The best spaghetti sauce recipe includes ground beef, Italian sausage, red wine, and a medley of herbs. It simmers for hours on the stovetop, developing a bold, rich flavor that’s impossible to resist!
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If you love homemade pasta sauce, be sure to try this 5-ingredient pomodoro sauce, a pot of easy bolognese sauce, this creamy tomato pasta sauce, homemade pesto, and this crockpot spaghetti sauce, too!
Blair’s spaghetti sauce really is the best I’ve made and it smelled heavenly as it was simmering on the stove…
– Cathy
Everyone at the Table will Love this Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
I’ve made many, many versions of the classic dish over the years, but this recipe truly yields a pot of the best spaghetti sauce ever! This recipe has won the hearts of everyone at my dinner table because it’s easy (one pot, minimal ingredients), it’s flavorful, and it’s convenient. Simmering the pot uncovered for a few hours allows the flavors to come together and condense as steam releases. The end result is a pot of thick, rich, spaghetti meat sauce with a concentrated tomato flavor. And, since it yields such a large batch, you’ll have plenty of leftovers to share with friends or to stash in your freezer for another day.
The Difference Between Marinara and Spaghetti Sauce
Marinara and spaghetti sauce are both popular tomato-based sauces; however, there are a handful of distinctions between their taste, texture, and prep time. First, marinara has a fairly thin consistency, while spaghetti sauce is much thicker. Second, marinara sauce cooks quickly (in about 30-60 minutes), while the best spaghetti sauce requires hours of simmering on the stovetop to develop that thicker consistency. Finally, marinara has a light, bright flavor while spaghetti sauce includes meat and typically boasts a richer, stronger, heartier flavor.
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- Italian sausage and ground beef give the spaghetti sauce great flavor and texture. Feel free to experiment with other types of meat as well. For instance, try 2 lbs. of ground beef and omit the sausage, or use 2 lbs. of Italian sausage and omit the ground beef. Other good options include ground turkey, ground chicken, and ground pork.
- Red wine gives the sauce a bolder, richer flavor. I recommend a dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Merlot. If you don’t want to cook with wine, just add an extra cup of water instead.
- The right amount of sugar perfectly balances the acidity of the tomatoes, providing a deeper, richer tomato flavor. I generally prefer ¼ cup of sugar in this recipe; however, if you’re working with particularly sweet tomatoes, or if you like a less-sweet sauce, you can start with 1-2 tablespoons of sugar. Give the sauce a taste and add more, if necessary. Similarly, if you like a sweeter sauce, you may want to increase the sugar and use up to ½ cup.
- Italian seasoning is a convenient combination of dried herbs like basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, savory, sage, and marjoram. If you have fresh herbs available, use those instead.
How to Make the Sauce for Spaghetti
Making spaghetti sauce from scratch is easier than you might think! Patience is key because the tastiest, thickest, richest sauce simmers on the stovetop for hours. You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Brown the ground beef, Italian sausage, onion, and garlic in a very large Dutch oven or other pot. I use a 7.25-quart Dutch oven to accommodate a big batch of sauce. Drain off the fat.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients.
- Simmer, uncovered, for 2 ½ – 3 hours over very low heat. Stir occasionally, as well. This will prevent any scorching or burning on the bottom of your pot. If your sauce seems watery or thinner than you’d like, no problem — just continue simmering the pot on the stovetop (uncovered) until it reduces and thickens to the desired consistency.
- Serve over cooked spaghetti noodles, and then garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh herbs.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the spaghetti and meat sauce with garlic bread, homemade focaccia, this baguette bread recipe, or a crusty loaf of no-knead Dutch oven bread. It’s also delicious with a crisp green side salad dressed in red wine vinegar salad dressing or Dijon vinaigrette, a classic Caesar salad, or sauteed zucchini.
More Uses for Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
While it’s delicious when served over a big bowl of spaghetti, you can also use leftover spaghetti sauce in a variety of other ways. Try it on cast iron deep dish pizza, in a delicious homemade lasagna, in this easy marinara soup, in casseroles like baked rigatoni or baked ziti, and in a pizza quesadilla.
Storage Tips
- How to Store: leftover spaghetti sauce will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- How to Freeze: allow the sauce to cool to room temperature, then package in airtight, freezer-safe containers and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Tip: a Ziploc freezer bag can be frozen flat and then stacked to maximize freezer storage space.
