Easy homemade spaghetti sauce, using ingredients you probably already have in your pantry! This recipe is a family dinner staple!

Homemade spaghetti sauce in a saucepan with a wooden spoon.

Spaghetti Sauce

This spaghetti sauce recipe may be the first thing I learned to cook, completely by myself, when I was really young. As I got better at cooking and baking (and because I loved it so much) I can specifically remember two recipes my Mom would let me make all by myself: this homemade spaghetti sauce, and our family’s favorite Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.

She’d be nearby for supervision, but it was a huge confidence boost for me to cook all on my own! And an even bigger confidence boost when my older brothers said they liked the food 🙂

This Homemade Spaghetti Sauce recipe has been a family staple for as long as I can remember. It’s really simple and the flavors are fantastic.

This is one of those meals that always tastes amazing–and it’s perfect for busy weeknights this time of year! Plus, there’s no picky eater that would ever say no to spaghetti!

A white bowl full of spaghetti noodles with homemade spaghetti sauce on top and fresh grated parmesan cheese and basil.

How to make homemade spaghetti sauce:

First brown the beef and onion. Chop the ground beef finely as you go. After it’s browned I often like to add it to my food processor to pulse it once or twice so that it’s finely crumbled. It makes the sauce extra smooth (although some people like their spaghettie sauce with larger peices of meat in it,)

Side by side photos of a skillet with uncooked ground beef and onion, and then cooked and crumbled ground beef and onion.

Next, add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, seasonings, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar and bring the mixture to a simmer.  Add water and simmer for 30 minutes or longer, to get more depth of flavor. The longer you simmer it, the more the flavors will blend together beautifully.

A saucepan with the ingredients to make homemade spaghetti sauce including tomato sauce, spices, ground beef, ground italian sausage, and onion, next to another photo of the sauce mixed together and water being added to it before it simmers.

I use this sauce all the time in my Spaghetti PieMillion Dollar SpaghettiSlow Cooker Lasagna and Instant Pot Spaghetti.

Spaghetti sauce, marinara sauce and pizza sauce; what’s the difference?

There is all sorts of confusion surrounding these terms, but spaghetti sauce, marinara sauce, and pizza sauce are usually all tomato based sauces. Marinara sauce, or pasta sauce is a slow-simmered sauce that is often made with tomatoes, garlic, and herbs.  In America, we often refer to marinara as a meatless, tomato-based sauce.

Spaghetti sauce is essentially any sauce that you put on spaghetti.  Traditional spaghetti sauce is often just a more complex marina sauce that has additional spices and may be made with meat, vegetables, cheese, etc.

Pizza sauce is typically uncooked and refers to any sauce you put on pizza. This sauce is usually simple, with few ingredients and is meant to cook with the pizza for added flavor.

Overhead photo of a saucepan filled with homemade spaghetti sauce.

Tips for making ahead and freezing spaghetti sauce:

This homemade spaghetti sauce can be easily made ahead of time.  Store it in the fridge for 3 to 4 days or freeze it.  Before freezing spaghetti sauce, allow the mixture to cool completely.  Label a gallon freezer bag and fill it with the sauce.  Store it on a flat surface so that it freezes into a flat shape that will store easily.  Store it for up to 4-6 months.  To use, place frozen sauce in a pot and reheat on the stove until warm.

 

Need a SIDE DISH? Some of my favorites include:

 

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Recipe

Homemade spaghetti sauce in a saucepan with a wooden spoon.
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Total 40 minutes
Save Recipe

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Season ground beef with salt and pepper. 
  • In a large skillet, add the beef and chopped onion and brown.  Drain excess grease. 
  • Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, worcestershire, and sugar to the skillet. 
  • Stir well to combine and bring to a boil. Add water and stir well. 
  • Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add chopped basil before serving, if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 303kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 18gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 814mgPotassium: 948mgFiber: 3gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 885IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 4mg

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Tag @TastesBetterFromScratch on Instagram with #TastesBetterFromScratch!

Have you tried this recipe?!

RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

 

*I originally shared this recipe in September 2015. Updated July 2018.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce recipe from TastesBetterFromScratch.com

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About The Author

Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. I had high hopes but it tasted like tomato paste and I used less than what the recipe called for. Added fresh garlic not powder and left everything else the same. Disappointed

  2. Delicious, but I felt it was too thick. I added a quart of canned tomatoes with juice and it came out great. The meat and sauce were in a better balance.

  3. 5 stars
    Thanks for sharing this recipe. Made it dozen of times already. I WILL NEVER BUY spaghetti sauce again. Scratch is the BESSST!!!,

  4. Tried it. Added mushrooms and chopped green peppers and it was delicious. I did rotini instead of spaghetti

  5. 5 stars
    OMG!! This spaghetti sauce was amazing. Tasted like my own…..hmmm. 🙂 No, loved it!! Will make it again.

  6. 5 stars
    A simple and easy to follow recipe! Makes great spaghetti! Left the crushed pepper flakes out, since my wife currently cannot deal with hot spices.

  7. Hey Lauren, as an American who is currently dating an Italian, I’ve recently learned that spaghetti is NOT a type of noodle. There are no Italian noodles, only Italian pastas. Spaghetti is a type of pasta. Thanks for the recipe!

  8. 5 stars
    LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!!!!! I add a 28ounce can of diced tomatoes aks 8 dont put the beef in, I make meatballs. Left the crushed red out as last two times I made it too hot. Delicious! I use dried basil instead if fresh, a tbsp per recipe. As I’m fresh outta fresh. Itd be even better with tbat and I let simmer 30 min with the meatballs in it.

  9. 5 stars
    Love this recipe! I’ve been looking for a good meat sauce and we all love this. Made it several times and it will be my go to for now on. I like using sausage and using the food processor to chop up the meat finer is brilliant. Thank you!

  10. 5 stars
    I love spaghetti! And this is my first time making in homemade!! And it’s so good!!! Of course I added a few more spices! But the base was a great start!!! I won’t be buying jarred sauce any time soon!❤️

  11. Thank you so much Lauren. You have brought back memories of childhood. My grandmother was French Canadian and this is very close to her recipe. Browned hamburger, onions, tomato sauce and tomato paste, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Only other ingredient my grandmother used was Frank’s Louisiana Hot Sauce. It’s a spicy sauce. She and my mom always made it in the morning and simmered all day before serving for dinner. You’ve put me in the mood for spaghetti and I can’t wait to try your recipe.

  12. I have some secret ingredients that I use in my spaghetti bolognaise sauce. I use tomato or peach chutney instead of sugar. Tomato passata instead of tomato sauce. 1/4+tsp of nutmeg spice. TBS Vinigar. 1tsp mixed Italian herbs or a mixture of fresh herbs. 1x 450gm tinned cherry or chopped tomatoes in tomato juice and a beef stock cube or 1cup of beef stock. Plus Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste and season to taste. I use a pork and beef minced mixture instead. The method is the same however if I have the time I slow cook at 90°c for about 2 hrs

    1. 5 stars
      The idea is to make the recipe as given and then give your reactions and thoughts to the recipe. You do not use another’s website to publish your own recipes. You should be ashamed.

      Made the recipe AS WRITTEN and was VERY impressed and quite happy! Next time I might use fresh garlic, as it is my usual choice over the powder, but otherwise a GREAT recipe!

      Thank you Lauren for sharing your family recipes with us. Very much appreciated.

    2. Seriously, why bother reviewing this recipe when you’ve basically changed the whole thing? This is always puzzling to me?

  13. 5 stars
    Best spaghetti sauce ever. This is now my “go to” recipe. Perfect combination of ingredients for no fail goodness.

  14. I made this with 1lb high fat ground turkey and 1lb low fat ground turkey and it turned out great! I also threw in some carrots and peppers for exta veggies.

  15. 5 stars
    I combined this recipe with what I usually do to make my sauce and it was the best sauce I’ve ever made! My changes: 1 chopped green bell pepper added with the onion, 1 diced zucchini added after the sausage was mostly cooked, approximately 8 thinly sliced mushrooms added with the tomatoes and spices. It was more like a marinara with the veggies. Your spices were on point, which was what I needed.
    Thank you for this recipe. I wrote it out and added it to my recipe box. It will now be my go-to.

  16. 5 stars
    I love spaghetti, but i always would wind up buying sauce in a jar and “doctoring it up”. I kept trying to get up the nerve to make something from scratch … something I could “tweek” and have some fun with, and lo and behold, I found this recipe. After following the directions to the letter, and tasting it as it was cooking, I felt like I hit the lottery; this stuff was fantastic. Long story short, this recipe is the backbone of my recipe collection. I will be forever grateful for Lauren Allen for posting this, as this gave me the confidence to try different things in the kitchen. It’s alot of fun once you get going. So try this folks, you definitely will not be disappointed!

  17. 5 stars
    Delish! Made this for my family, they loved it! Only change is we didn’t put in the sugar (husband is diabetic) and you never would know! Will be my go to sauce going forward!

      1. I have not tried this recipes but if someone doesn’t like it they need to say why because everyone has different tastes. My family does not like a sweet sauce so the comment told me to leave out the sugar. Every one has used this for a base so far in my reading. So I may try it.

      2. Why would anyone want to read only positive comments? The things that are added, or what was not liked help others make base recipes their own. Not everyone is going to like something. We all have different tastes. What they did not like was as helpful as what others did like. I personally do not like sweet bbq sauce, pineapple on ham ewwww or any sweet sauce. I prefer savory. Their comment gives me clues on how to adjust to make it my perfect go to. Taking a feather from your cap, I say comment on the original post, If you didn’t like their comment then keep it to yourself *winks and smiles

        1. 5 stars
          I am making this tonight, sans sugar. I also prefer savory. My dad made spaghetti every year for my birthday. It was/is my meal of choice. Sometimes he made meat sauce and sometimes meatballs. I hope this tastes okay with no sugar. I will probably decrease the amount of red pepper flakes, as we don’t do heat in our family.

          I have some beef broth in my fridge. What do you think about using that instead of the one cup of water?

  18. 4 stars
    I will 100% never use garlic powder over fresh garlic in a pasta sauce or anything that’s not a batter or rub of some sort so I did substitute.. otherwise decent recipe.

  19. 5 stars
    Your recipe turned out fantastic! Excellent flavor. Will definitely use again.

    I did add a little Sriracha but other than that, perfect recipe.

  20. 5 stars
    LOVE this. I made it tonight and even my pickiest eater went back for seconds. And my child about to move out on his own asked for the recipe. Thanks for sharing.

  21. I have made this sauce many times exactly as written and we live it! It us my go to sauce for all pasta dishes. Tonight, I didn’t have tomato sauce, so I used Progresso tomato basil soup and it was amazing!

  22. WOW! No wonder this recipe has 5 stars! Delicious, made from scratch, and easy!!! Thank you for sharing!!!

  23. 5 stars
    This is the best spaghetti sauce! I made it for my family and all of them raved about how amazing it was. I would 100 make it again. This has become a staple in our recipe box.

  24. 5 stars
    I’ve made this twice for a different group each time and it was a hit!!!! I reduced the sugar the second time.

  25. I had to substitute tomato puree for paste. I also skipped the meat. Other than that, I followed the recipe and it was really bland. I’m guessing it would have turned out better had I followed instructions. If skipping the meat, I’d recommend adding something chunky to make it more exciting.

  26. 4 stars
    I love a chunky spaghetti sauce; my changes which I think made it perfect: no Worcestershire sauce, add a can of chopped tomatoes in addition to the tomato sauce and paste, definitely go half and half spicy Italian sausage and ground beef, and lastly use minced garlic instead of powder. I also added paprika but I just love paprika.

  27. 1 star
    Worcestershire and sugar gave a gross flavor. Not enough garlic. Needs a lot of salt. I’m so upset I wasted expensive ingredients on this recipe. We threw it away.

  28. 3 stars
    Not sure I would add Worcestershire sauce again. I doubled the recipe and definitely not feeling it. Otherwise I think it would be better.

  29. 3 stars
    I’m not sure why this got so many 5 star ratings, but I don’t think it’s that good. I followed the instructions, and it was just too thick for my liking…I almost felt like I was spooning sloppy joe over my pasta. This is a no for me… won’t be using this recipe again.

      1. That’s what I do. I add 2/3 cups water (not 1 cup). After simmering for 30 min it’s pretty thick, but then I add 1/2 cup or more of the pasta water along with al dente pasta, cook it about 2 more minutes, and it’s perfect. Smooth and silky.

    1. I thought it was too thick too, so I added water. Aaad water, stir and taste. I ended up using 1 water bottle to a 3x recipe. I really liked it!

      1. 4 stars
        I read the reviews first before making this and decided to just add a little less Worcestershire sauce and sugar, and it came out amazing! I used half Italian sausage and half 80% lean beef

  30. 5 stars
    Love this recipe. Especially Worchester sauce as an addition! I also sneak veggies into my spaghetti sauce like mushrooms, carrots and celery (kinda like a bolognese) and the veggies fit wonderfully. Kudos to you!

  31. 5 stars
    I did not have fresh basil 🌿 but it was still amazing 😻 I made mine with whole grain pasta 🍝 and Morningstar crumbles instead of meat. Would make again. Thanks 🙏 for sharing!

  32. 5 stars
    Thank you so much for this keeper of a recipe. I have been looking all over and attempted so many recipes for homemade spaghetti sauce and am so glad to have found ‘THE ONE!’ It is absolutely ‘fantabulous!’ And I love pressing the easy button too!

  33. 5 stars
    Lauren, this spaghetti sauce is sooo good! This will be my go to recipe every time I need sauce. I am enjoying your recipes. Thanks so much for all you do!

  34. I made a quadruple batch and froze 3/4 of it in freezer bags as recommended. It was amazing. Didn’t substitute or change anything. Very simple but gets rid of that “processed” taste you can get with jarred sauces. Thank you for this.

  35. 5 stars
    This is my family’s go-to spaghetti sauce. I’ll never buy jarred sauce again! Thank you for this perfectly awesome recipe!

  36. 5 stars
    Made this for my family last night and I literally CRIED. I have been struggling with store bought sauces that almost immediately begin to give me heartburn and indigestion. I began to think I should just try making my own, after all my mom always did! I tried to remember how she did it, but she she passed away in 2001 when I was just 13, so ill I could really remember was the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and that she added onion and bell pepper(which I did add). So i googled those things and came across this recipe. As soon as I tasted the first bite…tears..it was if I was transported back to 1990 something and my mom had just made spaghetti. Thanks so much for this recipe. I absolutely will be making this again…and side note..no acid reflux, indigestion, or heartburn!!❤️

  37. 5 stars
    So simple and so good! Not a huge worcestershire fan you could use a little less of that and the sugar but overall a great sauce recipe. Served with rigatoni.

  38. 5 stars
    Made a double batch of this yesterday evening; was hesitant to use so much tomato paste but it was worth it! Extremely tasty!! And simple 🙂

    Slight modifications: added a lot more Italian seasoning, swapped sugar for erythritol/monkfruit, and threw in a tiny bit of MSG near the end. Actually forgot to season the hamburger at the start lol.

  39. 5 stars
    Hello Lauren,

    I am making this Spaghetti sauce recipe today. House smells amazing! My Family is so excited to eat dinner tonight. It tastes as good as it smells! (shh…I already had some).
    Thanks for the recipe Lauren.
    -Craig

  40. I always start with 2 pound of fresh ground beef, 1 pound, Italian sausage, two onions, chopped three bell peppers, chopped a lot of various seasonings tomatoes sauce,l diced tomatoes, 1 quart one habanero pepper, a jar of Ragu with mushrooms, 1 pound jar of mushrooms and cook and do everything you’re done

    1. This is similar to how I make spaghetti sauce, I add parmesan cheese ,finger licking. The Italian sausage adds soo much flavor!!

  41. 5 stars
    Great – and easy – recipe! But please, please, please – spaghetti is pasta. It is not a noodle. Pasta and noodles are made from different ingredients and are not the same. To coin a phrase, it’s like apples and oranges.

      1. OMG I was just thinking the same exact while reading. And if you’re gonna change the entire recipe means you’re not following recipe so post your own on your own page.

    1. Quit correcting, make the recipe or write one of your own, but nobody cares about your self importance. We only care about the taste of the food. People like you have no purpose other than pissing everyone else off.

    2. 5 stars
      Yum!!!! I used ground chicken, and half a can of plum tomatoes (along with the tomato paste). This recipe is a keeper…. Thank you!!! ❤️

    3. Spaghetti are 100% noodles. Check the entry for noodle in your dictionary of choice. “Noodles” is a generic term for ribbon-shaped dough, which is attested in English for longer than the later loanword “pasta.” It applies as equally to Italian pasta as Chinese mian. Incidentally, in Italian, the word “pasta” can refer to noodles, pastes, smelt, confections, etc. All to day, “pasta” (as used in English) is simply a convenient term to specify traditional Italian noodles. It’s not apples to oranges; it’s oranges to navel oranges.

  42. 4 stars
    Excellent taste. I used fresh tomatoes from the garden and blended them with my immersion blender. Followed the recipe exactly, and loved it.

  43. 5 stars
    So simple and tasty are the2 best words to describe this recipe. Best of all it’s pretty low cal since I use spiral squash noodles for the pasta. I used stevia for sugar and I can’t taste the difference. I’ll keep this recipe handy.

  44. 5 stars
    This is sooo good. Made it with half sausage and half ground beef. Perfect blend of salt, sweet, and tang. Will make over and over!

  45. 5 stars
    My mom shared this recipe with me and it’s fantastic. We all loved it. Planning to make it again tonight! Thanks for sharing.

  46. 5 stars
    Excellent recipe! When my Italian husband gives me his MMMMMM rating, I know it’s good. Thank you!☺️

  47. I made this for a lasagna with the pasta made from scratch, with just 90/10 sirloin ground beef. Definitely a keeper!! I also used half the sugar, but substituted roasted garlic and an habanero for both the garlic powder and the red pepper flakes. I also didn’t have Italian seasoning but that was ok. The parsley did the trick with the rest of the ingredients beautifully, our family loved it.

  48. I made this for my family last night and it was delicious ! I’ve made it twice now and both times have been a hit. They cleaned the pot!

  49. 5 stars
    Hi Crystal,
    You can definitely can add the stewed tomatoes to the recipe. You can add the stewed tomatoes with or without the juice in the can.
    If you add it with the juice, skip the additional water the recipe calls for. I never add water to my recipe. I let the stew tomatoes with juice be the liquid. You can’t mess up this recipe.

  50. I used this recipe and made a couple of changes and turned out fantastic. The changes made were: 1) instead of garlic powder, I used 1 1/2 teaspoons of minced garlic; 2) added sliced mushrooms; 3) used half the tomato sauce but added a can of Manwich Bold.

  51. I like chunky tomatoes in my sauce. What can I do to modify this? Should I sub out like 2/3 of the tomato sauce w diced toms and a little water and add at the same time? I just want to check so I don’t mess it up. Thanks

    1. I make a very similar sauce to this based on my mother’s recipe. To about 1 lb of ground beef I add a small (15 oz) can of tomato sauce, a small can of diced tomatoes (petite diced, if I can find that), and a small can of tomato paste. Oh, and I use minced fresh garlic!

  52. 5 stars
    Very good sauce. I like that I can control the amount of sugar. I only used 1t. And it was plenty. I will make it again.

  53. 5 stars
    Did half ground beef and half sausage. I didn’t have worcestershireor anf red chili flakes. Did everything else exactly as noted. Oh, and added bell pepper. This was so delicious!!!! Will definitely be making again.

  54. 5 stars
    Made it exactly per recipe. Used Half Beef / Half Italian Sausage. All I can say is WOW! Love this sauce. This one is a for sure keeper. Thanks for sharing this one with us.

    1. I typically drain the excess grease from the pan I’m cooking the meat in to my large pot that I cook my pasta in. I think it adds more beefy flavor to the pasta an then right before Altona I add my pasta to my sauce to finish it off. Just a suggestion

  55. This was very delicious. Thank you for sharing such an easy recipe for homemade spaghetti sauce.

  56. 5 stars
    This is my go-to recipe for a meat sauce. The whole family loves it. Thank you for providing this recipe.

  57. The only thing I did was double the recipe and it is a fantastic sauce no more jars this is too easy to make to not make it fresh every time

  58. 5 stars
    So flavorful! We made it with some hot sausage and it was amazing. We’ll be using it for our next lasagna. Better than ANY sauce you can buy in a can or a jar.

  59. 5 stars
    Great recipe! I love the versatility. I’ve made it twice now and the second time I decreased the sugar by half, added mushrooms, and doubled the recipe. For pasta, I used the mini bowtie pasta. It made enough to easily feed 8 people. Thank you! This is definitely my go to sauce now!

  60. 5 stars
    Really great go to meat sauce! Added some mushrooms, a green pepper and half the sugar, but the recipe as is works really well, too. Thank you!

  61. 5 stars
    Delicious! This is my go to spaghetti sauce now. It’s so easy to make and everyone loves it! I use 1/2 ground beef and 1/2 ground Italian sausage and have added 2 cloves of chopped garlic. I usually double the recipe- serving a family of 6.

  62. 1 star
    What Italian uses Worchestershire sauce in a spaghetti recipe??? Did not taste like any spaghetti sauce I’ve ever had. Yuck.

  63. 5 stars
    We use this sauce weekly! It’s our favorite and my kids love it.

    Quick question- what is a serving size for this?

  64. Unless you grow and can your own tomatoes, grow all your own herbs, butcher your own cattle and make your own noodles…..this is scratch.

    1. So I can’t “bake a cake from scratch” unless I grow and mill trees that I’ll use to build equipment to mill the flour I grow along side the cattle and chickens I raise for milk and eggs. All while building a home made oven that will bake the cake in pans forged from steel that I created by mining ore from the earth…. You see how ridiculous your comment is.

    2. I do grow and can my own tomatoes, grow my own herbs and butcher my own cattle so I guess this is scratch. Not everyone has this liberty. But doing it this way, allows you to know exactly what’s in your food. So don’t be so damn crunchy. Some of us enjoy cooking. Thanks to the author for the recipe

  65. I plan on canning this sauce. In order to plan for how many pint/quart jars I’ll need, do you know how much this recipe will yield?

  66. We loved this sauce! I forgot to add the sugar, however, I’m happy that I did based on others comments. I did the 1/2 lean ground beef, and 1/2 Italian sausage … very yummy!!! I will make this sauce every time going forward. Thank you for the recipe .

    1. Did it come out good I’m trying to make it for the 1st time forgot to add stuff I didn’t have have allot of sauce tho I hope it’s good as it looks. Just letting it simmer now

      1. 5 stars
        Whipped this up in my dutch oven to cut down on more dishes, absolutely love this recipe. So easy to double the batch for lunches or freezer. Thanks.

  67. This is the way I make mine. Very good. I had my 3 boys and all their friends to feed when they were growing up and this was a perfect dish for that.

  68. I was looking for a meat sauce recipe for canning purposes and came across this one. I don’t care how good it might be, it’s nowhere as good as the tears from all the Karens in the comment section! Here’s an idea…Replace the water and sugar so many of you are upset by with your liberal tears. Use sparingly as they’re definitely salty AF! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

    1. 5 stars
      To Marko
      Who said Karen’s are liberals.. every Karen I know is conservative.

      As far as this recipe, it was awesome! I used the sauce recipe, minus adding the ground beef, because I put meatballs in the sauce to simmer in my crock. Turned out delish, and I followed the sauce part to a tee👍

  69. 5 stars
    You get a lot of bang for your buck with these simple ingredients! I used Italian sausage (breaking it up as it cooked), 2 cloves chopped garlic, and about a cup of chopped mushrooms, sautéing them along with the sausage and onion. Worcestershire sauce is a great addition. I forgot to add sugar but the sauce was great without it.

  70. 5 stars
    Love this recipe! I used 2 fresh cloves of garlic instead of powder and use Veggie broth in place of water I also add about 1/4 cup of fresh grated Parmesan cheese to the sauce. Spaghetti sauce you will not find in my house anymore because making my own is not only easy, but my family would prefer this sauce instead.

  71. 5 stars
    Very simple recipe and oh so tasty. The first time I made it my family said “well there’s no need to buy spaghetti sauce from the store anymore”. I definitely recommend this to anyone, it is all worth it.

  72. 5 stars
    Great recipe!
    I used ground turkey, fresh garlic and chicken broth instead of water. I also put the browned meat in a food processor, as suggested, and pulsed it twice. The end result was perfection. This is my new go to sauce.

  73. 4 stars
    This was great! The only thing I changed was just to do like 2-3 pinches of suga, used diceced tomatoes instead of paste (I was out), and omitted the water since i didn’t drain the tomatoes. Will definitely make going forward.

  74. 5 stars
    Great recipe! Reduced water. Only 3 tablespoons tomato paste, pinch of baking soda= reduces acidity. Thanks so much!

  75. 5 stars
    Makes more sauce than a jarred sauce and fresher taste. Substituted with fresh green chillies instead of chilli flakes for MORE heat. Served with fresh grated cheddar, tasted fantastic! Will be my go to sauce for pasta! More cost effective and very flavourful! Adjust herbs to your preference! So grateful for this recipe! Thank you for sharing!

  76. Again, why are you putting water in your sauce? It’s absolutely unnecessary. This recipe is like a catholic nun smacking students’ hands with a nerf bat. Totally ineffective.

  77. 5 stars
    This was easy to make and delicious! I served it with garlic bread from the freezer section and salad. Will make this again- might add mushrooms and peppers

    I did add more salt and pepper at the end.

