Spaghetti Sauce

This one’s for you, MariAnne! MariAnne is a fellow soccer mom who asked me for my spaghetti sauce recipe after her son came home from our house and told her it was “the best spaghetti he’d ever had.” Needless to say, I was a little dumbfounded. The truth is, I didn’t really have a recipe for my homemade spaghetti sauce—or at least I didn’t think I did. I had always made this easy spaghetti sauce by throwing a few simple ingredients into a pot, seasoning as I went, and doing a lot of tasting along the way. But after MariAnne asked for the recipe, I decided it was time to figure out exactly what I was doing so I could finally write it down and share my homemade pasta sauce with all of you.

So, since then, I set out to figure out exactly how I make my “sauce.” It took a few rounds of making it, taking notes, and paying closer attention to what I was doing each time. What I discovered is that it really comes down to cooking time.

The longer you cook the sauce, the thicker and richer it becomes. You can cook it for as little as 30 minutes or as long as…well, as long as you want! Most of the time, when I make sauce, I cook it for under an hour. When I let it simmer longer, I season it a little differently—not necessarily more or less, but I spread the seasoning out. I add half at the beginning and the other half toward the end.

With just a few ingredients to chop and a few cans to open, this sauce is incredibly easy to make. So, without further ado, here’s the recipe!

Gather these ingredients

How to Make Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Sauté the aromatics. Heat olive oil in a large pot and cook the diced onion and minced garlic with salt until the onion begins to caramelize.

Brown the meat. Add the ground beef and Italian sausage, breaking it up as it cooks until completely browned.

Add the tomatoes. Stir in the tomato paste, water, diced tomatoes, and tomato puree.

Season the sauce. Add sugar, Italian seasoning, dried basil, and crushed red pepper flakes if you like a little heat.

Simmer low and slow. Let the spaghetti sauce simmer for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours. The longer it simmers, the thicker and richer the sauce becomes.

My favorite tip: If you have the time, let your homemade spaghetti sauce simmer low and slow for an hour. You may need to add a little water if the sauce gets too thick. If you’re short on time, don’t worry—30 minutes still gives you a delicious, hearty sauce.

And that’s really how easy it is! A few simple ingredients, a little chopping, and some time simmering on the stove is all it takes to make a rich, delicious homemade spaghetti sauce. I’ve been making this sauce the same way for years, and I can honestly say I haven’t had one complaint! It’s one of those tried-and-true recipes that has become a staple in my kitchen, and I hope it becomes a favorite at your table, too.

Other recipes that you can make with this sauce

Spaghetti Pie

This recipe is great to use up leftover spaghetti noodles and sauce. You can purposefully make extra and then roll it into this meal, to have later in the week or to stick in your freezer.

Mostaccioli

This recipe has a quick and simple sauce written in the recipe, however you can forgo the sauce and use this spaghetti sauce. Double the spaghetti sauce recipe if you plan on making mostaccioli as a second meal.

Lasagna Roll Ups

Same goes for this recipe. The recipe card had a quick and simple red sauce that can be made or you can use leftover spaghetti sauce. You would want to double this recipe if you were going to make lasagna roll ups.

If you make this spaghetti sauce, I’d love for you to come back and rate the recipe in the recipe card below! Your ratings and reviews help other readers know what to expect. And if you want to save this recipe for later, be sure to pin it to Pinterest so you can easily find it the next time you’re craving homemade spaghetti sauce!

From my table to yours with love, Sheila

Spaghetti Sauce

Sheila

Easy meat with red sauce made from scratch. This recipe comes together quickly the key is to low and slow cooking.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course dinner

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 6 servings

Calories 676 kcal

Equipment

• 1 6 quart pot

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup white onion diced
• 3 whole garlic cloves minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 lb lean ground beef 90%fat
• 1 lb Italian sausage
• 56 oz. diced tomatoes
• 28 oz. tomato puree
• 12 oz can tomato paste + 1 can of water
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning blend
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper optional
• 1/2 teaspoon salt taste and add more per your taste
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

 

• Saute onion and garlic in a 6 quart saucepan, add 1 teaspoon of salt, continue to cook until caramelizing starts. Add ground beef, and cook, chopping beef up with spatula to break it up as it browns.
• When beef is completely browned add tomato paste, stir, fill can with water, add to pan. Add the diced and pureed cans of tomatoes, stir to blend.
• Now season: add sugar, Italian seasoning, basil, crushed red pepper flakes(feel free to add more if you like spicy or omit). Simmer for at least 30 minutes – 2 hours. see note below
• **Crock Pot version: brown meat with onions and garlic put in crock pot with all the other ingredients and cook on high for 4-5 hours medium/low heat for 8. Stir occasionally if you have time.

Notes

The longer you cook the more the flavor will develop. Cook low and slow. However if you don’t have two hours 30 minutes still gives you a great sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 676kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 38gFat: 40gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 125mgSodium: 1311mgPotassium: 1582mgFiber: 9gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 1014IUVitamin C: 40mgCalcium: 156mgIron: 9mg

Keyword beef, dinner, homemade, roma tomato, spaghetti, spaghetti noodles, tomato sauce

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