This homemade spaghetti sauce recipe is easy to make and perfect over almost any pasta.
Ground beef, Italian sausage, and seasonings are simmered in a zesty tomato sauce and served over pasta for a flavorful and satisfying meal.
I Love This Spaghetti Sauce Recipe Because…
- I use ground beef and Italian sausage for a hearty meaty spaghetti sauce (but you can use one or the other).
- You can stretch this sauce even further with extra veggies or canned tomatoes.
- Make a double or triple batch; this spaghetti sauce freezes well.
- Versatile! It can be enjoyed over spaghetti noodles, lasagna, or zucchini boats.
Ingredients for Spaghetti Sauce
Meat: I use both ground beef and Italian sausage for flavor, but you can use just one or the other if you’d like. The sausage adds extra flavor, so if you replace it, add extra Italian seasoning.
Veggies: Onion and fresh garlic add flavor, while shredded carrot adds just a bit of sweetness to balance the tang of the tomatoes. Carrot can be replaced with a pinch of sugar.
Tomatoes: This spaghetti sauce recipe uses canned crushed tomatoes for fresh flavor—you can replace it with marinara sauce. Tomato paste adds zest flavor, and diced tomatoes add texture. For a smoother sauce, replace the diced tomatoes with additional crushed tomatoes and simmer a bit longer.
Variations
- Replace the carrot with a small amount of sugar or a finely diced red bell pepper.
- Other great additions to a homemade spaghetti sauce include green bell pepper, mushrooms, or shredded zucchini.
- Add a parmesan cheese rind to the sauce while it’s simmering for some extra flavor!
- Fresh herbs add great flavor to this spaghetti sauce recipe. If using fresh basil or parsley, add it right before serving and reserve a little bit for garnish.
How to Make Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
This spaghetti meat sauce recipe is easy to make and most of the cooking time is spent simmering.
- Brown Italian sausage, beef, onion, & garlic in a skillet or Dutch oven.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients & simmer (recipe below).
- Season with salt and pepper and stir in fresh herbs if using.
Tips for Perfect Homemade Pasta Sauce
- For a thicker sauce, simmer uncovered a bit longer to allow the liquid to evaporate.
- Add dry seasonings or spices at the beginning of cooking and fresh herbs at the end of cooking.
- Don’t rinse the pasta. When the sauce is added to the noodles, some of the starch in the pasta will thicken the sauce slightly and help it to adhere to the noodles.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freeze leftover spaghetti sauce in an airtight container or a freezer bag for up to 4 months.
Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stovetop or microwave.
More Favorite Pasta Sauce Recipes
Did your family love this homemade Spaghetti Sauce? Leave a rating and a comment below.
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ pound Italian sausage casings removed, or bulk sausage
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup shredded carrot or a pinch of sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley optional
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the beef, sausage, onion, and garlic over medium-high heat until no pink remains, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain fat.
- Add diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, carrot, Italian seasoning, basil, salt, and pepper.
- Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until thickened.
- Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired. Stir in fresh parsley if using.
- Serve over spaghetti or cooked pasta.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course, Pasta, Sauce
Cuisine American, Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Awesome! Used ground turkey instead of beef, plus the sausage. One cup of water works great, trust Holly! :)
Hi Holly, I don’t have passata or tomato sauce on hand. Could I substitute jarred spaghetti sauce? I do have the diced tomatoes.
Sure you can! That’ll work perfectly.
Have made similar for years… but I put a whole carrot in and then take out and discard when ready to serve….I make up a big batch and freeze…
Can this be done in the crockpot? How long?
To make it in the crockpot, I follow this recipe. Enjoy Janet!
I’ve been making the same old sauce recipe I found when I first got married. This one looks similar but much easier to prepare. I’m anxious to try it.
We would love to hear how it turns out for you, Nancy!
is it necessary to add the one cup of water
The water allows the sauce to simmer (which helps the flavors blend) without thickening too much.