  78. I love this recipe and this is the only spaghetti sauce aI make now. Thank you for the goodness!!

  79. I hate ‘to taste’ as an amount. Low ball an amount and say ‘more than that can be added if you like’.

    1. This is the most Karen comment, why is everyone a Karen now days? Just add it to your taste preference. I know lots of people that would add no salt.

  80. I didn’t have any spaghetti sauc so I thought I would try this one because it looked the best. The only thing I substituted was the water and pepper flakes. Instead I used a can of
    Habanero diced tomatoes. We loved it it’s only for the people who love hot foods

  81. This is the spaghetti sauce my husband makes. He frequently throws a can of chopped tomato in the pot to up the veggies in our meal. When our kids were still home we would eat the leftover sauce as soup for lunch the next day.

  82. 5 stars
    I love to cook! I really enjoyed the sauce. It was so thick and delicious.
    Keep up the great work. We love you for what you do. I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes.

  83. 5 stars
    This is so wonderfully good that my husband said I am no longer allowed to purchase store bought and I have only been using top shelf which is expensive. He said that he could just grab a bowl and eat it by itself as if it were a bowl of soup or chili. And I will add that it was truly almost as easy as opening a jar but oh so much more fun when the results were this darn great. GAME CHANGER in my home!!!

  84. 5 stars
    Fantastic! I added a can of drained Rotelle for a little “zest.” The Rotelle did not improve the flavor of the sauce, just made it “warmer.” This is my new go-to recipe for meat sauce. Simply delicious!!

  85. 5 stars
    This recipe was easy to make and a hit in my household. My 20 month old asked for seconds and my husband said he wants this in rotation each week.

    Adding this to my meal planning rotation for my family. Thanks for sharing!

  86. 5 stars
    Was looking for a recipe to use up a lot of tomato sauce I had in my pantry. I am so happy I chose this one. I have tried numerous other spaghetti sauce recipes but non compare to this easy one. The flavor was spot on, the ease was perfect, and the taste was amazing! In you are on the fence deciding …… don’t be, just make it. You will be pleasantly surprised.

  87. 1 star
    One table spoon of sugar is way to much. It was so sweet I couldn’t eat it and had to throw it away! Probably good if you cut the sugar in half at least.

    1. 4 stars
      You felt the need to rate the recipe 1 star, though you said it would probably be good with less sugar?

  88. 5 stars
    Easy to make. Family enjoyed the flavor which was different from my usual sauces. It’s a keeper and recommended. Thank you for sharing this recipe.

    1. We like to use canned tomato sauce because it’s made from high-quality, vine-ripened tomatoes that are processed at the peak of freshness. This ensures that our sauce has a consistent flavor and quality, no matter what time of year it is.

    2. Probably the same way it is from scratch using garlic powder and granulated sugar without instructions on how to dry and crush garlic cloves out process sugar cane.

  89. Hi – I am trying to make spaghetti pie with the homemade pasta sauce- but I see in ingredients that it calls for Chicken Broth but nowhere in the recipe does it state how much or anything about Broth? Please help as I am trying to make this.
    Thank you

    1. Hi Ann Lee,
      I’ve looked over both recipes (SPaghetti pie, marinara, and spaghetti sauce) and didn’t see a mention of chicken broth in any. Which recipe did you see chicken broth listed in?

  90. 5 stars
    This is THE BEST. I use a little more sauce (because, sauce is life) and add some parmesan cheese at the end. Really, this is excellent and my absolute staple. Thanks for sharing!

  91. 5 stars
    Healthier than canned pasta sauce! I cook it an hour for a deeper flavor. What’s the serving size(1/4 cup, 1/2 Cup, 1 cup)?

  92. 5 stars
    This is the spaghetti sauce that started it all for me! Just made it again last night for my wife and a friend of hers. They loved it … as I do, of course. I have since gotten the nerve to try making spaghetti sauce from scratch, going through the hassle of blanching the tomatoes and cooking it for several hours in a slow cooker. No matter … THIS is the sauce I can always go back to and always have a good meal. Easy to do and tastes great. And isn’t that what we’re after? Enjoy!

  93. 3 stars
    I made this last night for my family, and it wasn’t bad. A little more similar to a chili sauce than a spaghetti sauce. I followed the directions pretty closely and it just wasn’t quite what I was hoping for. It’s not bad at all, just not a true spaghetti sauce in my opinion. It could be the worcestershire sauce. It was missing the tomato profile.

  94. 5 stars
    This has been my go-to spaghetti sauce for almost a year now and I’ve tried many. Everyone in my family loves it! It’s my husband’s favourite. I’ve followed the recipe as is and wouldn’t change a thing. It’s so easy to prepare. We love it!

  95. 5 stars
    I like every recipe you have shown so far. Your the best!! How about an easy pineapple cake with a cream cheese topping. Did you do this already? I’M 71 an a male and you have me baking again

  96. 5 stars
    Followed basically…:)
    Added a dollop of Italian red wine, a few tbsp of Irish butter, and hot Italian sausage rather than the pepper flakes along with the ground beef. Yumms!

  97. I thought I had a jar of Spaghetti sauce and didn’t. So I immediately looked on line and searched for an easy homemade spaghetti sauce and found this one. It’s going to be my 1st time trying out this recipe. Luckily I had all ingredients. Hoping it’s going to be good. We will see, it’s on the stove cooking now. I’ll comment once we try it. Thank you

  98. 5 stars
    My husband and I are obsessed with this recipe. Literally SO good and so much cheaper than buying jar sauce! We also never add the Worcestershire… hopefully we aren’t missing too much haha!

  99. Lauren I’ve used your spaghetti sauce recipe 3 times and my family and friends all want it. They love it thanks for sharing

  100. This is a fantastic spaghetti recipe. Thanks for sharing it. So yummy!
    Do you have a instant pot version?

    Thank you again!

  101. 5 stars
    Amazing home made sauce! I reduced the Worcester and sugar and add more oregano to taste. It doesn’t need hardly any salt as the flavours are great!!!

  102. 5 stars
    I’m trying to help my husband track his food, is the nutritional info for the total sauce or per serving?
    Thank you, we love this recipe!

    1. So glad to hear you both love the sauce! The nutritional info is per serving and there are 5 servings per recipe!

  103. 5 stars
    I don’t know if I reviewed this before, but twice is just as nice. This is requested in my house at least every couple of weeks. It is soooooooo good. Thank you Lauren.

  104. Can I replace the tomato sauce with tomato purée? I have a ton of extra purée I’m trying to avoid wasting. Thanks I’m advance!

  105. 4 stars
    It’s great if and only if San Marzano tomatoes are used for both sauce and paste. Otherwise expect flat average flavor.

  106. If I wanted to make this with fresh tomatoes, would I just substitute them for the tomato sauce? Or would you substitute them for the tomato paste as well?

  107. 5 stars
    I love this sauce! I go half beef mince/ half original bratwurst sausage meat.
    Tastes delicious in stuffed peppers!
    I make this sauce in a big batch then portion it in servings….freeze…

  108. 5 stars
    I’ve made my mother’s spaghetti recipe for over 60 years and have always hated chunks os tomato in the sauce. When I saw this recipe with no chunky tomatoes, I decided to give it a try. OMGosh, what a delicious and easy recipe. This will be my go-to recipe from now on. And yes, the cup of water called for in the recipe is a needed ingredient. This makes for a full-bodied spaghetti sauce. Ten stars in my book!

  109. This sauce is awesome I make it all the time! I think the only way it could be better would be to make the sauce from scratch by letting tomatoes ripen and turning them into sauce … but who has that much time ! This recipe is bomb,I recommend switching the ground beef to Italian sausage crumbled, dynamic flavor change

    1. 5 stars
      This is my go to spaghetti sauce recipe! It tastes so much better than store bought. I like to add mushrooms and a can of crushed tomatoes to have some more texture. It also does not take long to make it either which is a plus when in a hurry. So delicious! 😊

  110. 5 stars
    I was very happy with the spaghetti sauce I made using this recipe…my husband and I both loved it! I didn’t have a can of tomato sauce, so I used petite diced tomatoes, and crushed the tomatoes while they were cooking. (I thought later I could have blended them). As an afterthought, I also added a couple of teaspoons of minced garlic in addition to the garlic powder because you can never have too much garlic! I didn’t have any fresh Basil leaves, so I didn’t use basil and didn’t miss it.
    My husband had to have two helpings of spaghetti because he loved the sauce so much! I will definitely be using this recipe going forward!

  111. 5 stars
    Followed the recipe exactly and it was absolutely comfort food deliciousness! I make lots of pasta sauces from scratch from simple marinara to all-day cook sauces, but this is my favorite because it’s super easy and tastes just like my step-mom used to make and I was never able to duplicate. Thanks so much!

  112. I making this today love home made spaghetti sauce .
    What I took a sample taste was so yummy.
    Thanks for sharing
    We’ll enjoy it tonight with our spaghetti noodle and garlic bread

    1. Yes, you can leave the meat out, no problem. You could also add diced sauteed veggies if you want; bell pepper, mushrooms, shredded carrot, chopped zucchini…

    2. 5 stars
      I made this using plant-based veggie crumbles! So Yummy and it tastes just exactly the same. I didn’t do anything to alter the recipe and I followed it as directed

  113. 5 stars
    This recipe is our favorite spaghetti sauce to date!!! I’ve never made it homemade before this recipe and our family will never go back!!! Thank you!

  114. I used brown sugar ,and I added 14.5oz fire roasted diced tomatoes . It’s better than I expected. Only complaint is there wasn’t any leftovers. Two thumbs up !

  115. 5 stars
    This is a great recipe. I added a little cumin, sweet red peppers and minced garlic. Thanks for a really good addition to my spaghetti squash.

  116. 5 stars
    I cook for the local senior center once a month and this is a good recipe for that. Very tasty and easy to do in large quantity (I’m cooking for 40 people) I do half ground beef and half sausage. The sausage and ground beef don’t fall apart when browned and stay “clumpy”, so I run them through the food processor after browning. I had to modify the procedure a bit. Basically, I build the sauce and add the meat to it after.

    1. This is perfect… I have to cook for 40 people… How much pasta did you cook and do you multiply this recipe how many times???? I would think at least 6 times this recipe… TIA

    1. This has become a favorite in our household. Everyone will eat it and likes it, even the 1 year old!
      I double the onion, add a clove of fresh garlic, and double all the sauce and seasonings (not meat) so there is more liquid. Love it! ❤️

  117. 5 stars
    I’ve made homemade spaghetti for years and finally gave it up and went Prego . This recipe was so easy (eyeballed all the measurements too!) and so good I really don’t have any excuse to ever buy prego again!
    I was nervous about Worcestershire so I scaled it back – adds a depth to the flavor for sure!

  118. 5 stars
    Loved this recipe. I was out of sauce, but I had a can of tomato sauce and tomato paste. So glad I could make such a great sauce with ingredients I had at home. Thanks so much for sharing!! Can’t wait to make it again!

  119. The only way I really deviate from this is I let this simmer at least an hour minimum to bring out all those lovely flavors!! When i have the time i let this dinner for 3-4 hours. This is my go to recipe and my husband and I love it!

  120. 5 stars
    Okay……..let’s try this one more time. Autocorrect is a double edge sword……and at times I’m extremely annoyed by it. Funny, Allen is a common last name and ours is spelled exactly the same. Anyway, I will no longer “buy” not “by” the pre-made sauce in the jar. Moderator, please delete the previous post. Thank you Moderator. Thank you Lauren for sharing.👋🏾

  121. This was okay, I just wanted to try a new recipe and had all the ingredients on hand. If I were to make this again, I would certainly reduce the amount of worcestshire sauce, it was just too much, and it was all I could taste quite frankly.

  122. 5 stars
    I’m deathly allergic to parsley and cilantro so I throw in black cocoa powder for depth of flavour but otherwise this is our go to recipe! 🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛

  123. 5 stars
    I love this sauce! The only modification I make is to add green pepper and substitute the tomato sauce with crushed tomatoes.

  124. 5 stars
    Been a very long time I made spaghetti sauce from scratch. I did add sausage which doubled it. This is a great recipe!!! I think I’ll go back to homemade!

  125. 5 stars
    This is one of the easiest and most delicious spagetti sauce recipes that I have tried. Much better than any jar sauce. My boyfriend and I love it!

  126. 5 stars
    I made this recipe today, used I lb of ground chuck. I used Prego traditional sauce with a tomato paste. Since I didn’t have an Italian seasoning, I used Oregano, along with other seasoning listed. It turned out delicious! Better than any other meat sauce I have tried in the past. Saving this recipe!

  127. 5 stars
    Spaghetti sauce was so good. Adding the Worchestershire sauce, sugar and crushed red pepper flakes. Yummy!

