Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
Stacey Mebs | Bake.Eat.Repeat.This homemade spaghetti sauce is very easy to make and is so much better then the bottled kind! Plus it freezes very well if you want to make it ahead of time!
If there is one thing that I make for dinner a lot, it's spaghetti.
And I'll be honest, sometimes that means cooking some ground beef, pouring in a jar of store-bought pasta sauce, and boiling some noodles. Can't beat the easy simplicity of that meal.
But this homemade spaghetti meat sauce is a hundred times better then that. I've made it at least that many times, so my math must be right.
I will say that when I make the full recipe (scratch sauce, not skipping the mushrooms, fresh garlic instead of powder, etc, etc) the entire family notices the difference. Even the 7 year old.
Of course, I have a family of spaghetti fanatics. I could make spaghetti for dinner six nights in a row and on the seventh ask everyone what they want for supper, and without fail I think all four of them would answer "spaghetti".
They never get sick of it.
Which is great for those nights I make spaghetti. Kind of annoying on the days I want some help coming up with ideas for the meal plan that week and all the help I get is "spaghetti". Yes I know, you always want spaghetti. All of you. Always.
But hey, at least I have a go to homemade spaghetti recipe that is easy to make and tastes absolutely fantastic.
And it freezes well too - so there's an easy way to have homemade spaghetti sauce quickly the next time they ask for spaghetti.
You know, like tomorrow.
Do you simmer with the lid on or off?
I always simmer this spaghetti sauce with the lid on. I don't find that it needs to be thickened at all, we like the consistency as it is. If you want it thicker though, you can definitely simmer the sauce with the lid off and that will reduce the liquid a bit and make a thicker sauce.
How do you take the bitterness out of spaghetti sauce?
The acidity of the tomatoes can make spaghetti sauce taste bitter. Adding a couple of teaspoons of sugar to the sauce counteracts this acidity and gets rid of the bitter taste in the sauce.
So don't skip the sugar in the recipe! There's still much less sugar in this homemade spaghetti sauce then you will find in most bottled sauces.
How to make Homemade Spaghetti Sauce:
- It looks like a lot of garlic in this recipe, but don't worry, the sauce won't be overly garlicky!
- This recipe makes a lot of spaghetti sauce, and it is usually enough for two meals for my family of five (depending on how hungry the kids are that day!). I usually freeze the leftovers flat in a large ziplock bag so we have a super quick meal another night.
- Here are some more great pasta recipes for you:

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Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Ground Beef, (900g)
- 1 cup Diced Onion
- 6-8 Mushrooms, (button), sliced
- 1/2 cup Diced Green Pepper
- 5-6 large clove Garlics, minced
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 2 teaspoons Rosemary
- 1 tablespoon Oregano
- 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 13 1/2 ounces Tomato Sauce, (1 can, 398ml)
- 27 ounces Diced Tomatoes, (1 can, 796ml)
- 5 1/2 ounces Tomato Paste, (2 cans, 156ml)
- 1 cup Water
- 1/2 cup Red Wine, (optional)
- 1 tablespoon Granulated Sugar
Directions
- In a large saucepan, brown the ground beef over medium heat until no pink remains. Drain the grease from the pan.
- Add the onion, mushrooms, and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until tender, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, salt, rosemary, oregano, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce and allow it to sizzle together for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce, tomatoes, tomato paste, water, red wine (if using), and sugar.
- Stir everything together and bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat. Once it boils (it will boil quite quickly), lower the heat to a simmer and cover.
- Allow sauce to simmer for about 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- If you are rushed for time, it will still be great after simmering for just 15 minutes, although it is better if you simmer for longer.
- Serve over hot spaghetti noodles.
Notes
- I've also made this spaghetti sauce with half ground beef and half ground turkey with good results.
- You can easily omit the green pepper and/or the mushrooms if you like.
- Leftover sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Recommended
- Published:
- Author:
- Stacey Mebs
- Source:
- Adapted slightly from my mother-in-law's recipe.
- Cooking Method:
- Simmered
- Cuisine:
- Italian
- Category:
- Sauces
- Tags:
- Easy Dinners, Easy, Italian, Sauces, Tomatoes, Ground Beef, Mushrooms, Peppers, Wine, Rosemary, Simmered
- Related Recipes:
- Easy Dinner Recipes, Easy Recipes, Italian Recipes, Sauce Recipes, Tomato Recipes, Ground Beef Recipes, Mushroom Recipes, Pepper Recipes, Wine Recipes, Rosemary Recipes, Simmered Recipes
- Recipe Yields:
- 8-10 servings
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Simmering Time:
- Total Time:
- Related Post:
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Published:
Author: Stacey Mebs
Source: Adapted slightly from my mother-in-law's recipe.
Recipe Yields: 8-10 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 85 minutes
Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving