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The best homemade spaghetti sauce recipe served over pasta with fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese.
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5 from 4 votes

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

A hearty spaghetti sauce made with Italian sausage, ground beef, red wine, tomatoes, and herbs!
Course Dinner
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword best spaghetti sauce, homemade spaghetti sauce, mom's spaghetti, spaghetti meat sauce
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Servings 16 cups
Calories 113kcal
Author Blair Lonergan

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.
    Process shot showing how to make homemade spaghetti sauce.
  • Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, red wine, sugar, salt, Italian seasoning, and cayenne pepper.
    Pouring red wine into a pot of spaghetti sauce.
  • 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.
    Ladle of homemade spaghetti sauce in a Dutch oven.
  • Serve over cooked spaghetti; garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs.
    The best homemade spaghetti sauce recipe served over pasta with fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese.

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

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 113kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 651mg | Potassium: 397mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 425IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg