Ditch the canned spaghetti sauce for this flavorful, beefy, homemade spaghetti meat sauce. Only takes a few minutes to prepare and then let it simmer for amazing flavor. Serve over pasta noodles with some garlic bread for a delicious dinner.
I originally shared this dinner recipe for homemade spaghetti meat sauce when I first started blogging. Almost 3 years ago! When I first started my blog I thought was doing really good, haha 🙂
A lot of recipes can accumulate on the blog after 3 years and I’ll be honest, there are lots of recipes that probably never get made again.
This homemade spaghetti meat sauce is one of the recipes that gets made over and over again. It is by far my family’s most loved recipe. It’s one of the recipes that I want my kids to remember me for. Like every time they come back home they ask mom to make her spaghetti meat sauce.
This homemade spaghetti meat sauce make me so happy. It’s an easy recipe that literally tastes as if you have been slaving over a hot stove all day. And it looks pretty too. My food looking pretty is a big deal for me.
I love the convenience of a canned product as much as anyone, but sometimes you want a homemade dinner that is made from scratch. Even better, sometimes you want a homemade dinner that is actually quick & easy to make, and it’s still made from scratch!
I am always amazed by this spaghetti meat sauce because it uses no canned spaghetti sauce which is a pretty normal thing to use when you’re making a quick & easy meat sauce. Besides some simmering time on the stove top it comes together rather quickly.
How to make Homemade Spaghetti Meat Sauce
- Brown some ground beef with a diced onion, crushed garlic, and salt. Be sure and crumble it into small pieces while it cooks.
- Add the usual pasta sauce ingredients : tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and crushed tomatoes along with some seasonings.
- Let it come to a low boil and then let it simmer for at least 15 minutes. While it’s simmering, prepare your pasta noodles so they’re ready to go.
- If you’ve got the time let this simmer for as long as you can. The flavor gets better and better as it sits and simmers on the stove top.
My kids LOVE this stuff. And anything that they will eat willingly, without whining, I will gladly make it every day if I have to!
I serve this with some shredded or grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley if I have it. I won’t buy it just for this recipe but if it’s in the fridge then I’ll use it. It adds a great fresh herby flavor.
I also serve it alongside these Parmesan Breadsticks I posted yesterday; these breadsticks were life changing. In all the right ways.
Tips for making Homemade Spaghetti Meat Sauce
- You can use ground beef or even ground turkey for this recipe. I have used both with great results.
- The key to a really well developed spaghetti sauce is to let it simmer. Follow the recipe and make sure that you let the sauce simmer for at least 15 minutes. I always do more because I love the flavor.
- Use any type of garlic you want. Fresh cloves that you mince or press into a garlic press, you can use the garlic paste from the tube, or even the jarred minced garlic. Anything will work!
- Don’t skip the granulated sugar. It is not a huge amount but the it does wonders for a very acidic tomato based pasta sauce.
- Not only will the simmer time let the flavors develop, but it also helps to slightly thicken the pasta sauce as well.
Be sure to try these other family favorite pasta & Italian dinners
- baked spaghetti casserole
- cheesy taco spaghetti casserole
- crispy baked chicken parmesan
- baked creamy garlic parmesan chicken
- creamy garlic pasta
Watch the recipe video to see how to make homemade spaghetti meat sauce!
Ditch the canned spaghetti sauce for this flavorful, beefy, homemade spaghetti meat sauce. Only takes a few minutes to prepare and then let it simmer for amazing flavor. Serve over pasta noodles with some garlic bread for a delicious dinner that will please everyone.
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 sweet onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes w/ garlic, oregano, basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
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Cook ground beef, onion, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt over medium-high heat until the meat is no longer pink. Crumble as you cook it. Drain the meat to avoid a greasy pasta sauce.
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Add in the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
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Bring to a low boil and then turn heat down to medium low and let it simmer for at least 15 minutes, longer if you can. If it starts to boil and spit sauce, just turn the heat down.
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Serve over hot cooked pasta and garnish with chopped parsley and shredded parmesan cheese if wanted.
The key to this pasta sauce is the simmer time. Let it simmer at least 15 minutes, longer if you can.
While the sauce is simmering prepare the pasta so it's ready to go when the sauce is done.
The 183 calories is for 1 serving of the meat sauce. It does not include pasta noodles. To reduce calories, use cauli-rice or zucchini noodles.
