Finely chop the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic.
½ cup onion, 1 stalk celery, 1 medium-sized carrot, 1 clove garlic
Add the olive oil to the pan and heat on medium low. Add the vegetables and cook until softened about 5 minutes.
1 tablespoon olive oil
Add the meat, breaking up into small pieces, and cook until no longer pink.
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
Add the milk and cook at a low simmer, stirring occasionally, until the milk has been absorbed.
1 cup milk
Repeat with the wine (add and cook at a low simmer, stirring occasionally until absorbed).
1 cup red wine
Add the can of tomatoes (discard the basil, if your can has basil), salt, and nutmeg, and cover. Continue to cook at a low simmer for at least 30 minutes. Occasionally check on the pot to skim off any fat that rises to the surface and then stir to break up the tomatoes.
28 ounces (1 large can) whole tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon nutmeg
If you are having this over pasta, boil a large pot of well-salted water and cook the pasta as directed to al dente.
When the pasta has cooked, drain and return it to the pasta pot. Add as much sauce as desired to the cooked pasta and cook for an additional minute so the pasta absorbs some of the sauce.
Serve immediately with the Parmesan alongside for topping.
Parmesan, grated