  128. 5 stars
    I made this 2-3 years ago and I only use this recipe for spaghetti sauce. I love it! And so does my husband.

  129. 5 stars
    Hi Lauren, I think your receipe is TOTALLY DELICIOUS and SCRUMPTIOUS!! Thank you for sharing and I look forward to trying more of your receipes.

  130. 5 stars
    This is an excellent recipe that we will make again. I cut the sugar to 1 tsp for a first try and it’s great.

  131. I tried your spaghetti sauce receipe for 2 hard to please teenage boys.
    They loved it and went for seconds.
    Thank you for sharing!

  132. This has become my favorite spaghetti sauce recipe. Not a ton of ingredients and doesn’t take a long time to make and the taste is delicious. Thank you for sharing it.

  133. 5 stars
    Great recipe and very easy to make, but I halved the water and I think I should have left the water this time.

  134. I’m an idiot who couldn’t cook anything before trying this.
    A couple changes though.

    Do not put water into it! Makes a world of difference without water.

    You don’t have to put a whole onion into it..

    One pound of beef is way too much.

    I think the sauce is only enough for 1 to 2 people.

  135. 5 stars
    I love to cook and I love pasta. I make my own more than I use store bought but the store bought sauce was always too acidic and just didn’t work for me (heart burn) I found your recipe and I will never go back to pre made. The worchesterchire (I can’t spell it any better than I can pronounce it I guess) and the sugar balance it out and make it so much better tasting and less acidic. Add that to fresh made pasta and its amazing. Thank you

    1. If a sauce is too acidic, add a pinch of baking soda and stir it until it quits fizzing. Not too much or it will taste bland. Also works great in tomato soup, before you add the milk. Keeps the milk from curling so the soup is nice and creamy. I also throw a pinch into coffee grounds before brewing.

  136. 5 stars
    Absolutely delicious recipe! My family loved it! It’s the first time I made homemade spaghetti meat sauce, I usually always buy the pre-made jars of sauce, but now I’m never going to. Will be saving this recipe for next time.

  137. instead of 15 oz of tomato sauce I used 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes 3 oz tomato paste instead of 6 oz and 1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock instead of 1 cup of water. I did this because I didn’t have an extra can of tomato sauce and didn’t want to go to the store 🤷🏼‍♀️. I did add 2 – 3 grated garlic cloves which I added when browning the ground beef and onions. It was way too good!

  138. My wife passed away last November.. I loved her sauce so much.. by luck I saw your recipe… it almost like hers taste.. I tried it and love the taste.. thank you ….. ps I’m having learn how to cook that was always her thing lol…

    1. I’m so sorry to hear about your loss, Conrad. I’m sure she’s proud of you learning to make recipes that remind you of the food she cooked for you with love. I tried this recipe this evening and it was delicious! Your wife must have been a fantastic cook. ♥️

  139. 5 stars
    I made this recipe as written and it was so delicious! I usually use jarred pasta sauce from the grocery store so my husband could immediately tell the difference and thoroughly enjoyed it. Super easy to make, delicious for dinner with spaghetti noodles, salad and garlic breadsticks 😉 Thank you!

  140. 5 stars
    This is THE spaghetti recipe. My family loves it. Wouldn’t change a thing. I follow the recipe precisely every single time. 🤗🤗

  141. 5 stars
    This is my go to Spaghetti Sauce Recipe, however though, I add ground Lamb, and Ground Veal, omitting the Sausage, Sometimes I’ll add Ground Turkey instead of Hamburger, It’s an Awesome recipe!!!!!!

  142. I want to make meatballs instead of having the meat in the sauce, do you think this will effect it drastically?

  143. 5 stars
    This was one of the best spaghetti sauces I’ve had. Followed the recipe except used 1 tablespoon of dried basil instead of fresh and I added one extra teaspoon of sugar in the sauce it came out perfect! It came together quickly and I will be making this again… soon! ĹThank you so much for sharing this!!!

  144. 4 stars
    So I made this tonight with a few tweaks
    I used a can and 1/2 of tomato sauce, no tomato paste and I added 1/2 can of petite tomatoes drained.The next time I won’t add so much hamburger and I added a little more of all the ingredients
    It was amazingly delicious! My family loved this so much, there wasn’t leftovers for me to take for lunch!

  145. 5 stars
    Excellent! This sauce had that taste that made you want more. Authentic. I’m definitely making this one again.

  146. 5 stars
    Very good recipe. I added onion and green pepper to the hamburger while it was cooking. After all the ingredients were added I then added portobello mushrooms and 8 Oz of spaghetti noodles to the instantpot. I pressured it for 5 min and natural release for 5 after that quick release. Came out perfect. Oh a doubled the tomato sauce and the paste. I also added a cup of water. Might be fine to use 16oz of noodles but be sure to break them in half and layer them do not stir after this.

  147. 5 stars
    This is a new family favorite in my house. I usually hate spaghetti but my family doesn’t. I’m the cook of the house so if I don’t like it I’m not making it. This sauce makes me CRAVE spaghetti 🍝 my only wonder is if I could thin it slightly without altering the flavor??? How would you suggest I do that?

    1. Add a little of the water from your pasta before you drain it. The starch in the water will help it adhere to the pasta better as well as thin it a little

    1. 5 stars
      Try it in the instantpot. Cook the hamburger and everything in it and pressure for 5 min, natural release for 5, then quick release. It’s done in no time.

  148. 5 stars
    Love the recipe simple and easy. Not hard to make at all instructions read clearly. I may have tweaked a few things using fire roasted tomatoes with garlic no cup of water and it came out so mouthwatering good! Thank you

  149. 5 stars
    Love love loveeeeeeeeee this recipe!! It was super easy and quick to make. The fam and I loved it. I added some chili oil to give it some kick and let me just say it was 👌🏽 *chef’s kiss* amazing!!

  150. This is the way I make my Spaghetti Sauce with one exception….I puree carrots and add to the mixture instead of the sugar. I will try any way to get my family to eat veggies!!! They have never suspected! LOL It makes my sauce thicker too. I love your website. I just happened up on it about two months ago. Thank you for sharing all these delicious recipes! You’re the best!

  151. 4 stars
    Great recipe, on your 3X listing however I think the meat should be 1 1/2 pounds of each meat instead of 1/2 pound each. Keep up the great recipes.

  152. 5 stars
    I’ve tried a number of homemade spaghetti sauces and this is my favorite of all! Thank you so much.

  153. This is exactly what I’ve been looking for. I kept looking up marinara sauces and then adding meat. All I wanted was to use one 15 oz. can of tomato sauce because there are only two people eating.

    I added a diced green pepper, subbed fresh garlic for powdered and served over spaghetti noodles. It was the bomb

  154. I need to make a batch of this for a lasagna. It only says this makes 5 servings. I don’t know what that means. 5 people? How much of this recipe would I make for a pound of pasta? I can gauge it from there. Thanks.

  155. Love this recipe. I used ground turkey and threw in some mushrooms today. It’s a great sauce for any pasta.

  156. 5 stars
    I made this tonight and was very pleased. I was especially pleased to have left out the sugar but it had a sweetness that clearly wasn’t lacking from my omission. Will have several meals to go in the freezer, as well as leftovers tomorrow night.

    1. Hi Shelly. How much sauce did this recipe make? I want to make a lasagna for Easter but I have no idea how much sauce this makes.

  157. I made this recipe yesterday. Absolutely love it and will definitely make it again. I had spaghetti dinner last night and enough for another meal Today and put two servings of sauce in the freezer for future. I have saved it and will recommend it

  158. 5 stars
    Made this today and everyone loved it! I did use a few substitutions that others mentioned in the comments: a can of diced tomatoes + some red wine in place of the water; and I cut down the sugar because I was worried about it being too sweet. I like a subtly sweet marinara on pizza, but not so much for spaghetti. I otherwise followed the recipe as written and it was a hit!

  159. 5 stars
    My husband, who’s always been brutally honest about his Italian-American momma’s spaghetti sauce, pronounced this amazing AND delicious! I WIN!!! ✊🏻😆
    I used half mild Italian sausage and half ground beef. I added a teaspoon of oregano to the spice blend and omitted the red pepper flakes. Definitely a keeper!

  160. 5 stars
    This was fantastic!!! I didn’t have tomato paste so I left that out and skipped the water too but added diced tomatoes… so delicious!! Will make again and again and again!

  161. 5 stars
    Just what I was looking for! I used breakfast sausage (my preference) , subbed beef broth for water, left out salt. Simmered in a crockpot for several hours. Great basic sauce, make it your own!

  162. 1 star
    Way too bland. Never, EVER add water to a sauce. Why people do this is beyond me and makes us Italians cringe. Use red wine or broth, water will kill all the flavors you’re trying to achieve. Also, green peppers are a must.

  163. 5 stars
    My search is over for the PERFECT spaghetti sauce! The only change I made was add a can of my favorite diced tomatoes in place of the water, we love a funky sauce, and a half teaspoon of baking soda to cut the acid. Wonderful! Thanks for great recipe!

  164. 5 stars
    I added Ed canned mushrooms and artichokes and 2t vinager as I had no onion Italian seasoning or parsley came out good I believe. Thanks for writing this recipe ☺️

  165. 5 stars
    This sauce is the perfect base for sneaking vegetables to your veggie hating kids. I have added up to 4 cups of additional vegetables and nobody had a clue. I’m talking mushrooms, any color of bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, green onion, green beans, spinach, kale, collards… anything really. The secret is to shred them up in the food processor (or a hand held shredder would work) and add them after browning the meat. Simmer on low for about 2 hours until the vegetables have lost any resemblance of their former selves. Adjust seasoning to taste (I always add extra garlic, Italian seasoning and Worcester shire sauce when I make it this way) and like magic, they’ll never know.

  166. 5 stars
    Great recipe! I substituted the died/powdered for fresh garlic and fresh parsley (had them on hand) and added about 2 tablespoons red wine. I absolutely loved it- red pepper flakes takes it to another level.

    1. Good add ons. I also added a small pat of butter, and a piece of Parmesan rind along with Red wine. It tastes very good to us. I have a Bay plant so added a couple of fresh leaves. No sugar this time.

  167. 5 stars
    My go to recipe now. Delicious. I cook it early in the afternoon and let it simmer for several hours before serving. Fantastic

  168. This is a super easy, super good recipe for spaghetti sauce. I do half hamburger and half sausage, which gives it more flavor. This is my “go to” pasta sauce from now on. I’m not going to try any others!

  169. This is insane! So quick and easy, I no longer buy jars of pre-made sauce, and make sure I have the ingredients on hand. My 4 year old daughter loves this s’ghetti!!

  170. 5 stars
    This was an easy and delicious spaghetti sauce. Loved how thick it ended up being. I’m not a big pasta person so I put it on top of butternut squash “noodles”. Just love this.

  171. 5 stars
    Just made the sauce and I’m on board with everyone else….YUM. I cook all the time and have various sauces I make. This one is great because everything on the ingredient list is usually in my cupboard and doesn’t require a mad dash to the store 😜Thanks for clearly having your “mom” hat on when you came up with this one!

  172. If you grate the onion vs chopping it you will not need to add any sugar. It a trick I learned from a restaurant owner/chef in the North End (old Italian neighborhood) of Boston 25 years ago. Why the difference between grate vs chopped no idea but it works.

    1. 4 stars
      I wish I would have seen this tip before I made the sauce. The sauce was good, but I did find it a bit to sweet for me.

  173. 5 stars
    Think I’ve just found my new go to sauce. I love a great homemade bolognese, but this is so simple yet so incredibly flavorful with very little fuss. And I’ll always have everything on hand (I stumbled upon this recipe when searching for a sauce sans carrots, after just returning from a trip and needing to make dinner for the family)! Try it – you won’t be disappointed.

  174. I try this out on my husband first, he love it and so did I . Them made it the community about 150 people. It was a great everyone love it. Now I an going to try to can just the sauce, no meat.

  175. Nice basic recipe. I added more spices amount wise. Yummy. So easy. I don’t know why people buy jarred sauces. I also like adding mushrooms. Didn’t this time since one member of our family doesn’t like them.

  176. It was great and easy I love the recipe I sent it to other family members I will always make this thanks a lot.

  177. I love this sauce and my 6 year old does too! She now does not like any jarred Spaghetti sauces…says it tastes gross. I love making my own stuff from scratch <3

  178. 5 stars
    I rarely leave a review, but felt I had to after making this tonight. It was delicious! My husband LOVES spaghetti and we always use a jar sauce. I wanted to try a quick homemade sauce and this fit the bill. I did add some minced garlic, as we love garlic, and used a tsp of dried basil since I didn’t have fresh, but otherwise followed it exactly. My husband said it was the best he had ever had! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I will be making this again very soon!