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26 Comments
Carlee
June 16, 2015 at 11:49 am Ugh! I can't live without air conditioning either! Good thing it was an easy fix. This looks delicious. If you'd like to deliver a plate of spaghetti and some of those breadsticks, I would gladly accept!Together As Family
June 17, 2015 at 10:58 am I know! I'm just glad we did not have to end up replacing it completely. Hello tons of money $ !!! I would totally deliver a plate if I could :) Between my family, my parents visiting and my husband taking the leftovers to work the next day, we have none left!Shelly
June 22, 2015 at 11:29 pm OMG!!! So good!! Made this for dinner tonight - followed the recipe exactly (shocking i know LOL) and it was soooooo good!!! I will definitely be making this all the time!!!!Together As Family
June 23, 2015 at 9:04 am YAY!! I'm SO happy to hear you loved it, and it turned out! I still get nervous posting recipes because I want so badly for people to love them, so I love to hear from readers. Good or bad! We love it too. Just a bit more effort but it's all worth it :) Thanks so much Shelly for coming back and leaving a comment.Suzi
October 29, 2015 at 8:28 pm I like homemade spaghetti sauce, so much better than any can or jar. By the way, use 96-97% fat free meat and no grease or fat to worry about or drain! Trust me, I'm frugal and pay the extra willingly, worth the extra pennies.Together As Family
October 30, 2015 at 9:33 pm Yes Suzi, I agree. Homemade is so much better than jarred. I always use the lower fat ground beef too, it is worth the extra couple dollars :) Thanks for your comment.Sue Haynes
October 31, 2015 at 6:58 pm Great recipe! Take it to a whole other level with ground italian sausage. Sometimes I change it up for a little variety. Both ways are so good.Together As Family
November 1, 2015 at 3:40 pm Thank you Sue! I love the idea of ground sausage. My kids love sausage so I am for sure going to try that when I make this again. Thanks so much for coming back to leave your comment :)Tonya
December 29, 2015 at 11:39 pm Can't wait to try this. I always boil my hamburger meat. That way it gets all the grease off. I also cook and put it in the freezer if I buy when on sale. It's perfect for spaghetti sauce, tacos, etc.Together As Family
December 30, 2015 at 1:23 pm Now you have me curious about boiling ground beef. I may just have to try that. I hope you get a chance to make this, it is delicious :) Thanks for commenting and visiting Tonya.Kathy
January 25, 2016 at 11:43 am This sounds so yummy! How many does this feed?Together As Family
January 25, 2016 at 3:52 pm Thanks Kathy. It makes a lot. For 2 adults & 3 kids we have enough leftover to make a lasagna or some other dish that needs pasta sauce. My best guess is that it would comfortably feed 6 adults.Kathy
January 26, 2016 at 11:31 am Thank you!!Amber
February 21, 2016 at 5:08 pm I just made this today and it was a hit! Couldn't find any Italian style diced tomatoes so I just got regular diced tomatoes and put some Italian seasoning in it. Added some parsley at the end and it was to die for! So easy, quick and delicious and not too many ingredients needed! Thank you so much!Together As Family
February 21, 2016 at 7:23 pm Hi Amber. I'm so glad you loved this! This is one that I still make often. Great idea about the diced tomato + Italian Seasoning. I actually need to change the recipe because they no longer label the diced tomatoes 'Italian Style'. They call them 'diced tomatoes with garlic, oregano, and basil'. But, yes adding Italian seasoning would be the same thing. Thanks so much for coming back to leave your comment :)30+ Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas - A Fresh Start on a Budget
March 23, 2016 at 4:22 pm […] 9. Spaghetti Meat Sauce […]Sharon Wurgler
June 21, 2017 at 2:54 am I've found that sausage gives spaghetti an even better flavor. I'll have to try it.Together As Family
June 21, 2017 at 8:29 pm Oh, for sure! Sausage would be amazing in this. I've also made this using ground turkey and that is yummy as well.todd
July 29, 2017 at 4:55 pm do you use paste as a thickener or does it thicken by boilingTogether As Family
July 30, 2017 at 10:58 am As the sauce simmers it will thicken. If you prefer a really thick pasta sauce then you could add some tomato paste if you wanted. I hope that helps :)Nakya
August 28, 2017 at 6:34 pm Are you using dried oregano?Together As Family
August 29, 2017 at 4:03 pm Yes it is dried oregano. If you would rather use fresh it is about half the amount of the dried. I prefer dried because they're cheaper and I think they taste just as good :)Destiny
November 1, 2017 at 3:41 pm What specific brand of can tomatoes do you use!?Together As Family
November 1, 2017 at 9:07 pm I use all different brands. The only brand that I tend to not buy is the Great Value Walmart brand, but that is just personal preference. Any brand will work :)Kim
May 10, 2018 at 1:27 pm Jessica, I tried your recipe today and it was a hit!! I doubled the recipe and fed 5 hungry hired men (they ate big portions). I had 3 pints left over, so I froze it. I'm anxious to see how it does after freezing, but I'm guessing it will be delicious. The only change I made was from necessity (i.e. I goofed up). I reached for crushed tomatoes and opened whole tomatoes by mistake!! After I realized my error, I just grabbed my potato masher and mashed them up. Waa Laa! Crushed tomatoes! LOL Thanks for a delicious recipe - one I'm sure I will use over and over.laura cooper
June 24, 2018 at 12:41 pm I made this today and we'll be eating it for dinner tonight. I figured the last time we used Prego would be the last time I used jarred sauce (soooo sweet!). This is very very thick so there are no worries about having to thicken it up. Can't wait for dinner!