This hearty and flavorful homemade spaghetti sauce that uses simple pantry ingredients is sure to become a family favorite dinner staple. It’s freezer-friendly and is great over pasta or lasagna.
Today we’re making a lovingly simmered homemade spaghetti sauce made from scratch. While the store-bought jarred kind is pretty convenient, it is missing a whole lot of flavor you can get by building on a tomato base with a few extra ingredients. Add a few pantry staples like ground beef, onions, garlic, bell peppers, tomatoes and some seasonings like Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, basil, oregano and Italian seasoning for the best go-to spaghetti sauce.
Serve with some garlic bread or garlic knots and enjoy a fun pasta night. If you like Italian-inspired recipes, try out this spinach and three cheese manicotti, lasagna roll-ups, creamy sun-dried tomato and spinach pasta, or some slow cooker spaghetti bolognese. Let’s start cooking!
HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI SAUCE RECIPE TIPS
Ground beef – You can substitute 1 lb. ground beef with 1/2 lb. ground beef and 1/2 lb. Italian sausage. I like using a meat smasher to break up any clumps.
Tomato paste – I used a can of Miur Glen tomato paste but if you prefer the tube kind, go with that instead. I use the Cento brand for tomato paste in a tube. We’re sauteing the tomato paste after the onions, garlic and peppers so that it caramelizes. This little secret makes a pasta sauce much more robust, with deeper flavors.
San Marzano tomatoes – San Marzano tomatoes are said to be sweeter than others so you’ll end up with a spaghetti sauce that isn’t too tart. If you’re not a fan, you can go with your favorite whole peeled tomatoes instead. The meat smasher I used to break up the ground beef comes in pretty handy to smash these whole peeled tomatoes as well. You can also use a wooden spoon, just get them mashed into the sauce. The only chunks you should have left are from the diced tomatoes.
Diced tomatoes – I used Hunt’s basil, garlic and oregano diced tomatoes for more flavor but any other kinds will work too. You do not need to drain the can.
Pasta water – Pasta water contains the starch from the pasta which helps thicken and bind the sauce. Save some of this and use it instead of beef broth or water! One cup of pasta water should be enough for this recipe.
Sugar – I like adding sugar to balance the tartness of the tomatoes. Feel free to adjust or leave out if needed.
Garnish – Garnish with freshly chopped basil leaves or parsley to add a pop of green when serving.
Simmering – The recipe calls for 30 minutes of simmering but you can simmer the sauce in a covered pot for up to a few hours. If you would like to simmer it even longer, try the slow cooker method instead.
Slow cooker method – Transfer the spaghetti sauce to the slow cooker after Step 6 and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
Customize It!
- Add more veggies – Bulk up the sauce a little with mushrooms, olives, or fresh spinach. Black olives go great with a red pasta sauce and so does baby spinach.
- Beef it up – I like adding some meatiness to the sauce with one or two crumbled beef bouillon cubes.
- Red wine – Add a splash of red wine to give the sauce some nuance.
What to Serve with Homemade Spaghetti
Pair this delicious spaghetti with some buttery garlic bread, cheesy garlic bread, garlic knots, or a salad to start.
And that’s about it. Let me know how you liked it, what substitutions you made or what you paired it with in the comments below.
MORE MEATY PASTA RECIPES TO TRY
- Pepperoni and Olive Penne Pasta
- Cheesy Hot Italian Sausage Bake
- Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese
- Slow Cooker Beef and Cheese Pasta
Did you make this recipe? Rate it!
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Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
This hearty and flavorful homemade spaghetti sauce that uses simple pantry ingredients is sure to become a family favorite dinner staple.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef (or 1/2 lb ground beef and 1/2 lb ground Italian sausage)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
- 1 (28 oz.) can San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup pasta water/ beef broth
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon white sugar (optional)
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 lb. pasta for serving
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef until evenly cooked. Drain any excess grease and remove beef from the pot.
- Saute the onions and garlic in some olive oil until fragrant.
- Toss in green peppers and sweat with the onions and garlic until soft.
- Add tomato paste and saute until it caramelizes and turns brick red, about 3-5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and add whole peeled tomatoes, diced tomatoes and reserved pasta water/beef broth.
- Season with Worcestershire sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes, basil, oregano, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover and simmer for 30 minutes to a few hours.
- Do a taste test and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Dish and serve hot over your favorite pasta.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Add more veggies – Bulk up the sauce a little with mushrooms, olives, or fresh spinach.
- Beef it up – I like adding some meatiness to the sauce with one or two crumbled beef bouillon cubes.
- Red wine – Add a splash of red wine to give the sauce some nuance.
- Scroll up to RECIPE TIPS for more useful tips, suggestions and ingredient substitutions.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
Comments & Reviews
Just curious, but if you are using tomatoes and tomatoe paste from a can is that really homemade? Only mentioning because I am looking for a homemade recipe to use all my garden tomatoes. Every recipe that I have searched that says homemade sauce comes with tomatoes from a can.
I made this recipe following all the directions, except I used tomatoes from my garden. I cleaned out the seeds and cut them into small cubes. It is delicious! I did not have any beef bro yard, I added a package of beef and onion mix. This will be my go to spaghetti dinner! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
It has to be more rewarding using your own tomatoes! Thanks for sharing your customizations, Penny. The beef and onion mix is a good substitute for bouillon cubes to enhance the beef flavor in the sauce. Enjoy this the next time you make it!
I made a double batch. The seasonings are right on point, this sauce is so very delicious…..Next time I plan on adding mushrooms and mild and hot Italian sausage links. Thank you for this recipe!
You’re most welcome and thank you for being the first to comment and rate this recipe, Dottie! I’m happy you like it just as much as I do. I sometimes bulk up my spaghetti sauce with diced mushrooms too. Adding sausage rounds that are seared beforehand (for texture and a little crunch) with black olives or pepperoni is also another way to build on this recipe.