Have you substituted Italian sausage for the ground beef? If so, does that eliminate the need for baking soda? I have never seen that ingredi...

hmmm..don't know the recipe but am an italian who makes a whole lotta red sauce...
if you would prefer sausage - i say, go for it. but i would remove it from the casing and brown it like any other ground meat so it gets all broken up and caramelized. i personally don't care for links in my sauce. i agree that the baking soda is likely there to neutralize acidity...it's not something i have ever done though. i use good san marzano tomatoes, basil and a bit of sugar to sweeten.

At christmas we cut italian sausage links into 3-inch long pieces and add them (par-baked) to the sauce with meatballs, pork short ribs and the whole onion (serving everything whole on a platter after it's done cooking). I have never substituted the loose ground beef for sausage. I'm sure it would be delicious and add a lot of flavor though.

The baking soda counterbalances the acidity of the tomato sauce, giving it a sweeter flavor in the end. I always add this regardless of if I add meat or not.