The best spaghetti sauce recipe includes plenty of ground beef and Italian sausage, simmers on the stovetop for hours, and is full of rich Italian flavor. Serve it over pasta, garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs, and offer a salad and garlic bread on the side. This is the only homemade spaghetti sauce that you'll ever need!
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
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! That's a bold claim to make, and I understand that everyone has their own preferences when it comes to these things, but here's why this particular homemade spaghetti sauce has won the hearts of everyone at my dinner table:
- Easy: for any busy parent, ease is important! This recipe requires one pot, minimal hands-on effort (aside from the occasional stirring), and simple, easy-to-find ingredients.
- Flavorful: 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.
- Make-ahead and freezer-friendly: the recipe yields a large batch of sauce, which means that you'll have plenty of leftovers to share with friends or to stash in your freezer for another day. Why not get two meals for one effort, right? The sauce keeps really well in the fridge, too, so you can simmer a batch on the weekend and use it for quick meals throughout the week.
What is 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.
- Texture: marinara sauce has a fairly thin consistency, while spaghetti sauce is much thicker.
- Prep Time: marinara sauce cooks quickly (in about 30-60 minutes), while the best spaghetti sauce requires hours of simmering on the stovetop to develop a thicker consistency.
- Taste: marinara is a simple sauce, typically made with just tomatoes, herbs and a handful of other ingredients. As a result, marinara has a light, bright flavor. Spaghetti sauce, by contrast, requires more ingredients than marinara, usually includes meat, and has a richer, stronger, heartier flavor.
Ingredients
This is a quick overview of the ingredients that you'll need for a pot of easy spaghetti sauce. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Italian sausage and ground beef: the meat that gives the sauce its rich, hearty flavor.
- Onion and garlic: for savory flavor.
- Tomato sauce: the smooth base of the sauce.
- Tomato paste: for rich, highly concentrated tomato flavor.
- Water: to thin the sauce.
- Red wine: for 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.
- Sugar: in order to achieve great tomato flavor, it's important to balance acidity and sweetness. Too much acid or too much sugar yields a sauce that tastes one-dimensional. The right amount of sugar perfectly balances the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Salt: to enhance the other flavors in the dish.
- Italian seasoning: a combination of dried herbs like basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, savory, sage, and marjoram.
- Cayenne pepper: for just a touch of heat in the background. You can omit this ingredient if you like, or add extra for a spicier dish.
How to Make the Best Spaghetti Sauce
Making spaghetti sauce from scratch is easier than you might think! Patience is key, because the best sauce simmers on the stovetop for hours...
- Brown ground beef, Italian sausage, onion, and garlic. Drain off the fat.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients.
- Simmer, uncovered, for 2 ½ - 3 hours, until the sauce thickens.
- Serve over cooked spaghetti, then garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh herbs.
Why is my spaghetti sauce watery?
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.
What to Serve with Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Serve the spaghetti and meat sauce with any of these easy sides:
- Garlic breadsticks, garlic bread, homemade focaccia, or a crusty loaf of no-knead Dutch oven bread
- Green salad with red wine vinaigrette or Caesar salad
- Roasted broccoli or asparagus
- Sauteed asparagus
- 2-ingredient Italian sugar snap peas
- Sauteed spinach with garlic
- Sauteed zucchini
- Parmesan roasted cauliflower
More Uses for Spaghetti Meat Sauce
While it's delicious when served over a big bowl of spaghetti, you can also use the sauce in a variety of other ways. Here are some ideas:
- Pizza: that's right, you can use the thick, rich spaghetti sauce as pizza sauce for your next homemade pizza night!
- Lasagna: layer the meat sauce in a delicious homemade lasagna.
- Soup: add flavor and thickness to this easy marinara soup.
- Casseroles: such as baked rigatoni or baked ziti.
- Quesadillas: make pizza quesadillas (a kid favorite!) with your leftover sauce.
Storage
Store leftover spaghetti sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Can spaghetti sauce be frozen?
Yes! The recipe yields a large batch, so 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 refrigerator 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.
Is spaghetti meat sauce healthy?
Yes! I like to use lean (or extra lean) ground beef, which offers plenty of satisfying protein. The tomatoes and other vegetables that comprise the base of the sauce are full of an antioxidant called lycopene, which has been linked to many health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. The tomatoes are a great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate and vitamin K.
Recipe Variations
- Use different types of meat: 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.
- Make it spicy: increase the amount of cayenne, to taste. You can also garnish individual servings with crushed red pepper flakes.
- Instead of the dried Italian seasoning blend, use fresh herbs when available. 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!
- I like the rich flavor of the spaghetti meat sauce with red wine. Don’t worry — the alcohol cooks off! That said, if you would rather not use wine in this recipe, you can substitute with an extra cup of water.
- For a smaller pot of sauce, cut all of the ingredients in half. The rest of the cooking instructions remain the same.
Tips for the Best Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
- Use a dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Merlot.
- Add sugar. In order to achieve great tomato flavor, it's important to balance acidity and sweetness. Too much acid or too much sugar yields a sauce that tastes one-dimensional. The right amount of sugar perfectly balances the acidity of the tomatoes. 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.
- Simmer the sauce over very low heat. Stir occasionally, as well. This will prevent any scorching or burning on the bottom of your pot.
- Garnish with fresh herbs for a bright touch that balances the rich, hearty sauce. A sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese is also delicious!
More Pasta Sauce Recipes to Try
- Quick and Easy Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce
- Linguine with Clam Sauce
- 5-Ingredient Pomodoro Sauce (with fresh tomatoes)
- Beef Ragu (stovetop or slow cooker)
- Easy Marinara Sauce (a vegetarian option made quickly on the stovetop with fresh or canned tomatoes)
- Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce (specially created so that it doesn't get watered down in the slow cooker)
Best Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 2 onions, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 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
- ¼ cup sugar (or start with 2 tablespoons for a less-sweet sauce)
- 2-3 teaspoons salt
- 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 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
- Use different types of meat: 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.
- Make it spicy: increase the amount of cayenne, to taste. You can also garnish individual servings with crushed red pepper flakes.
- Instead of the dried Italian seasoning blend, use fresh herbs when available. 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!
- I like the rich flavor of the spaghetti meat sauce with red wine. Don’t worry — the alcohol cooks off! That said, if you would rather not use wine in this recipe, you can substitute with an extra cup of water.
- For a smaller pot of sauce, cut all of the ingredients in half. The rest of the cooking instructions remain the same.
- Use a dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Merlot.
- Add sugar. In order to achieve great tomato flavor, it's important to balance acidity and sweetness. Too much acid or too much sugar yields a sauce that tastes one-dimensional. The right amount of sugar perfectly balances the acidity of the tomatoes. 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.
- Simmer the sauce over very low heat. Stir occasionally, as well. This will prevent any scorching or burning on the bottom of your pot.
- Garnish with fresh herbs for a bright touch that balances the rich, hearty sauce. A sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese is also delicious!
ROBIN
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.
Blair Lonergan
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
Laura
Gorgeous bowls. Gonna try this sauce soon! Sounds delicious!
Blair Lonergan
Thanks, Laura! Hope you enjoy!
Rae Nikolai
I add celery (2 stalks diced) to my recipe.
Blair Lonergan
Yes, celery is a great addition. You could also do grated carrot for even more veggies. 🙂
Rae Nikolai
the longer you simmer this the better it tastes. It is even better the next day.
Blair Lonergan
Thank you, Rae!