Spaghetti Meat Sauce is beefy, juicy and so satisfying. It comes together fast so it is perfect for busy weeknights, and it’s freezer friendly. Meat sauce has all of the comforting flavors of Spaghetti and Meatballs, or traditional Bolognese but is much easier!
Serve this meat sauce over spaghetti with a generous amount of parmesan cheese, paired with asparagus and crusty French bread. P.S. You can also use this meat sauce to make the Best Lasagna.
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Spaghetti Meat Sauce
This is my sister Svetlana’s ground beef meat sauce recipe. She uses an original Prego sauce and makes it for camping every year. You can use a homemade marinara sauce or your favorite store-bought marinara. I’ve gotten so many requests for her famous meat sauce recipe so here it is! This one rivals Olive Garden’s spaghetti and meat sauce.
Which Pasta for Meat Sauce?
Here’s the beauty of this recipe – you can pair it with your favorite pasta! Meat Sauce for pasta is traditionally made with spaghetti, but it goes really well with any of these:
- String Pastas – Spaghetti, Linguine, Fettuccine
- Ribbon Pastas – Pappardelle or Tagliatelle
- Tubular Pastas – Penne, Cannelloni, Rigatoni, Ziti
- Corkscrew Pastas – Cavatappi
How to Make Spaghetti Meat Sauce:
The ingredients for this meat sauce recipe are pantry staples and we always keep a stash of ground beef in the freezer for the days we don’t have a lot of time to get dinner on the table. It comes together in 1 pot or dutch oven and really doesn’t get any easier than this. Seriously the best meat sauce!
- Sautee ground beef until no longer pink.
- Add chopped onion, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp pepper, cook until soft then add garlic and sautee until fragrant.
- Add marinara sauce, 1/4 cup water and 1 tsp sugar. Partially cover and simmer meat sauce 20 minutes. Done!
How to Freeze Meat Sauce:
Meat sauce will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To store it longer, transfer meat sauce to a freezer-safe container, leaving just a slight amount of headroom at the top. We prefer freezing meat sauce in freezer ziploc bags because it lays flat in the freezer and can be quick-thawed under running water.
How to Defrost Meat Sauce?
There are a few ways to defrost meat sauce. Once it is fully thawed, reheat over medium heat just until hot and simmering.
- Quick-thaw method: Place the sealed bag of meat sauce in a bowl under cold water until thawed.
- Slow-thaw method: Place the frozen meat sauce in the refrigerator overnight.
- For a camping trip: place packaged frozen meat sauce in a cooler with ice and let it thaw as in a refrigerator overnight.
Family Friendly Pasta Dinners:
- Chicken Pesto Pasta – add pesto to Alfredo and see what happens!
- Chicken Tetrazzini – creamy, cheesy and always a hit!
- Creamy Mac and Cheese – easy stove-top version
- Creamy Shrimp Pasta – with the best Alfredo sauce
- Mom’s Chicken Aflredo – always a classic!
This Spaghetti Meat Sauce makes for an irresistibly good pasta dinner loved by all ages! It makes a big batch but you can easily freeze meat sauce for another night. I hope this ground beef meat sauce becomes a new favorite in your home!
Spaghetti Meat Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef, 15% fat
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin, optional, or added to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 24 oz marinara sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 12 oz spaghetti, to serve
Instructions
- Place a pot or dutch oven over medium heat, add 1 lb ground beef and sautee, breaking it up with a spatula until no longer pink (5 minutes).
- Add chopped onion, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/4 tsp pepper and sautee until onions are soft.
- Add garlic and sautee another 1-2 minutes until fragrant then pour in 1 jar of marinara sauce, 1/4 cup water and 1 tsp sugar. Cover and simmer over low heat 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook 12 oz of spaghetti in salted water to desired doneness according to package instructions then drain. Serve sauce with cooked pasta.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Can I add a red onion? Instead of yellow or white.
Hi Julia, yes, that would work fine.
My son had a second helping, and he said, “I love this sauce, mommy” (he’s six). It tasted slightly sweet, and you can tell the cumin is there but it’s not overpowering. A keeper for sure!!
Thanks Natasha for sharing your talent. I’m about to make this right now. Can I use bell pepper instead of onion
Hi Marcus. The onion adds flavor depth and sweetness which also balanced the acidity of the tomatoes. I have not tested bell peppers, but it would change the flavor profile of this sauce.
Love your recipe. Can I cook the hamburger then finish making the recipe later today?
Yes that is absolutely fine! You can also make the beef ahead and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days .