  179. I’m making this for first time,my daughter loves spaghetti I have to find low calorie spaghetti noodles cause wife has her on 1700 calorie diet a day

  180. 5 stars
    This was the first time in my life I ever tried to make homemade spegetti sauce and wOW this recipe is a definite keeper!! I never knew how easy it could be to make it myself and it is SO much better than store bought. I didn’t have ground beef on hand, so I chopped up a bag of Turkey pepperoni and let it simmer with the sauce. So so good! Family loved it! Thank-a-you for sharing this recipe!

  181. 5 stars
    For a vegetarian option, I skipped the meat added crushed tomatoes and Hitachi mushrooms for some texture. Awesome sauce!

  182. 5 stars
    Man was this sauce awesome! I usually by Rao’s which is not cheap and the family thought this blew it out the water. Did half ground meat and half Italian sausage. Didn’t have tomato paste so left it out but was good! Won’t buy sauce again!

  183. I was always afraid to make my own spaghetti sauce from scratch. Spaghetti is my husband favorite meal. He can cook anything from scratch and you’d think it was from a 5 star restaurant. We live 18 miles from town so just going to the store for one item to make anything is a waste of my time. Was so excited to find your spaghetti recipe and I had all the ingredients right in my Cunard without going to town to the store made me excited to try it! It’s amazing! Thank you for posting your recipes!

  184. I have 5 #10 cans of San Marzano tomatoes with sauce and basil. Would love to prepare this and pressure can it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Happy New Year!

  185. 5 stars
    I think this is a keeper! I used to use sauce from the jar but nothing tastes as good as homemade. I like adding green pepper and black olives to it too!

  186. 5 stars
    Awesome sauce😎👌. Made this for our Christmas dinner tonight. It was amazing. I did however hit it with fresh garlic minced and a little garlic salt to taste. The whole family went back for seconds almost didn’t have enough 😁. Thanks for the recipe👍

  187. 5 stars
    I made this recipe several times and I make it just like the recipe says to make it. I love it! I am finding your recipes very tasteful and easy to follow. Most important to me is the ingredients you use are not weird or hard to find. Condiments I can easily use in other recipes. Thank you again.

  188. 5 stars
    This is my go to spaghetti recipe. My three year old request spaghetti at least 3 times a week. I’ve added fire roasted tomatoes and it’s great. It’s quick and easy yet so flavorful. Since I’ve tried this recipe I’ve yet to go back to jar sauce. Thank you sooo much.

  189. Amazing!!! We also used it for pizza’s, lasagna and marinara! Yum
    I made the “3X” recipe and canned it!!
    Thank you!

  190. 5 stars
    I had started with the store bought pasta sauce and soon knew it was a mistake. The flavor was bland to say the least. So I decided to look for a simple homemade sauce that I could incorporate into what I already started and the flavor, because of this recipe is awesome!

  191. 5 stars
    I am only ten and the only part in making the spaghetti sauce I needed help with was draining the grease. It is a perfect dinner time meal plus, it only takes 30 minutes to make.

  192. 5 stars
    User ground venison. Amazing as it always is with beef! Thanks for the simple and delicious recipe. Kids and husband cleaned the pot….I’ll have to make a double batch next go around!

    1. The sugar helps balance the acidic bitterness from he tomatoes. If you don’t want to add it, you could grate some fresh carrot in, instead.

    2. Jay, believe it or not lots add sugar to their spaghetti sauce, my grandma is Italian and she added sugar, or sometimes I use grape jelly, it doesn’t make it sweet, my mom added sugar to her chili, trust me when I say it makes a difference! Give it a try, you will be impressed !

    3. I think this is a very common question – while you certainly can omit, I never have. I probably only put half a tablespoon, but the author is right – it’s really useful in balancing the acidity of the tomato.

    4. The sugar balances the acidity. If you are sugar free, try a little baking soda or butter; each of those items have a similar effect.

  193. 5 stars
    Only thing different, I also added Oregano as I didn’t have Italian Seasonings on hand .
    This tasted absolutely wonderful. I will be making it a staple in my house . Thank you .
    Mary

  194. Are men allowed to cook? 71 yo man here. Been cooking full sized since I was 12 or 13.
    This sauce is excellent. Few ingredients that go together well. Simple and quick and very tasty.

    Thank you for sharing

  195. 5 stars
    I am not a big speghetti fan but my family are. In baking this sauce recipe i took a curious taste and wow!! I loved it! 👌🏾
    I will continue to make this sauce going forward.. no more buying speghetti sauce

  196. I have to agree with previous commenters!
    Your recipe was perfect! Hit all the marks. Quick, easy and tasty! And all pantry ingredients! Thanks!

  197. 5 stars
    I don’t think I’ve ever reviewed a recipe because I’m always so busy. I honestly don’t really like spaghetti sauce. However it’s a quick, easy , cheap, and doesn’t require a lot of dishes. I usually triple a recipe like this and freeze into a few separate dinners.
    After this recipe I absolutely love spaghetti! I have made this recipe a half dozen times and threw out every other sauce recipe I had in my book. It’s tasty and everything blends together perfectly. Its not too chunky nor too smooth , it’s just perfect. I do sometimes throw in some diced tomatoes and I’ve substituted crushed for sauce. I just wanted to stop by and say thank you for sharing this sauce!

  198. 5 stars
    This was really good! I can’t use spaghetti sauce out of a jar anymore because of the sodium content. I used the no salt added tomato paste and tomato sauce for this, and added No Salt to put the salty flavor in. It worked! I also used ground turkey instead of ground beef. This is a great way to avoid all the sodium, and it was very good. Will definitely make again.

  199. 5 stars
    Last minute decision to make spaghetti. We usually have jar sause and I ” Doctor it up” but we were out. So I did a search for some sause. Looked at a couple then decided on this one. Wow! What a great sause! Just like the recipe said I had all the ingredients in my cupboard. It came together quickly and tasted so yummy. The pepper flakes add a little heat which my son in law loved! I didn’t have parsley so added Basil instead. Everyone enjoyed it! This will be my spaghetti sause going forward. 😋 No more “Jar Stuff” for us! 😀

  200. 5 stars
    This is the best sauce I’ve tasted so far! Made exactly as written (except I used crushed tomatoes instead of tomato sauce) the flavor is perfect. Definitely gonna be a regular for me now 🙂

  201. Lauren, this is without question the best mid 80’s american diner meat sauce. I’ve been trying forever to replicate but never hit the right notes. It’s just simplicity and what you got. It’s so simple but still brilliant for how tasty it is. I am a horrible person and I lie and say it’s mine and give no credit to you. But I used my real name, so in a court of law…

  202. 5 stars
    My family absolutely loves this sauce, with the exception of my sister, who still believes she makes the best sauce….she doesn’t.

  203. 5 stars
    My 71 year old Mom hates jars of spaghetti sauce. I told her I was making a homemade sauce and I have never seen her eat so much. It was perfectly seasoned. Thanks for sharing this with us

  204. 5 stars
    For how simple it is it turned out wonderfully, better than any homemade sauces I have previously made. Will keep this recipe, thanks!

  205. 5 stars
    I always use your spaghetti sauce recipe every time I make spaghetti. My family loves it and will never go back to my old sauce recipe. Thanks for sharing.

  206. I made this one yesterday. I was more than pleased with it. Easy to make and good to eat. Thanks for the recipe.

  207. 5 stars
    I have been using this recipe for about a year now and it is always a hit! I absolutely love it and will never eat spaghetti out of the jar again. Thank you for sharing this!!

  208. 5 stars
    My husband cannot have store bought sauce as it makes him sick. So this is our go to recipe for spaghetti sauce and he loves the flavor and taste of this.

  209. 5 stars
    Made this tonight for my Family, and they loved it! Tasted like what my Mom used to make! Definitely will be sharing.

  210. 5 stars
    I accidently bought crushed tomatoes instead of tomato sauce, can I still make this and if so how much would I use and would I need to change any of the other ingredients?

  211. 5 stars
    Great recipe. My family loved it the first time I made it and wondered why I hadn’t done this before. Now that I have been on a whole food/plant based diet for 2 months, this is still my go to recipe with modifications. Thanks for sharing.

  212. 5 stars
    I tried the recipe and left out the Worcestershire sauce because I didn’t have any, I really liked the recipe, it was easy and tasted better than what you buy at the store. Thank you for sharing.

  213. 5 stars
    Delicious! Though not Italian, i grew up in a wonderful mixed- ethnic area. Lucky me. And this has the aroma and taste of some of the freat Italian ” gravies” , I was lucky enough to taste, from the Nonni’s thenselves. Thank you!!

  214. This sauce is delicious. The kids devoured it and asked for leftovers the next day. Easy to make and uses pantry staples readily on hand. This is definitely going to be a repeat.

  215. What is it about this simple sauce? It is excellent. I’m 63 and have been cooking dinner for 53 years. I’ve made dozens of different tomato sauces over the years and this is the best yet. This is why I think it works:
    1) grinding up the cooked beef and/or sausage is brilliant. I’d never thought of that before. It gives the sauce a thicker consistency.
    2) I think the Worcestershire sauce and sugar and garlic powder, with the other spices is spot on.
    3) the tomato paste with water in addition to the tomato sauce (not canned tomatoes) gives it a deep, tomato flavor. And in fact there is a lasagna recipe I use from a 1953 Betty Crocker cookbook that has a similar tomato sauce recipe and people always rave over my lasagna.

    I won’t change a thing. It is perfect as is. And I almost always tweak recipes. I made a huge stockpot of this sauce today (7x) the original recipe. My 5 yo grandson loves spaghetti and especially likes mommom’ s sauce. So I’m going to fill their freezer with 32 Oz containers of sauce. I’m also using this for some pans of ziti I’m freezing.

    Lauren, you hit this out of the park. I rarely write comments but I had to tell you how much I appreciate your talent and effort. Thank you.

  216. 5 stars
    Just made this sauce because I thought I had jarred sauce but I didn’t. I tweaked it to make it my own by adding in fresh garlic, balsamic vinegar, 2 beef bouillon cubes, red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon), dried basil, organic coconut palm sugar instead of white sugar, bagged meatballs instead of ground beef( Farm Rich are the best), season salt, and a splash of fish sauce. It came out delish, and I’ll definitely make this again. Next time I’ll use ground beef, green peppers, and perhaps Italian sausage and fresh mushrooms. This is a keeper and I may not buy jarred sauce again, just like I stopped buying Alfredo sauce. We make our own from scratch, and it’s way more yummy.

    1. Natural Beauty….your recipe is not anything like this so your rating is not for this recipe. It would be nice to have a comment on the original recipe as that is how the chef would want it. Maybe you could have your own site or blog for others to rate your recipes. Great place to start sharing.

  217. 5 stars
    This sauce is boss! I’m husband loved it and so did I, and I’ve shied away spaghetti for several months; just can’t stand to eat it.
    I used one big clove fresh minced garlic instead of the garlic powder, shallots instead of onions (milder and easier to tolerate), 3/4t Italian Seasoning and used pasta water instead of plain water, just ladled it in. This is a sauce just begging to be canned so you never have to buy store bought again!

  218. 5 stars
    The only homemade spaghetti sauce I’ve tried and actually liked, and I’ve tried my share. Thanks for sharing!

  219. 5 stars
    For years I have been making a similar recipe 5x the amount for my family(4 sons). I am printing this out ans trying a simpler version.; also use a mixture of ground beef and Italian sausage and fresh garlic. I always bake mine in the oven all afternoon

  220. 4 stars
    Tasted amazing. Learned the hard way that only making one batch didn’t last to long! Just made again and multiplied the recipe by 5x.

  221. 5 stars
    My very first attempt at making homemade sauce. It was amazing!! I saw people say to.use fresh garlic instead of powder. I split the difference and used the crushed garlic in the jar. I also added canned mushrooms and some bell pepper. Next time I will use broth instead of water. I love that this is not sweet like jarred sauces. I used my crock pot and just let it.simmer all afternoon.

  222. 5 stars
    This is my go to recipe for sauce. I don’t buy jar anymore! I enjoy using fresh garlic as well but I appreciate the thought of making it simpler by using powder. I think next time I will try with red wine instead of water and see how it turns out!

  223. 5 stars
    My sauce is very similar. I finely chop some green pepper and celery. I add a can of crushed tomatoes. I don’t use water I use cabernet and not even a cup. I simmer my sauce all day. I mix everything one day then I get up super early and put on the stove the next. Delish!!!

  224. I havn’t made it yet but can tell by the ingredients that this recipe is a winner. Will make it on the weekend. Thanks for all the great recipes you send this old scudder.

  225. I use finely chopped celery in with the onion and meat. When I add the other ingredients I also add sliced mushrooms canned or fresh. I use Green Giant in a jar. I simmer for several hours.

