Nothing beats homemade Spaghetti Sauce! This recipe is easy to prepare; it simmers for one hour and tastes like grandma made it.
This homemade sauce is delicious on pasta and pizza, or use it as an appetizer dip!
Once you try homemade spaghetti sauce, the jarred version will never taste the same again! It’s surprisingly easy to make, and you can make extra to store in the freezer.
What You’ll Find In This Post
Ingredients Needed and Substitutions
Meat Sauce Ingredients
- Oil: Olive oil is an important part of the sauce because it adds flavor and a velvety texture to the sauce. It also helps to keep the meat from sticking to the pan.
- Onion: Onions add flavor and depth to the sauce. We chose diced yellow onion for this recipe since it holds up well to being cooked for extended periods of time. You could also use white onion if you prefer.
- Garlic: The minced garlic adds lots of flavor to the sauce. If you don’t have a head of garlic available, you could use 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder per clove of garlic.
- Meat: Meat adds protein as well as flavor and substance to the sauce. We recommend using a combination of ground beef and ground Italian sausage for the best flavor.
Spaghetti Sauce Ingredients
Tomatoes
- You’ll need a can of crushed tomatoes. We recommend using high-quality Italian San Marzano tomatoes, such as Cento or Mutti, for the best flavor and texture.
- Note: If you can’t find San Marzano tomatoes, you can use regular crushed tomatoes, but the flavor may be more bitter or sour, depending on the brand.
- Alternative: You can also use whole peeled tomatoes, which you can crush by hand as you add them to the pot or crush them beforehand in a food processor.
Tomato Sauce
- We added a 15 oz can of tomato sauce which is a flavored sauce made from tomatoes and seasonings.
- It is not the same thing as a jarred marinara sauce, but you could substitute an equal amount of your high-quality marinara sauce if you prefer.
Tomato Paste
- This recipe uses a small can of tomato paste to thicken the sauce while adding to the tomato flavor.
- If you don’t have any tomato paste, you can omit it, but the sauce will be thinner.
Liquid
- For the liquid, we used beef broth because it deepens the meaty flavor of the sauce.
- You could also use vegetable broth which would add a different flavor profile.
- Although you could use water in a pinch, the sauce would end up more bland so we don’t recommend it.
Sugar
- We added a little bit of sugar to compliment the tartness of the sauce.
- Depending on the brands of canned tomato ingredients you choose, you may need to add more sugar to taste since some brands are more bitter or even more sour than others.
Spaghetti Sauce Seasonings
- To season the sauce, we added kosher salt, dried oregano, basil, thyme, bay leaves, and ground black pepper.
- If you want to use fresh herbs, you will need three times as much. So in this recipe, that would be one tablespoon of fresh oregano, one tablespoon of fresh basil, and one and a half teaspoons of fresh thyme.
How To Make Spaghetti Sauce
- Meat: Start by sauteeing the onions and garlic. Add the ground beef and ground sausage. Brown the meat and then drain the excess grease.
- Sauce: Once the meat is ready, stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, beef broth, sugar, and seasonings. Then, reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer the spaghetti sauce for about one hour, stirring occasionally.
Variations
Although we love this homemade spaghetti sauce as it is, sometimes it’s fun to change the recipe to make other variations! Here are a few to try.
Creamy Tomato Sauce
To make a creamy tomato sauce, follow the recipe as directed. Once you remove it from the heat, stir in 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream. You can also add grated Parmesan!
Meatless Sauce
For a meatless spaghetti sauce, skip the ground beef and sausage. Follow the rest of the recipe as directed, browning the onions and garlic before adding the remaining ingredients.
Vegetable Spaghetti Sauce
Adding vegetables to the spaghetti sauce is a popular way to add more flavor. Or you can add vegetables instead of meat. Try adding additional diced onions, chopped carrots, diced bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, or chopped zucchini.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
After cooking the spaghetti sauce, allow it to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container for storage.
- Make Ahead: Spaghetti sauce is a great recipe to make ahead of time. Plus, the flavor might be even better the next day!
- Refrigerator: Store it in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Store it in the freezer for up to four months.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make it in the crock pot, put the cooked and drained meat and onions in a crockpot instead of a large, heavy-bottom pot. Add the remaining ingredients, cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
The best spaghetti sauce is homemade, but you can use a high-quality store-bought version in a pinch.
Spaghetti sauce is thicker, has a more complex flavor, and often includes meat. Marinara sauce, on the other hand, is thinner and is made with fewer ingredients.
Ways To Use Spaghetti Sauce
Our favorite way to use spaghetti sauce is to make spaghetti, of course! But this sauce is more versatile than that and can be used in many other ways. Here are some ideas:
- Dip: You can use this sauce as a dip for garlic bread, breadsticks, Texas toast, and pizza rolls.
- Pasta: Use it for other pasta dishes such as pizza casserole, million-dollar spaghetti, or lasagna rolls.
- Pizza: This meat sauce can also be used as a pizza sauce!
Additional Pasta Recipes
Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
Meat
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 lb ground mild Italian sausage see note 1
Sauce
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes see note 2
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 2 teaspoon sugar see note 3
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the minced onions and saute for 2 minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute for 1 minute.
- Add the ground beef and ground Italian sausage. Cook until browned. Drain the grease.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, beef broth, sugar, kosher salt, oregano, dried basil, dried thyme, ground black pepper, and bay leaves. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and discard the bay leaves.
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