Spaghetti Meat Sauce Recipe

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!

1. Sautee ground beef until no longer pink.
2. Add chopped onion, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp pepper, cook until soft then add garlic and sautee until fragrant.
3. 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

4.97 from 189 votes

Author: Natasha Kravchuk

Homemade Spaghetti Meat Sauce is beefy, juicy and so satisfying. This Meat Sauce recipe comes together fast so it is perfect for busy weeknights, and it's freezer friendly.

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Prep Time: 3 minutes mins

Cook Time: 27 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

Servings: 8 people

• 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

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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

There are 2 ways to serve spaghetti and meat sauce: Add drained spaghetti to the finished sauce and toss to coat. Or, Add pasta to warm pasta bowls and top with meat sauce.

Nutrition Per Serving

309kcal Calories38g Carbs17g Protein9g Fat3g Saturated Fat38mg Cholesterol777mg Sodium563mg Potassium2g Fiber5g Sugar370IU Vitamin A7.2mg Vitamin C33mg Calcium2.7mg Iron

• Full Nutrition Label
• Nutrition Disclosure

Nutrition Facts

Spaghetti Meat Sauce

Amount per Serving

Calories

309

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

9

g

14

%

Saturated Fat

 

3

g

19

%

Cholesterol

 

38

mg

13

%

Sodium

 

777

mg

34

%

Potassium

 

563

mg

16

%

Carbohydrates

 

38

g

13

%

Fiber

 

2

g

8

%

Sugar

 

5

g

6

%

Protein

 

17

g

34

%

Vitamin A

 

370

IU

7

%

Vitamin C

 

7.2

mg

9

%

Calcium

 

33

mg

3

%

Iron

 

2.7

mg

15

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: meat sauce, spaghetti meat sauce

Skill Level: Easy

Cost to Make: $

Calories: 309