  226. Good, but I never cook with water always use broth in everything and fresh garlic oh and in this a good rich red wine and was so good also doubled, we have big eaters

  227. 4 stars
    I used the water….it’s good … but should have used the red wine…I’m probably going to add it later…I simmer sauce for hours to develop the full bloom of the spices… 🙂 My hubby said it was GREAT 🙂

  228. 5 stars
    I no longer use Ragu. I use this recipe instead and my family loves it. One change: use beef broth instead of water.

  229. Love this recipe, l did use red wine instead of water, l also add a little organic beef broth. Delicious!

    1. May I ask what kind of red wine to use! I’m making my Italian best friend (who I’m major crushing on) homemade spaghetti to impress him. And I would love to incorporate wine!

  230. 5 stars
    I LOVEDDDDDD this! I made it for my boyfriends family and they loved it too!! They raved about it all night. I am hispanic so I added Goya adobo, sofrito and minced garlic to my lean ground turkey. I also cooked the onions and meat in a separate pan and used the sauce to sauté the onions. It was soo good! I will never eat out of a jar again!

  231. 5 stars
    First time making homemade spaghetti and it was delish! I added some shredded parmesan cheese after I got done cooking and it was yummy! So much better than the packet spaghetti sauces.

  232. 5 stars
    Wonderful, easy recipe. I added two tablespoons of molasses, and that made it absolutely outstanding. Trust me.

  233. 5 stars
    I’ve made this with ground turkey several times. It’s a family hit. Once you make it, you’ll never use jar sauce again. I made it tonight 🙂

  234. 5 stars
    Very delicious and easy spaghetti sauce! My family eats this about once a week. Definitely recommend!!

  235. I’m doing my first stint at canning this summer. (My husband has experience but I do not, so he gets to teach me.) I’ve heard you can can about anything and I’m wondering if this recipe would be a good option. And if so, are there any pointers?

    1. Hi Tricia, How fun for you! Unfortunately, I really can’t give advice about canning this, since safe canning requires a balance of ph levels and I’m not sure how this recipe stacks up. I’d definitely consult a safe-canning website to see how to adapt it.

    2. If you are looking to can pasta sauce, I recommend doing it without the meat. It just gets weird. We tried it a few times. Do a good red sauce and add the meat later!

  236. 5 stars
    This is the best sauce I’ve had in along time. I make a triple batch and freeze it. Do you now if I can change the serving amount? Looking to make it for 100 serving.

    1. On the recipe card, you’ll see the servings listed as “5.” If you click on the 5, it allows you to change the serving size, which will then automatically adjust the amount of ingredients needed. So glad you liked the recipe, hope that helps!

  237. 5 stars
    I used your recipe for the basis of mine with some alterations and it turned out very delicious. You will end up with twice as much.
    Ingredients:
    2 Lbs. ground beef.
    1/2 tsp. salt
    1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper.
    2 onions, chopped.
    2 – 15 oz. cans diced Italian tomatoes.
    2- 6 oz. cans tomato paste.
    5- cloves fresh garlic, minced.
    2- Tbs. Italian seasoning.
    1/2 tsp. dried basil.
    1/2 tsp. dried oregano.
    4 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce.
    1 Tbs. granulated white sugar.
    1 red pepper (diced)
    1 green pepper (diced).
    2- cups fresh white mushrooms (sliced).

    Instructions:
    Lightly brown and dice up the ground beef in a LARGE frying pan (12″ x 3″). Drain beef and return to fry pan. Add onions and diced peppers to pan. Mix and fry for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms to pan and continue frying mixture until onions are translucent and peppers are softened. Add minced garlic to pan and fry a few minutes until garlic becomes fragrant. Add diced tomatoes, Tomato paste, and remaining ingredients to pan. Simmer 30 minutes with lid on, stirring occasionally. Remove lid and simmer until thickened (15 -20 minutes). Blend with the cooked pasta of your choice (I used 600 grams of spaghettini) and enjoy!

  238. My mother is Italian Born and Raised in Brooklyn her mother was born in Italy and needless to say she is very Picky when it comes to anything Italian. MOMS SAUCE IS ALWAYS GONNA B MY FAVORITE. That being said this is a VERY close 2nd and she claims to like the 1 I made more than her own she used to make. Mom is unable to cook nowadays and I take care of her meals. Knowing how picky mom can be I was only one brave enough to step up and face her wrath. After eating this sauce the wrath I face from her is to make more that she can save and have when she wants. So in a way I say SWEET AND THANK YOU SO MUCH! On other hand thanks a lot now I have more work to do!

  239. 4 stars
    I added 1 bay leaf during cooking. Also, I substituted cayenne pepper for the red pepper flakes. I also added more water (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup more). Overall, an easy go to recipe that freezes well in ready to go meal portions.

  240. This is my go to recipe now and I usually double it, freeze half of it and then make a small batch of lasagna a week or 2 later later.

  241. When I was growing up, I lived around a lot of older Italians. We all know they make the best sauces for pasta. They all agreed on on ingredient that was a must – pork. I am suggesting that a couple of strips of bacon be added and then disgarded after cooking.

  242. Just made this recipe. Super easy and delicious. I did add some chopped celery and mushrooms as I am trying to make meals that include more veggies. This will be my go to recipe.

  243. I’m trying to find a recipe my husband likes. He is a very picky man. With the sugar added does it taste really sweet? If so, can it be made without the sugar and not taste so bland? He is all about the meat really.

      1. 1 star
        I’m sorry, made the recipe exactly as listed and…it was awful. The Worcester sauce drowns out the flavor of anything else, and it didn’t taste like any kind of marinara/spaghetti sauce I’ve ever had, just worchester tomato sauce. My husband loves anything Italian and both he and I had a couple of bites and then tossed the whole dinner, I’m sorry to say. I’m not trying to hate, but I followed the recipe exactly and it was really, really awful. I even reviewed the recipe thinking I had made a mistake somewhere, but I didn’t.

  244. A good solid sauce for everyday use. Definitely going to make another batch for freezing and using in a month. Reading through the pages of comments I really give you a lot of credit for not calling out some commenters who left out half the ingredients and substituted as many more and then still complained. WOW !

  245. Just made this, it is great! Only thing i did outside of the recipe was add 1/2cup of chopped mushrooms and 1/4cup finely chopped spinach(only way i can eat spinach).
    Its the first sauce that is like my gramps, he dead now and this took me back 30years to my childhood! Thanks soo much for this 👍

  246. This spaghetti sauce is the bomb … so delicious! This is as close to my mom’s recipe as it gets. If you’re looking for a great recipe, this is it! This will he my go-to recipe. That you for posting this amazing recipe!

  247. 5 stars
    My daughter has never, ever liked spaghetti. One day I made this recipe. I went to work, a few minutes later my daughter calls me excited saying she loves this sauce. She is now a spaghetti sauce lover, BUT only of this sauce. Thank you for this recipe. One happy mom.

  248. It’s simmering on my stove right now! And my sample taste is approved! My Mom passed away a few years ago, so I cannot ask fir her recipe: she used to say” you don’t know how to make sauce from scratch?!?!” Well, I didn’t. Now I do!! My Mom would be proud!!❤️

  249. I made this spaghetti sauce tonight. Absolutely loved it. Only thing I did differently was added red wine instead of water. This will be my go to spaghetti sauce. Thank you for a wonderful spaghetti sauce that does not take hours to fix and is full of flavors.

    1. 5 stars
      This is my go to spaghetti recipe! Delicious! It is great without meat too..just use 1lb 12oz can of crushed tomatoes in place of the meat and tomato sauce.

    2. 4 stars
      Very much like my family recipe. And YES, of course, you can eliminate the meat! It can be done totally veggie, although not vegan. Or you can add meatballs. It’s a very flexible recipe, although don’t add much garlic, especially fresh garlic. It overpowers the delicate sauce, especially if there is no meat. A half teaspoon of garlic powder is how we changed this particular recipe, otherwise did it as described. I am sensitive to too much garlic, plus these days it seems like people put too much garlic in many dishes. It can overwhelm the other flavors of any recipe.

  250. 5 stars
    This sauce was super simple and delicious. I have made it several times, and made lasagna with it once. Super good as is, but a little beef base made it really good.

  251. 5 stars
    Excellent taste and the fact the ingredients are highly likely in your kitchen is a plus too. This meal has become one of family favorites and go to.

  252. 5 stars
    I didn’t have dried parsley and just used more Italian seasoning. Delicious. So easy, this will become a regular in my house. Thank you!

  253. 5 stars
    Great recipe for my nine year-old granddaughter to start learning to read and make recipes. It turned out great.

  254. I always use salt free tomato products, you can get that tomato sauce and tomato paste with Cynthia Fournierlow sodium or no sodium I prefer no sodium I add a little during cooking and it turns out fantastic. Good luck

    1. They have low sodium tomato sauce and paste. Also you can always boil tomatoes with no salt and blend them and make your own tomato sauce. Don’t add salt to the recipe either.

  255. I added chopped green pepper and may reduce the worchestershire sauce next time but still thought it was great! Even better the second day! Ok

  256. 5 stars
    MY family loves this Spaghetti Sauce! I make it exactly to your recipe. It’s my Go to forsure! I have tons of tomatoes so tonight I will make this using my fresh tomatoes!

  257. 5 stars
    I like to try out different pasta sauce to cook and I tried this recipe but took the suggestions of someone who said they use water and red wine instead of sugar . Not a big wine drinker or ever cooked it in anything so I bought a random $6 cab red wine and gave it a go. Soooo good. I browned the meat in a skillet and added in the seasoning and after I made the pasta I emptied out the pot with the pasta and added in the wine, water, and tomato paste/sauce and then transferred in the meat from the skillet that way I didn’t have to worry about cleaning a lot after. So nice and flavorful

  258. Very easy and simple recipe. Made for a quick dinner.
    Family enjoyed it. My first time making my own sauce. L

  259. 5 stars
    Best spaghetti sauce I have ever had. My daughter’s eyes lit up when she tasted it. My mother, who is 90 and on hospice…and has lost her appetite for the most part cleaned her plate. I will never buy spaghetti sauce again.

  260. 5 stars
    This is the best spaghetti sauce recipe we have tried – and we’ve tried A LOT of them with all the picky eaters around here. Everyone finally agrees on a sauce!! It’s simple to make, full of flavor, and really really good! Thanks!!

  261. Easy everyday sauce. Omitting the Worcestershire Sauce and adding finely diced carrot, celery and chicken livers would bring it up to dinner party level.

  262. 4 stars
    Good for a quick and easy sauce! Especially considering these are pantry staples for us. I did omit the sugar and use 2/3 c water and 1/3 cup dry red wine. Made with your homemade bread sticks which were wonderful!

  263. 5 stars
    I just made this for our supper tonight. i left out the sugar, crushed red peppers & Worcestershire sauce. it tastes great so far the real food critics will be trying it out real soon here.

  264. Hi! Maybe I did something wrong but this sauce didn’t turn out like I was hoping. I know there was only a table spoon of Worcestershire but that’s all my husband and I could taste. Thanks for the recipe, I will try it again someday.

  265. 4 stars
    Made it last night. Hubs said it was good
    I added some fresh garlic but wished I added more and a bay leaf it was quick and easy

  266. 3 stars
    My family didn’t care for the flavor. I suspect it was the Worcestershire sauce. We absolutely adore the sauce from the World’s Best Lasagna. The combination of the ground beef, sausage and red wine is superb. This recipe was average at best.

  267. Very pleasant recipe.
    I substituted no salt added tomato sauce and deleted adding any salt, for health reasons. Still enjoyed. Thank you.

  268. 5 stars
    I made this recipe using ground turkey instead of beef and added a jar of sliced mushrooms. It was so good!! I’ll be using the leftover sauce to make stuffed bell peppers.

  269. 5 stars
    The only spaghetti my picky 6 year old will touch!! Also one of the only foods she’ll eat! Really good and followed the recipe exactly!

  270. Easy to make and very tasty. I used my frozen meatballs ( just let them thaw and then put them in the sauce while it simmered). This will be my “go-to” sauce!

  271. 5 stars
    We have one of those super picky “I only like noodles!” kids. She absolutely loves this sauce… which is saying a lot in our house. Great recipe!

  272. 5 stars
    I made this last night and used half Italian mild sausage and half ground beef. I’m always one to adjust a recipe… every single time. However for this I didn’t have to. It was perfect as is! Adding the basil at the end definitely adds another element of deliciousness. My family loved it!

  273. 5 stars
    Made the spaghetti from scratch recipe and it was THEE BEST ! My wife had some for dinner and it was SOOO GOOD she even packed some up for lunch the next day , which she never does ! Thank you . Can’t wait for the next recipe that I WILL TRY !

    1. That’s the Red Pepper Flakes. Omit them going forward to remove the spicy “bite”. That said, you could replace that with Paprika! Gives flavor with no bite!

  274. 4 stars
    Love this recipe. It’s officially my go to. I’ve I have time I like to let it simmer on low for an extra hour. Family loves it

  275. Great recipe, a new favorite! Doubled the recipe and froze half for another time. Just as delicious as the first time!

