This Spaghetti Sauce recipe is iconic–beefy, saucy, and so satisfying. It has a deep, rich flavor and tastes like it came right out of Nona’s kitchen, but it’s quick and easy to make, so it’s perfect for busy weeknight dinners. Make a large batch and store leftovers in the freezer for ready-made meals.
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Helpful Reader Review
“This recipe saved me tonight. No idea what I was making for dinner then BAM! Quick, meaty, deliciousness. Served with a side salad. Everyone was happy 🙂 thank you!!” – Kelly ★★★★★
Spaghetti Meat Sauce Video
Whip up a pot of this thick and meaty spaghetti sauce for dinner tonight. It’s quick to make and keeps well in the fridge for dinner all week. It has all of the comforting flavors of Spaghetti and Meatballs, or traditional Bolognese, but is much easier.
Easy Spaghetti Sauce with Ground Beef
I make this Spaghetti Sauce on repeat! It’s one of my favorite cabin meals and camping dinners because it’s a major crowd pleaser, easy, and my kids eat this up so fast. My sister, Svetlana, shared it with me, and once I started making the sauce for friends and family, I’ve gotten so many requests for the recipe.
It’s quick to make–ready in under an hour. You’ll end up with about 6 beefy cups of sauce, but leftovers are easy to freeze and reheat well, so you can savor every last drop as meal prep or freezer meals.
Classic Spaghetti sauce is comfort food at its finest. Serve this meat sauce over pasta noodles, topped with a generous amount of parmesan cheese, for a satisfying meal that rivals Olive Garden’s spaghetti meat sauce. I love to spoon this over classic spaghetti noodles, Homemade Pasta, linguine, fettuccine, penne, cannelloni, rigatoni, ziti, or even gluten-free pasta.
Ingredients for Spaghetti Sauce with Ground Beef
This spaghetti sauce recipe is simple, using pantry staples, so it’s easy for everyone to make when the craving hits.
- Ground beef – I prefer 80/20 beef for this recipe since the fat flavors the whole sauce, but you can choose leaner beef if desired.
- Aromatics – onion, garlic, dried oregano, and dried basil.
- Tomatoes – the star of the show! I use all three: tomato paste, tomato sauce, and crushed tomatoes for the perfect texture and flavor.
- Secret Ingredient – Sugar is an optional ingredient, but just a teaspoon of sugar can help cut the acidity of the tomatoes for a more dynamic flavor. If you’re avoiding sugar, leave it out.
Substitutions & Variations
Make this spaghetti sauce your own by adding these optional ingredients:
- Vegetables – add diced mushrooms or green peppers with the onions
- Herbs – add Italian seasoning, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, or even a pinch of cumin
- Wine – a splash of dry red wine gives spaghetti sauce an added depth of flavor
- Protein – double the protein for a meatier sauce (add at least 1/4 cup of water to thin), or swap half or all the ground beef with ground pork or Italian sausage
How to Make Spaghetti Sauce
It’s so easy to make this homemade spaghetti meat sauce recipe. Here’s how to meld all those amazing flavors for the best meat sauce.
- Brown the beef – Cook the beef in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a spatula until no pink remains. If you want leaner sauce, you can drain the fat, but it won’t be as flavorful.
- Sauté the onion – Add the chopped onion and cook until soft while stirring occasionally to be sure it doesn’t stick.
- Add garlic and tomato paste – add the garlic to the beef and onion, stirring for 1 minute, and then add the tomato paste, stirring for another minute to carmelize the sugar to add so much flavor.
- Add herbs and tomatoes – add oregano, basil, and the rest of the tomatoes. Stir until the mixture comes to a boil to prevent any splattering.
- Simmer the sauce – cover halfway with a lid and let the mixture cook on low for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Taste the sauce to adjust the seasoning (I add 1/2 tsp more salt), and serve immediately spooned over pasta.