- How to Reheat: thaw frozen sauce in the fridge overnight. Reheat the meat sauce in a saucepan on the stovetop over low heat, just until warmed through. If it’s too thick, you can thin the sauce with a splash of warm water, beef broth, or tomato sauce.
I just love your spaghetti sauce recipe. Very easy to make and flavorful…
– Robin
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 2 small onions, diced (about 2 cups total)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced (about 5 teaspoons total)
- 2 (29 ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
- 5 cups water
- 1 cup dry red wine (such as such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Merlot)
- ¼ cup sugar (or reduce to 2 tablespoons for a less-sweet sauce)
- 2-3 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- For serving: cooked spaghetti, Parmesan cheese, chopped fresh parsley or basil
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot, cook the sausage and ground beef over medium heat for 6 minutes, using a wooden spoon to break apart the meat. Add the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the meat is no longer pink, about 4 more minutes. Drain off the fat.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, red wine, sugar, salt, Italian seasoning, and cayenne pepper.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 2 ½ – 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper, or sugar, if necessary.
- Serve over cooked spaghetti; garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs.
Notes
- If you would rather not use wine in this recipe, you can substitute with an extra cup of water.
- The right amount of sugar perfectly balances the acidity of the tomatoes, giving the sauce a richer tomato flavor. I generally prefer ¼ cup of sugar in this recipe; however, if you’re working with particularly sweet tomatoes, or if you like a less-sweet sauce, you can start with 1-2 tablespoons of sugar. Give the sauce a taste and add more, if necessary. Similarly, if you like a sweeter sauce, you may want to use up to ½ cup of sugar.
Nutrition
Recipe Variations
- Make it spicy by increasing the amount of cayenne. You can also garnish individual servings with crushed red pepper flakes.
- Instead of the dried Italian seasoning blend, use fresh herbs when available, or try other spices. Nice options include fresh basil, fresh oregano, fresh rosemary, and fresh thyme. Just taste and season as you go!
- Sliced fresh mushrooms are a great addition to the sauce. I leave them out because my boys don’t love them, but my mom’s spaghetti sauce always includes mushrooms! Diced green bell pepper is also nice.
- For a smaller pot of sauce, cut all of the ingredients in half. The rest of the cooking instructions remain the same.
- If your family loves pasta, try this pesto cream pasta with chicken and broccoli, too.
More Pasta Recipes to Try
Basic Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe
20 minutes mins
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Spinach
40 minutes mins
Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti
1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Originally published in December 2021, this post was updated in February 2025.
I just love your spaghetti sauce recipe. Very easy to make and flavorful. I have one question, where did you purchase those bowls that are in the photo shoot? I hope you can share that information. Happy Holidays to you and to your family.
Thank you, Robin! Those are the silo pasta bowls from Farmhouse Pottery. Here’s the link (I love so much of their stuff!): https://www.farmhousepottery.com/products/silo-pasta-bowl
Gorgeous bowls. Gonna try this sauce soon! Sounds delicious!
Thanks, Laura! Hope you enjoy!
I add celery (2 stalks diced) to my recipe.
Yes, celery is a great addition. You could also do grated carrot for even more veggies. 🙂
Can stewed or crushed tomatoes be used instead of all tomato sauce?
Hi Cindy,
We haven’t tested it with this recipe, but it should work just fine!
the longer you simmer this the better it tastes. It is even better the next day.
Thank you, Rae!
Going to make this sometime this week!!! Thank you for this recipe and can’t wait to make it when I have my work from home day Friday 🙂
Blair’s spaghetti sauce really is the best I’ve made and it smelled heavenly as it was simmering on the stove. I didn’t use as much sugar or water as the recipe calls for, but had a heavy hand with the wine (think Julia Child). I will definitely use this recipe many times.
Thank you so much, Cathy!
Sounds good. Can you simmer/cook in slow cooker ?
Hi, Cheryl! I wouldn’t recommend the slow cooker for this recipe, since you need to let it simmer uncovered so that it reduces and thickens. If you cook it in the slow cooker, the lid will trap condensation and make it really watery. If you do use the slow cooker, you would need to reduce the liquid significantly, and I haven’t tested it that way to know exactly how much would work.
Can I make this recipe in a crockpot instead of on the stove? If so how long would I set my crockpot on for?
Hi Darlene! We recommend making our crockpot spaghetti sauce instead. We hope you enjoy!