This Spaghetti Meat Sauce recipe is an easy and quick recipe that can be the beginning of an easy weeknight dinner. Make this 30 minute meat sauce and watch your family fall in love!
The other day, as I was planning what dinner recipes I’m going to make for you this fall, I asked on my personal Facebook page, what people consider “easy” dinners. Oh my gosh. For a busy day in the life of working parents, so many chimed in! It was everything from number of ingredients, to how many pots and pans are used, to how long it takes to make.
I made this for supper tonight and OMG it is soooo good!! Fiancé said to buy this brand again. LOL! So definitely will make it again.
What Makes This Spaghetti Meat Sauce Recipe so Easy
Based on everything that my family, friends, and neighbors told me, this Homemade Spaghetti Meat Sauce Recipe is easy. A simple riff on my Homemade Spaghetti sauce, let me tell you why this is so easy.
- This spaghetti meat sauce is done in just one pot. Yes, if you are serving it with spaghetti you need to use one more pot. But when all is said and done, not very many dishes.
- Your new favorite meat sauce is done in 30 minutes. For so many of the people I talked to, this was a big key to the easy dinner label.
- There are no complicated ingredients in this meat sauce recipe. In fact, all but one ingredient can be bought in bulk and stored in your pantry ready for use. That was a huge factor for a lot of friends.
How to Make Meat Sauce
This is a brief overview to show you how easy it is to make this sauce. For the full recipe with all of the measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Measure your ingredients. Normally I am a measure as I go person. But this recipe moves quickly. I suggest measuring everything out before you start cooking.
- Brown the meat. Break up the ground beef and brown it in a dutch oven. Once browned, drain all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the beef.
- Add the tomatoes. Stir in the canned tomatoes and spices.
- Simmer the sauce. Now bring it all to a boil, and then reduce it to a simmer. Simmering for 15 minutes brings all the flavors together.
- Adjust the seasonings. At the end of the 15 minutes, taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper to taste.
Additions and Substitutions
Another key to easy dinners that someone mentioned was flexibility. They like recipes that are flexible. You can take things out, add other things, and it’s not going to make a huge difference in the final product. Ding ding ding! This meat sauce wins again!
- Add in onions! My husband doesn’t like onions, so I left them out. And I love that nothing here needs to be diced. But if you love them, throw them in right after the meat is browned but before you drain off the fat.
- Make it less chunky! If your family doesn’t like tomato chunks, substitute one can of crushed tomatoes for the can of diced tomatoes (making it two cans of crushed tomatoes).
- Bring more heat to your spaghetti meat sauce recipe. Add in more crushed red pepper flakes. This recipe only calls for 1/8 a teaspoon. That is perfect for my kids who can’t tolerate spice. Bump it up to 1/4 teaspoon or even a little more to add some heat.
- Use ground turkey! If your family doesn’t care for the taste of beef, make your homemade spaghetti meat sauce with ground turkey instead. If you find that there isn’t 2 tablespoons worth of grease at the end, add a little olive oil in before adding your garlic.
If you change things up and find a variation that you love, leave me a comment and let me know!
Why Add Sugar To Spaghetti Sauce
When you are making spaghetti sauce using canned tomatoes, like we are doing here, they add quite a bid of acidity to the recipe. A small pinch of sugar will balance this acidity without making the sauce taste sweet. If you are nervous about doing this, start with 1 teaspoon of sugar, taste the sauce and add more as you feel it is needed.
An alternative to adding sugar is to add a whole carrot cut up in large pieces. It will balance the acidity of the tomatoes as the sauce cooks and the carrots can be pulled out at the end.
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating Leftovers
Because of the ground beef in this sauce recipe, you can keep left overs in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat the sauce over medium low heat on the stove top, stirring often. Whatever sauce is reheated should be eaten or thrown away. This sauce should not be reheated more than once. As with all recipes, use your best discretion when it comes to leftovers.
This meat sauce will freeze perfectly. Once it has cooled, transfer it to a jar or freezer safe container. Make sure that you leave a solid 2 inches of room in the jar you put it in to account for expanding. Store it in the freezer for up to a month.
FAQ
I would recommend about a cup and a half per person. This recipe, as listed, makes 7 cups. That means you will have enough for four servings with some left over.
I do not have experience with canning. Because this contains meat, proceed with caution. I suggest visiting the USDA’s website, specifically their section on canning meat.
No! For a smoother sauce, you can replace the can of diced tomatoes with a second can of crushed tomatoes.
Absolutely! You can add them when you are done browning the meat but before you drain the fat. Sauté them for 5 to 7 minutes.
What to Serve with Spaghetti Meat Sauce
This is technically a condiment, but once you boil some water and make some spaghetti, you almost have a full blown meal. Whip up a side item or two to make this a well rounded meal. I am listing a few below that I think would add very little hands on time and would compliment spaghetti with meat sauce by adding in some vegetables.