  276. Trying it out tonight . Making pasta and didn’t realize only jar sauce I had contained mushrooms which I cannot feed my husband . He is allergic. So I looked in cabinet had everything on list so let’s see if it passes my finicky eaters.

  277. 5 stars
    I had company coming over and thought of this recipe,so i tried it,and added a few extra ingredients,diced up red,yellow and green bell peppers very fine,and some.dried mushroom diced very fine,,,and it turned out better than any store bought sauce I’ve ever tried,after dinner i had people asking what kind of sauce i used,and i told them it was homemade,everyone wanted the recipe,so i gave it to them,,As for being a guy,i surprised myself,Never will i buy That stuff in a store again,Thank you so very much…

  278. Was craving spaghetti, but I always like a good meat sauce and not many recipes out there are this simple. Thanks for sharing. I loved it! I had all the ingredients and didn’t need to make a special grocery trip to get anything “special”. I had recently made a tomato tortellini soup that called for the can of tomatoes to be drained. I always hate wasting that great tomato juice. So I used that in place of the water called for in your recipe. I also didn’t have tomato sauce but had a jar of marinara, so I used that in place of a can of sauce. This was so simple and delicious. Would definitely recommend this recipe and will be making this again for sure. Thanks 🙂

  279. 5 stars
    OMG!!!!!!! I just made this spaghetti sauce and it is soooooooo good! I added fried mushrooms and sweet bell peppers. I will bookmark this recipe and definitely use it again!

  280. 5 stars
    I made this recipe today for supper. Very good. I put the cooked hamburger and onions though the food processor as you suggested and I was pleased with the finer texture. It was a hit and will be making again.

  281. 5 stars
    Made this last night for guests. Used ground chuck and some mild sweet Italian sausage. We didn’t have any basil, which I imagine would have been delicious, but the sauce still came out wonderfully. Everyone raved. Thank you for this terrific recipe.

  282. 5 stars
    This is the most amazing spaghetti sauce. My husband will no longer let me used canned so beware! I omit the water as the sauce without it is perfect consistency for our liking.

    1. Sadly this isn’t entirely from scratch as I wanted. I have home grown tomatoes and actually need a recipe literally from scratch. 😓

      1. How to make tomato sauce from home grown tomatoes: cut tomatoes up and heat in pot. As they begin to get soft, mash with potato masher to release liquid. Bring to a boil. Mash further. Run through cheese cloth, fine mesh strainer, or food mill. Return filtered sauce to pot and boil down to desired consistency. Voila! Tomato sauce!

        Just made some yesterday. Looking forward to trying it out on this recipe 😋

        1. Tina, what do you save thru strainer the pulp of the tomatoes or the juice. I’m making homemade sauce right now, thanks.

  283. I’ve made this recipe twice now and love it. This is now my family spaghetti recipe. I especially like what the Worcester sauce adds to it. The only change I make is simmering the sauce with a few chunks of carrot for sweetness, rather than putting in sugar.

  284. 5 stars
    My husband suggested spaghetti for supper yesterday. We had angel hair pasta but no jarred sauce. I have several cans of tomato sauce in the pantry. I found your recipe and it was a hit! We are 4 months into sheltering in place (older, many health issues) and I have learned how to use what we have because I can’t go out to the grocery. I won’t go back to a manufactured spaghetti sauce because this is better!

  285. I tried this recipe today, and it was so good! I served it over some homemade cheese raviolis, and everyone loved it. Thanks so much!

  286. 5 stars
    This recipe convinced me to make my own from now on. My alterations were to add one can of diced tomatoes (plus juice), oregano, savory, 3 bay leaves, and only use 2 tbsp. of basil. It brought the tang of the tomatoes down, and was enjoyed by my entire family. I’ll never go back to pre-made!

  287. I have literally stopped buying my favorite jarred sauce. This recipe is so easy to make and it tastes phenomenal! The only other thing I add to it is one can on low sodium chicken broth. It gives it a deliciously rich flavor. You need to try this recipe. I PROMISE you will stop buying jarred sauce.

  288. I have made homemade gravy a number of times. So many that I no longer by jar/canned sauce.

    I found this sauce to be easy to put together and so tasty. My improvisations were to add fresh green bell peppers and mushrooms. I leaned a bit on the crushed red pepper.

    One of my favs!

  289. 5 stars
    This was my first time making homemade spaghetti sauce. We are very picky eaters but everyone loved this sauce! Only changed made was I used only tomato sauce and no paste. Used just a pinch of baking soda to lower the acid level. We will definitely be using this instead of store bought .

  290. 5 stars
    Absolutely the best spaghetti sauce I’ve ever made! I used half ground beef and half Italian sausage and it was “the bomb!” My family loved it!

  291. 5 stars
    I have made this twice now once according to the recipe and the second time I used half ground beef and half ground pork. My husband loved both! Thanks for this great recipe!

  292. 5 stars
    This was so simple, flavorful, and very addicting! Even my picky 4 year old had four helpings! I used 3/4 tsp. De Arbol Crushed Red Pepper, 3 cups frozen ground sirloin I previously cooked, chicken broth instead of water, and doubled batch for crock pot on High (four hours). AMAZING! THANK YOU!

  293. Good mix of ingredients but too sweet for my family. I reduced sugar to 3/4 of a tablespoon based on the other comments and used a tsp of minced fresh garlic instead of garlic powder. I’m not sure if that changes the taste, so I will give it another try next time & omit these sugar.

  294. 5 stars
    Easy peasy. Used left over meatloaf ( with mushrooms and onions in it) instead of ground beef and added everything to my slow cooker. Used high for first 4 hours and then turned to low until ready to serve for dinner.

  295. 5 stars
    This is simple and SO good. I am the pickiest eater and chunks of tomatoes make me gag, so this recipe is right up my alley! The only thing I did differently was using chicken stock instead of water. Next time, I’ll double the recipe for extra leftovers.

  296. 5 stars
    OMG! Best meat sauce EVER. We didn’t have cheese, basil, or tomato paste (used almost entire 29oz can of tomato sauce and NO water instead), and couldn’t get any because, well… COVID, but this was SO SO good. I have tried to make several meat sauces before but none were great, until this recipe. Even my picky toddler ate up his whole plate of spaghetti and made sure it was all gone, before he touched his garlic bread. I simmered for an hour.

  297. 5 stars
    I followed this recipe back in April 2019 when I wanted to make a fresh sauce for some meatballs with spaghetti….. when I tell you that it’s been the spotlight stealer every time I’ve made it. I followed it to the T… and I wouldn’t change a thing! Thanks for this recipe that I will now teach my kids, grandkids, and hopefully great grandkids!

  298. 5 stars
    My family loves this sauce my mother has requested that I make her half a gallon of it to freeze. Would I need to double it or triple it to make that much? Thank you.

  299. Sorry, I didnt really like this recipe. I found it to be much too sweet for my liking, and the worchester sauce was overpowering.

  300. Oh, good night! This is the BEST spaghetti sauce I have ever made. Both my husband and my son thought so as well. I used 1 lb grass-fed hamburger meat and 1 lb Italian sausage and doubled the rest of the ingredients (except for basil and red pepper flakes). I put it in the refrigerator overnight and we ate it the next day. Absolutely incredible. Better than any restaurant or store-bought sauce. Thank you for sharing the recipe!

  301. Want a FANTASTIC sauce…..only added a few of my touches, red wine instead of water. 1/2 cup parm cheese and red yellow and orange sweet peppers. Enjoy

  302. 5 stars
    Made this for dinner last night and I asked my family how they liked the new sauce – they advised they want me to make it this way from now on! WIN!! Great recipe.

  303. 4 stars
    It’s a yummy recipe but I added more red pepper flakes… The only thing I can t figure out is the total for the entire recipe is 5 servings. What is a single serving? How many cups or grams is it?

  304. 3 stars
    Pretty good basic sauce, but seriously 30 minutes? No self respecting Italian would serve a sauce that wasn’t simmered for less than 8 hours. (says my friend’s Italian grandmother) I will normally cook a sauce all day, but this one is good with a few hours on it. It’s amazing how the flavors develop with a bit of time. Our whole society has gotten the bad habit of making everything fast. I aslo wouldn’t add water, if it’s too thick, add a can of whole tomatoes along with the juice. Break them up by hand as you add them. It adds some texture to the sauce and thins it without diluting the flavor.

    1. I made this with a few adjustments. I let it simmer longer to soak into the meat I also added some red wine and more sugar and garden fresh basil. I didnt measure ingredients I just added till I thought it was enough.

  305. 5 stars
    This is THE best homemade spaghetti sauce EVER!! Thing only thing I do different is substitute low sodium chicken broth for the water. I make the sauce extra meaty so I had an entire can of broth. DELICIOUS!!!

  306. 5 stars
    Double-batch it! I pretty much double every recipe anyways, but this one is especially easy to double up. Huge upgrade from store bought. Very thick, intense flavor.

  307. 5 stars
    This will be my go to sauce from now on! I have made several different recipes of sauces with good to mediocre results. I like my sauce a little thicker so searched recipes using tomato paste and came across this one and I loved it!!! Thanks for the recipe!

  308. 5 stars
    This is a great recipe, super easy to follow and the sauce tasted exactly as I hoped it would. Thanks for posting this!

  309. I make my spaghetti with meatballs, so how would you go about making a flavorful sauce? For me, I’m think about adding some more fresh veggies like mushroom, garlic, some bell peppers, a carmalizing vinaigrette, Creole seasoning and maybe a worcestershire sauce for the spaghetti sauce.

  310. 5 stars
    Decided against using the jarred sauce tonight and used this recipe. It was very good! Didn’t have red pepper flakes so left that out, but I’m not one for much heat in my Italian dishes. This would be great to take as a carry-in meal for someone recuperating at home or just a busy mom.

  311. Good sauce. Quick and easy. Instead of using regular sugar, I used brown sugar, fresh garlic and instead of water, I used a good red wine. Thank you.

  312. 5 stars
    My wife had some uncooked ravioli and her back was hurting, so the B team got the call. I came in from the shop and started looking for a lifeline!

    I found this recipe and gave it shot. No tomat0 paste or sauce, so a can of crushed tomatoes and half the water, right?? Rounded up the rest of the stuff, and got after it.

    It is quick, and a 15 minute simmer made the tastes gel pretty well. We had some Mozzarella and 3 cheese mix in the ‘fridge to top off the experiment. My wife and son loved it. Very easy and tasty. Thanks for posting this recipe!!

    If it tastes like cutting oil, I have no idea why….. (I washed my hands twice!!)

  313. 5 stars
    This sauce is a 5 star recipe, has amazing flavor and has become a family favorite. We’really cutting back on sugar and this recipe tastes great without the sugar. So it’s perfect for any diet. We highly recommend it to anyone looking for a delicious spaghetti sauce with ingredients that are already in your cupboard.

    1. Excellent! My first try at homemade sauce and it was a hit! Stuck loosely to the recipe, used it as a guide but used 2 cans of petite diced tomatoes in juice and a large can of paste adding 1/2 can of water for the simmering! I also added a few shakes of Parmesan and a few ripped up basil leaves while it simmered.
      OMG SO GOOD! thx for the recipe and for giving me the courage to make my own!

  314. 3 stars
    I also doubled the recipe. I like to follow the directions just as they are given. However, way, way, too much sugar. I will make this sauce again but only put in a tad of sugar.

  315. 5 stars
    I love this sauce! My favorite go to spaghetti sauce. It’s so easy and delicious. I’ve made it over and over, on it’s own with noodles or in lasagna. Love love love

  316. 5 stars
    Needed a quick dinner this evening and this sounded like a perfect sauce. We loved it and will definitely be making this again! Spaghetti deliciousness!!

  317. 5 stars
    Omg–a spaghetti sauce my husband will eat! It doesn’t sound like a miracle, but trust me–it is. This sauce is perfect in every way, and even better the next day. This is now my go-to sauce for Italian dishes. Thank you so much for sharing it.

  318. 5 stars
    Made this last night- doubled the recipe so I could freeze some. My family loved it! Made it exactly as written and would not change a thing! Will be making lasagna next week and this will be the sauce I use- can’t wait! Thanks for a delicious recipe! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

  319. Made this recipe without basil leaves. We loved it but next time I will use fresh garlic. We love garlic and the garlic salt was not quite strong enough for us. Thank you for sharing!

  320. 5 stars
    This is my husband’s favorite pasta dish that I make. It’s part of our regular dinner rotation now. Thank you for sharing.

  321. 5 stars
    Made this last night for dinner and it was awesome. Followed your recipe except I left out sugar and there was only a half cup leftover. Will use this in my next lasagna. Thanks for this easy homemade recipe.

  322. 5 stars
    Worchestershire sauce, who’d have thunk? Very good flavor, even my picky toddler allowed enough to make his noodles slightly pink, but I ate more than I was expecting. Thank you!