No, it’s not. There is plenty of water in the tomatoes. This is how my mother used to make her spaghetti sauce. She never added water. This is how I make my sauce, when I do it from scratch. I don’t bother doing that though any more. Jarred Ragu is my base that I add hamburger/italian sausage too and if I’m feeling up to it, I’ll jazz it up by adding more garlic, diced onion, italian seasoning, basil and a splash of red wine. But truthfully, we like the jarred Ragu roasted garlic and parmesan combos that I often don’t.
There are many ways to make Spaghetti Sauce (and this is my favorite). Your version sound good too, thanks for sharing.
I cant wait to try thes resrespis thank you for sharing your resepis I am a firefighter in a smal town scaly mountain nc
Happy to share them with you Thomas!
I have been growing my own herbs/spices for yrs & I have fallen on love with Purple Basil. I use it now in everything. It adds just a bit of earthy flavor to things & this sauce recipe is no different. It gives it just a touch or sweet earthy flavor.
We will have to try it Sharon! Thanks for the suggestion :)
Hey there I’m just trying to find out how I can make my own spaghetti sauce
Hi Amelia, this recipe is a delicious homemade spaghetti sauce. You can scroll to the bottom or use the jump to recipe button at the top to view the whole recipe.
need 2 or 3 Bay leaves and sugar
Oh my! This is exactly my husbands recipe he used to make! He didn’t cook much, but he would make this & was always a favorite of ours. Believe me – it’s wonderful!!! Love it!
How do I purchase this?
You’re too sweet Ann! You will have to try whipping up a batch of this delicious sauce!
I noticed some greens on the top, is any of the seasoning supposed to be applied after it’s done?
Hi Nick, we garnished it with fresh chopped parsley but that is totally optional.
I’m shocked that your telling everyone they can eat a spaghetti sauce with meat in it for two weeks!! It only lasts 3 days in the refrigerator!!!
Thank you for pointing that out, that was definitely a typo and the post has been updated.
Hi Holly
This recipe makes 8 servings, how many cups is in this 8 servings.
Each serving will be approximately 1 1/2 cups. Enjoy Jackie!
Can fresh can tomatos be used? If so how. I can a lot of tomatos. Thanks
I have only made this as written so I can’t say for sure how to substitute fresh tomatoes. If you have home-canned tomatoes, they should work perfectly in this recipe. Enjoy Robin!
Hi Robin, while I haven’t made this specific recipe but plan to. It’s really close to how I make homemade Italian meat sauce. Usually just wing it. I use fresh tomatoes when I have a ton in the garden. I put in more than what the cans hold as they will cook down and alot of the juice will evaporate. So there would be no need to add water and the sauce would have to simmer longer to reduce to a thicker sauce. But the results are amazing because all the flavor is infused in the process. As a matter of fact I purposley can my tomato sauce on the thin side so I can let it simmer longer when I use it it applications like this. You can always taste as you go in case it needs more seasonings. Dorie
If I want to replace the diced tomatoes with crushed tomatoes, do I add 2 28oz cans crushed tomatoes or would I need less crushed tomatoes?
If you prefer a smoother sauce, you can use all crushed tomatoes and simmer a bit longer so the sauce isn’t too thin.
This spaghetti sauce is SO delicious! We used spicy Italian sausage which gave it a tiny bit of a kick. This is the perfect meat sauce and was so easy to make. I’m glad it made so much so I can have leftovers all week long!!! SWP Employee
So glad you loved it Ayla!
The 1st sentence in the instructions cannot be right. I get it but just a FYI. I am going to try it. Sounds yummy!
Instructions
Cook sauce, beef, onion and garlic in a skillet until no pink remains.
Thank you for letting me know, it should say sausage, not sauce. I’ve updated the recipe!
I also make your sauce, but I add about half of cup of semi sweet red wine instead of carrots. I also add a cup of portobello mushrooms sliced.
Sounds delicious, thank you for sharing!
How about cooking this in the instant pot? Do you have the time for this if cooked in it?
I haven’t cooked this recipe in the IP yet. Let us know how it goes if you try it!
It’s doable but seems pointless to pressure cook it as it would take more time for the pot to come to pressure and would prevent the sauce from cooking down and allowing it to evaporate slightly.