- Italian Chopped Salad: Easy to make and such a crowd pleaser, this is perfect!
- Garlic Bread: My garlic bread recipe is perfect to pair with this!
- Crispy Brussels Sprouts: Very little hands on time, and the end result is a side dish your family will love.
- Roasted Cauliflower Recipe: I’m adding this because it is our go to side on pasta night. All of my kids eat it up, and one of them even asks for seconds!
As always, if you make this spaghetti meat sauce recipe or any of my others, leave me a comment! I’d love to hear what you think.
Spaghetti Meat Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (I used 80/20)
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons sugar (read about why we add sugar to spaghetti meat sauce)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Before starting, measure out all of your spices and sugar and set them aside. Open your canned tomatoes and set them aside as well. (See note.)
- In a large dutch oven over medium heat, break up the beef. Cook until browned and no longer pink. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of grease from the pot.
- Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Be careful not to burn.
- Add in the tomatoes (both cans). Then stir in the spices and salt.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook on low for about 15 minutes or until the sauce is thickens, stirring intermittently.
- Once finished, taste and add more salt and pepper (just a litlte at a time) to taste.
Notes
Michelle says
I made this for supper tonight and OMG it is soooo good!! Fiance said to buy this brand again. LOL 😄 So definitely will make it again. I did add a small onion though.
(Sorry didn’t get picture) will try to remember next time)
Michelle, thank you so much for taking the time to come back and tell me! I love this comment so much!
Razzy says
This was easy and turned out great! I added chopped mushrooms and my family loved it. Won’t buy jarred sauces again.
I’m so happy to hear this!
LG Smith says
I never put sugar in my sauce. Never. I was told by my Italian neighbor to never use sugar. If the sauce is to acidic to use just a pinch of baking soda which kills the acid but does not leave the sugar taste. Her directions: use thumb and fore finger and pinch the soda and sprinkle it over the sauce. Be careful because it will foam. Just a tiny pinch at a time. Just my opinion. I tried your sauce and I really like it.
I think one of the wonderful things about cooking is that there are a lot of different ways to make delicious dishes. There is no wrong answer, and the right answer is a dish that brings loved ones together. That all being said, the little bit of sugar that is in this recipe does not leave a sugar taste. It really balances the acid in the recipe without leaving a sweetness.
Cheri says
Can this sauce be canned?
There is a note in the post about canning, I don’t have experience with it, so I always refer people here: https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/usda/GUIDE05_HomeCan_rev0715.pdf
Kristina says
Hi, this sauce looks delicious but my 7 yr old doesn’t like chunks in his sauce. Could I use tomato sauce instead of crushed and diced or would that change it to much?
You can definitely make it with sauce, but I would encourage you to try it with two cans of crushed instead. I think the 7 year old will be okay with it (I have a 40 something year old who doesn’t like chunks but will do crushed), and I think everyone else eating it will like the crushed more.
M Seville says
L G Smith
I’m sorry but your neighbor is not a true Italian. I am and you always use sugar in spaghetti sauce.
Bob says
I always use Brown Sugar at the end of my sauce thickening session. Let it cook for about another 15 minutes or so.It greatly improves the taste and cuts down on the acidity. I also always make large batches when I make Spaghetti. If you are browning meat use at least 3 lbs next time! If you are making sauce, triple everything at the very least! The longer you cook the sauce the better it gets! I cook mine at least 3 hours or more. It all depends on the thickness. I hate soupy sauce! It gets even better when you reheat it the next day.
Cyrus Christos says
This caught my eyes mind and appetite. I am going to attempt it tonight
I hope you enjoy it!
Carl Pirro says
Thank you Lisa For the sauce recipe. Will be making it this weekend.
L. Cicchino says
I have to disagree with putting sugar in the spaghetti sauce, my late husband and I were visiting my in-laws in Montreal and I wanted to cook a meal for them to show them that I could cook and so I made a spaghetti sauce where there was different pieces of meat in the sauce, being as how my in-laws were from Albania, I wanted to make this sauce special and had all my ingredients all ready to put in the pot but under no circumstances was any sugar added, it wasn’t needed because I didn’t have too much acid and it turned out great, it had to because to me this was a special dinner for them. We had a real Italian feast complete with crusty bread and a small bowl of a special oil for dipping the bread, plus platters of different meats in different sauces, last but not least, a nice big salad to go with the dinner. I’m sure glad my sister-in-law was there to help. My dinner was a success and everyone wanted to know where I learned to cook like an Italian. Have to admit I was a little nervous about whether it would be good for them and judging from the second helpings of pasta, it was a hugh success. everyone has their own way of make this sauce, it depends on what part of Italy you were raised in. F.Y.I.