HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI SAUCE
I originally shared this recipe for homemade spaghetti meat sauce when I first started blogging almost 4 years ago! A lot of recipes can accumulate on the blog over that time and some rarely get made again.
But this spaghetti meat sauce still, to this day, gets made at least every other week at my house. My kids love it and it's by far my family's most loved recipe.
The sauce simmers on the stove top and I am pretty sure there is nothing better than the smell of homemade pasta sauce simmering away.
I love the convenience of a canned product as much as anyone but sometimes you want a homemade comfort food dinner that's made from scratch. This is the perfect recipe for when you have some time on your hands and just want some good food.
WHAT INGREDIENTS DO I NEED FOR HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI SAUCE?
Ground Beef - Feel free to substitute with ground turkey or even ground sausage.
Sweet Vidalia Onion - I have found that this is the best onion to use in this sauce. But feel free to use whatever onion you have in your kitchen. A white or yellow onion are both great choices.
Garlic - Use fresh garlic cloves that have been chopped or minced, or use the chopped garlic from the jar, or even the garlic paste from the tube that you can find in the refrigerated area of the produce section.
Crushed Tomatoes
Italian Style Diced Tomatoes - These are just canned diced tomatoes that have basil, garlic, and oregano in them. It will say 'Italian style' on the front of the can.
Tomato Sauce
Granulated Sugar - This helps offset all the acid from the tomatoes.
Dried Basil, Oregano, Salt, & Pepper - I love recipes that call for dried spices because I never have fresh spices on hand and don't want to spend a fortune for them at the store.
MY TIPS FOR THIS RECIPE
- #1 tip is to let it simmer as long as possible. Yes the recipe is amazing as followed in the instructions but if you have time, let that pot simmer on the stove top for an hour. Just be sure to stir it randomly and make sure the heat is low to reduce splatter and burning.
- As the pasta sauce simmers it will thicken up so don't be worried if at first the sauce seem thin or like it has too much liquid.
- Some people find the sauce too thick. If you do, simply add some beef broth or chicken broth to thin it out. I would not add too much, maybe start with 1/4 cup.
TRY THESE OTHER SPAGHETTI SAUCE RECIPES
- quick & easy spaghetti sauce
- crock pot ground beef and Italian sausage spaghetti sauce
- weeknight spaghetti sauce
- crock pot spaghetti sauce

Homemade Spaghetti Meat Sauce
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
- Add in the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
- Bring to a low boil and then turn heat down to medium low and let it simmer for at least 20 minutes, longer if you can. If it starts to boil and spit sauce, just turn the heat down.
- Serve over hot cooked pasta and garnish with chopped parsley and shredded parmesan cheese if wanted.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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