How to Serve Spaghetti Sauce
Of course, this classic spaghetti sauce recipe tastes great over pasta with freshly grated parmesan, but it’s really such a versatile dish. Try some of these out-of-the-box ways to use spaghetti meat sauce:
- Meat Sauce Sandwiches – serve between Homemade Burger Buns as Sloppy Joes
- Over Nachos – add cheese and your favorite toppings
- As Meat Sauce In Lasagna, Zucchini Lasagna, Baked Ziti, or Lasagna Roll Ups
- Stuffed into Pasta Shells, or use over the top of Homemade Gnocchi
- Over Protein – serve over Chicken Parmesan, Eggplant Parm, or even Shakshuka
- Paired with Baked Asparagus, Caesar Salad, and Garlic Bread
Make-Ahead and Storage
Spaghetti sauce freezes and reheats well, so I always double the recipe so we can enjoy leftovers. Once the sauce cools, pack it in serving-size containers or freezer zip-top bags.
- To Refrigerate: leftover spaghetti meat sauce keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge overnight, quick-thaw in cold water, or reheat from frozen.
- To Reheat: Place thawed or frozen meat sauce into a saucepan on the stove with a bit of water if needed, and simmer until warmed through.
This Spaghetti Sauce recipe makes for an irresistibly good pasta dinner loved by all ages. It makes a big batch, but you can easily freeze the meat sauce for another night. I hope this ground beef meat sauce becomes a new favorite in your home.
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef, 80/20 works well – or equal parts beef and Italian sausage
- 1 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- Grated Parmesan and chopped parsley or basil, optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Brown the beef– Heat olive oil in a 5 qt Dutch Oven or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and break it apart with a spatula. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally until cooked through, about 5 minutes. You can spoon off excess fat if desired, but I leave it in for extra flavor and richness.
- Sauté the onion – Add the diced onion to the beef and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent, about 4–5 minutes.
- Add garlic and tomato paste – Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to coat everything and deepen the flavor.
- Add herbs and tomatoes – Sprinkle in oregano and basil. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Stir in the sugar to balance the acidity. Bring to a uniform boil while stirring to prevent splatter.
- Simmer the sauce – Reduce the heat to a low simmer, partially cover the pot, and let the sauce simmer gently for 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Let it simmer until thickened and rich. Taste the sauce and add salt (I add 1/2 tsp), pepper or sugar to taste. Spoon over cooked spaghetti and top with freshly grated Parmesan and chopped parsley or basil.
Notes
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days
- Freeze up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge overnight (or reheat from frozen)
- Reheat on the stovetop at a medium-low simmer until warmed through.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Family Favorite Pasta Dinners
Pasta is a staple in our home because it’s delicious and filling. Once you make this easy spaghetti sauce recipe, try these other favorite pasta dinner recipes:
- Chicken Pesto Pasta
- Chicken Tetrazzini
- Baked Mac and Cheese
- Creamy Shrimp Pasta
- Mom’s Chicken and Mushroom Alfredo
- American Goulash
- Chicken Orzo Bake
- Pierogi
- Penne alla Vodka
I can’t imagine why the 1/2 tsp. of cumin…Italians do not use cumin, especially in their spaghetti sauce….now, if this was chili mac!
Hi Patricia, it’s my sister’s own little twist on the meat sauce and I hope you give it a try. It’s quite good!
This looks amazing. I woukd like to start using a Dutch Oven to make sauce as shown in your photos. Do You recommend heating olive oil in the Dutch Oven before putting in the meat? Can’t wait to make it! I really enjoy your recipes and videos. Keep up the great work to helping moms look like super stars in the kitchen! Vicki
Hi Vicki, the meat has enough fat that it releases and doesn’t require extra but you can add it if you prefer to add a little more or if you are using very lean ground beef.
I’ve made this and I usually add a step using an immersion blender for a few minutes after it is cooked. That turns it into a very smooth meat sauce that can be used on pizzas and lasagne. I also use it with fresh made pork/beef meatballs, often with sliced mushrooms.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! & thank you for sharing that with us!
Hey Natasha do you have an easy beef stew recipe served with rice please
Hi Agness, we have this aweomse beef stew recipe here. This stew is more of a stew soup so I think it would go perectly over some rice!
Quick question – do you drain the ground beef after browning it, or does using 15% fat ground beef make that step unnecessary? Can’t wait to make this!
Hi Ellen! We did not need to drain the meat.
