quart slow cooker.
• Stir well.
• Slow cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. (Note: It’s best to cook this on low; many slow cookers get so hot on the “high” setting that they can cause a tomato-based sauce to burn.)

To Cook Sauce on the Stovetop

• Add garlic, dried basil, dried oregano, water, and crushed tomatoes.
• Stir well.
• Let sauce cook until it begins to bubble, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Reduce heat so that the sauce is barely simmering and give it another good stir.
• Place a lid on the pot and let it simmer gently for 30 minutes to let the flavors develop.
• Check the sauce occasionally to be sure it isn’t burning on the bottom and to reduce the heat if needed.

For All Cooking Methods

• Stir sugar into the finished sauce. Taste and season the sauce with some salt and pepper or a bit more sugar, if needed until it tastes balanced.