Gidday Natasha, I enjoy your cooking blog. Rather than adding a jar of commercial sauce to make the spaghetti sauce’s easy to create your own. After cooking the mince ( i use pork mince) sautee the onion and garlic in olive oil and add some chopped celery and grated carrot. Grated zucchini is good too.Add chopped tomatoes and tomato paste, plus some milk and two anchovies. Let this simmer a while and add seasoningThis is a tasty meat sauce and very healthy.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I have long made a version of this type sauce and I add some ground or chopped mild Italian sausage for greater flavor.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Here’s the thing; if you can make a great italian style meat sauce, you can use it as a starter for about anything italian you wish to make. Use it to make lasagna, skillet lasagna with bow tie pasta, spaghetti, actually any pasta dish requiring a meat sauce will do. Let’s call it a nice frozen quick supper week-night shortcut. Thanks, Natasha.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Thomas!
Hi Thomas, this definitely is a shortcut which is always great on busy weeknights :).
Is Sam’s choice sauce you have in the picture better than Prego traditional sauce ?
Hi Leslie, honestly we loved them equally in flavor but the Sam’s choice one does seem to have a better list of ingredients (i.e. olive oil instead of canola oil). If you have a favorite marinara sauce, try that! It works with a variety of different brands. I hope you love the meat sauce! 🙂
I am going to make this, because it sounds so yummy. BUT….I have to ask you: 3 minutes prep time???? In what universe? Prep times in ALL online recipes are noted as crazily short, but 3 minutes is just silly. How about giving a prep time where nothing is already trimmed, washed, or chopped? Now, THAT would be realistic!
Hi Barb, the only thing that needs to be “prepped” here is to chop and onion and mince garlic and 3 minutes seemed reasonable for that. The rest of the recipe is done over the stove and is counted into the cooking time. Hope that helps!
I have made a similar recipe for years and love it. It also calls for browning the meat before adding the onions, which strikes me as odd. Wouldn’t it be better to slightly carmelize the onions first? Maybe you could enlighten me as to why it is done this way.
Hi Russ, it isn’t necessary in this recipe because the sauce simmers for awhile afterwards and the onions pretty much disappear into the sauce.
Did you add small tomatoes to the sauce? I didn’t see them listed in the ingredients, but they are in the sauce.
Hi Susan! Those were actually apart of the marinara pasta sauce!
Love how easy this is and how delicious it is!! Nothing better then a good meat sauce recipe that everyone loves.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Becky!
Hallo Natasha,
It is absolutely the best spaghetti meat sauce recipe ever. I made it and it was really a hit. We all loved this recipe. It is very easy, simple and super tasty. The cumin gives a very apart flavor that you really love it..I will keep this recipe forever. I really enjoy and love to follow your vlog. I am so happy that i saw your website.
So wonderful to hear that, Roselyn. Thank you so much for sharing your great experience with us!
Can you add cream at the end?
Hi Julie, I haven’t added that myself to advise. If you’re looking to make it more like a creamy sauce and adding that, I’d love to know how you like that.
I love adding sour cream on top of my spaghetti (when it’s on the plate)
Best pasta night dinner! I love this sauce!
That’s so awesome, Rachael! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Awesome recipe like always. I made it last night but I didn’t have beef so I used ground chicken it was yummy too. My kids loved it. Thanks for ur hard work!
I’m so happy you all enjoyed that! Thank you for that awesome review!
We loved this, it was so easy and tasty and my kids adored this, absolutely a keeper!
Sounds like you found a new family favorite! I’m so happy you all enjoyed that, Alli!
My family would LOVE this!! It looks SO good!!
It is so perfect for a family dinner! Thank you for that great review, Katerina!
Saw this pop up on my Instagram today and made it the same night. So easy and delicious! My husband had seconds, then thirds. Your recipes consistently come out so successfully, I never have to worry about having a backup plan when getting dinner on the table.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Michelle 🙂
The whole family loved this!
Hi Suzy, I am so happy to hear that!! Thank you for the awesome review!
Looks so amazing! Would u b able to make a freezer friendly category! I’m going back to work would b sooo helpful to know exact which ones I could make ahead! Love your site!
Thank you for that suggestion, Lena!