  323. I was out of tomato sauce, so used crushed tomatoes and pureed them with a little water. All else exactly the same. It was really good! Although I did enjoy the worchester sauce, I might try it again with a bit less just to play with it. Great, simple recipe. Thanks for sharing!

  324. 5 stars
    I made this recipe. I didn’t have tomato paste or tomato sauce, so I subbed ketchup for the paste and diced tomatoes for the sauce. It was wonderful! My family loved it! There were no left-overs! Thank you!!

  325. 5 stars
    I didn’t have a jar of spaghetti sauce one night so found this recipe online. Had the ingredients on hand so I made my own sauce. Super easy and the family loved it! Don’t think i’ll ever buy pre-made sauce again!! Thanks so much for sharing!

  326. Tasty recipe, instead of the tomato sauce put some fresh tomatoes in a blender Blended well added to the Burger. What I do is add a can of spicy V-8 juice instead of the pepper flakes.
    Have never tried Worcestershire sauce in my spaghetti sauce.

  327. 5 stars
    Lauren,
    I absolutely LOVED this recipe! Had some relatives come visit for the day, that I had not seen in many years.
    The gentleman’s childhood favorite was spaghetti, so I thought I would surprise him with this dish.
    It was a HUGE HIT! They loved it! As they were leaving, I took out a little for my husband for dinner, and gave them the rest to take with them. (Normally, I fix spaghetti sauce using a sauce mix, or sauce in a jar. I thought I would go
    the extra steps to make it from scratch.) It will now be my special “go to” recipe. :^) THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

    **Note: I doubled the recipe, but did not use the red pepper or any bay leaves.

  328. 5 stars
    This is mostly how I usually make it. But tonight something was off and I couldn’t remember what was missing. It was the Worcestershire sauce. Thanks for the reminder.

  329. 5 stars
    I did not add red pepper flakes because I did not have any. I also made it with a bit less sauce and paste but this was amazing! Super easy and the smell made it very hard to wait the full 30 minutes! I will make this again for sure.

  330. Just what I was looking for. That’s going to be on the table tonight!

    FYI, when in my misspent youth I worked in a taco joint, and they taught us to take an old fashioned potato masher to the meat to break up the big pieces. When you figure in cleanup time, it’s actually quicker than the food processor.

    Mash the meat from the beginning, before chunks form, and do it again every couple of minutes until all the pink is gone.

    Thanks again for the recipe.

  331. 5 stars
    This was my first time making sauce from scratch and using Italian sausage and it was a success. Loved it. We will use this recipe from now on.

  332. 5 stars
    5 stars +.!!!Amazing. I make this as often as I can. I make extra and freeze in freezer bags,when ready for it I boil a big pot of water and then drop freezer bag in for 10/15 minutes maybe less. It taste as if I just made it. Awesome sauce!!!

      1. dont add the red pepper flakes.. or add less. if I’m making the sauce for my kids I just dont put crush red pepper flakes in

  333. Do you have a receipe for making the tomato sauce and the tomato paste? I’d like to can the sauce and paste during the summer when I have plenty of tomatoes.

  334. I made this spaghetti sauce tonight, I put it in my crock pot… it is so good!!! Will be making again, thank you!

  335. Having just discovered Lauren’s apparently delicious website, I have yet to try this recipe, but I’d like to offer this alternative to the 1 T sugar, for those (like my wife) who like their spaghetti sauce not especially sweet : carrot! A large slivered, diced, chopped or grated carrot or parsnip mellows out the astringency of the tomato nicely without overt sweetness. Additionally, a pinch or two of baking soda reduces tomato’s excess acidity without altering the flavor of the sauce, which is one reason for adding sugar—to combat the sourness of not-very-sweet “love apples”.

  336. 5 stars
    Tried this recipe. It is very good recipe easy to make. This is my go to recipe for spaghetti sauce

  337. 5 stars
    Love this recipe! Tried it about a month ago and every loves it! Been making it once a week since! Thank you!!

  338. 5 stars
    I did this recipe once and have only did this recipe for my spaghetti ever since. So easy and so delicious!

  339. 5 stars
    I am not a great cook but I can follow instructions. I was looking for something to replace the bottled sauce I have been using for years. I had tried 5-6 recipes from other sites and all were acceptable but not “keepers”. This recipe is a keeper. This is how I will be making my sauce going forward. Thank you for sharing.

    Next I am going to try the sweet and sour chicken because that is something I have never made successfully at home and the bottled stuff from the stores are horrible.

  340. 5 stars
    I tried this recipe with half sausage and half ground beef. I also let it simmer for a couple of hours. I served it with noodles I had just made. If was a fantastic meal! Thanks for sharing this recipe.

  341. 5 stars
    The recipe as is, is great. I’ll never understand why people leave a review and then say oh but I added such and such. Make it as is and you will enjoy it.

  342. 5 stars
    Delicious sauce and easy recipe! I made this sauce per the recipe and added diced zucchini, red bell pepper and mushrooms and sauteed it all for 5 hours on low in the crock pot. We absolutely loved it. I’m enjoying several of your recipes. I’m handicapped and love to cook but can’t stand for a long time and only have the use of one arm. I appreciate the simplicity and efficiency of your recipes, ingredients and instructions. Thank you!!

  343. 5 stars
    I substitute crushed tomatoes instead of sauce, add petite diced tomatoes and squeeze wedge of fresh lemon for a zesty fresh taste since my herbs are usually dry store bought. This is my go to recipe with my couple of personal touches.

  344. I think the recipe had good bones. I wasn’t a fan of the Worcestershire sauce because it gave it like a bbq taste. I added 1-2 tbsp of soy sauce. I used 1 tsp baking soda to neutralize the acidity, but still added the sugar. I added extra garlic with the meat. I also added a whole carrot to simmer for extra flavor and sweetness; I removed it when finished. Overall good.

  345. 4 stars
    I also add beef bouillon. And I use whatever tomato products I have on hand, whether it’s my homemade canned tomatoes, or tomato sauce, puree, whatever you have it will be good!

  346. 4 stars
    Recipe came out Great, so yummy !!! I didn’t use the tomato paste. I Just didn’t have any. I also used marinara sauce and a can of tomatoes. I’ve never used Worcestershire in my sauce before and I think that’s what the kicking ingredient was.

  347. 5 stars
    funny how all the recipes say to use tomato sauce. I use tomato “puree” because it’s guaranteed to have less added ingredients that can alter the overall flavor of the recipe. And to further differentiate my sauce, I add some beef consome. And a note about white sugar. It is added to cut the acid from the tomato to help eliminate any of your guests who might suffer from heartburn or acid indigestion.

  348. Easy to follow directions. There is something off about the taste though. I added the basil leaves so maybe I should have omitted that step. I’m going to let it simmer for a couple of hours to see if that will make it taste better.

    1. Hi Rod,
      Boil the pasta in water (as directed by the box you are using!) Then serve it with spaghetti sauce :).

  349. Very good and easy too!!! Will make again. We made it with less onion and was still really great. Thank you for sharing this recipe ?

  350. 5 stars
    This recipe is the best I have tasted. The ingredients needed were in my cabinet & fast and easy to make.
    Good bye sauce in a jar!

  351. 5 stars
    I made this with sweet onions and did not add the sugar and it tastes great.
    Really came in handy when I ran out of my usual sauce!

  352. 5 stars
    This is delicious , better than most restaurant sauces for sure. I make a big batch and freeze for quick easy dinners for the family.

  353. I’d like to make about 10 quarts of spaghetti sauce..how much ground beef would I need? Your recipe looks delicious!

  354. Once you run across this meat sauce, don’t bother looking elsewhere. It’s easy AND delicious! Enough said.

  355. This was a really great basic spaghetti sauce recipe. It has great flavor. I used a quart of home canned sauce in place of the paste/water/sauce. And cooked down to the consistancy I was looking for. I also added peppers and mushrooms. And I used about a half cup of dried cinnamon basil leaves. I ground them up. The sweetness level was just right. Excellent recipe as is, or to modify to your family’s tastes. Thank you!!!

  356. 5 stars
    Tried this last night. Used ground elk and sweet Italian sausage. Just delicious and my husband loved it. Simple and delicious!

  357. You didnt capitalize the first letter of “Crushed” so I added an entire teaspoon of red Pepper flakes and now my mouth is on fire… good though! Lol

  358. 5 stars
    I’m not one to review anything, especially recipes I find on Pinterest, but I had to write my first review ever for this sauce! It is so amazing, I couldn’t believe I actually cooked it! I used axis deer/sirloin mix ground meat (which is the bomb.com if you’ve never had it) from my freezer. And I may have “spilled” some, or possibly my whole glass…of red wine into the sauce while it was simmering. Also may throw a few mushrooms in next time since I finally got my husband to like them? But I totally plan on using this recipe for life! Thank you!!

  359. 4 stars
    I liked the seasonings in this recipe. I opted for ground turkey and I had all the seasonings and herbs called for. But, I used a small can of sauce and diced tomatoes, that I zapped in the bullet, as a substitute for the paste and water. Will use this recipe from now on. Thanks!

  360. 3 stars
    I always make a recipe as written the first time so I can see if I like it or not. It was so sweet. I highly recommend not adding the sugar until you taste it and add it if you feel it is needed. I am continuing to tweek it in hopes that something will temper the sweetness.

  361. 5 stars
    I have made this about 7 times. Double batch each time. Whoa Nellie is it good! Love it! Not one complaint! I use turkey and sausage, and add mushrooms. Really good stuff. Thank you!

  362. Great recipe,loved it so much, I added mushrooms and stewed tomatoes instead of sauce, no water just beef stock, came out great. Thanks , have a great and blessed day.

  363. I am gnocchi for dinner for a friend who has many dietary allergies, including beef. I’ve been planning to use 1lb of pork sausage for the meat. What are your substitution suggestions?

    1. The sugar just helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes. I’m sure it will still taste yummy without it 🙂

  364. I always get rave reviews on this sauce. Instead of 1 cup water I add 1 cup of my homemade pizza sauce. It is delicious….best all around sauce there is.

  365. 5 stars
    Absolutely loved this sauce! I used half lean beef and half turkey. I seasoned it with salt, onion and garlic powder while it cooked. Instead of worsheshire sauce I added soy sauce because I didn’t have any and it still came out awesome. It was plenty for a family of 5. With a cup or left over. I ate mine with zoodles and the fam at it with spaghetti noodles. Everybody loved it! So simple and easy, thank God I had all the ingredients in the cabinet??. Thanks for sharing!

  366. 4 stars
    My husband said don’t buy jarred sauce again. It was really think so I added a bit more water. Only problem…. rigatoni wasn’t cooked enough. And we know who’s fault that was. Thank you

  367. Oh my gosh, this recipes was fantastic!! My husband said it’s the best spaghetti sauce he has ever had! I used Italian sausage and sage sausage ((I doubled the recipe). The only change I added were green peppers. The crushed pepper flakes gave it a nice little kick! This recipes is definitely a keeper!!

  368. 5 stars
    Such a great recipe – thanks so much! Followed it exactly as written and it came out great! I was a little nervous about the Worcestershire sauce, but it made for such a great slight tang and rich flavour as the sauce simmered on the cooker for several hours!

    I’m a stay-at-home son caring for an elderly father who has dementia and recently had a stroke, so this is an easy, very low sodium and delicious dish with easy-to-use seasonings and spices I usually almost always have on hand!! 🙂 Only sub is using penne or rigatoni pasta, but only for ease of “forking” or “spooning” the dish because of my dad’s lack of movement due to his stroke, otherwise this is an awesomely delicious recipe! This has become a go-to on the difficult and long days being a caregiver!

    1. Dear Martin M,

      I can’t believe reading a comment in the comment section of a recipe website made me cry, but it did! I am in tears reading about how sweet you are with your dad.

      God bless you!

      Diane M

    1. Hi Phyllis,
      It makes roughly 5 cups of sauce – 1 cup per serving. There is an estimated 800mg sodium per serving!

  369. 5 stars
    I made this and added some skinned tomatoes I had in the freezer from summer, and omg! I will never buy store bought again!!! Love love love it!!

  370. 5 stars
    Holy moly!! This is seriously good!! I was nervous that the seasonings wasn’t enough but it packed enough punch!! Soooo yummy and I made a huge batch so I’m sure the flavors will start to deepen and develop over a couple of hours. Thanks for sharing your yummy recipe!!

  371. Hi! Step 4: add water and stir well. How much water does this call for?
    Thank you so much. I’m making it tonight and I just know it will be scrumptious!

  372. 5 stars
    The best sauce I have ever made.
    My husband says it’s a keeper, I used Italian sausage instead of hamburger & a bit more chili flakes. Yum!

  373. 5 stars
    This was awesome, didn’t think I could make it from scratch. I did , and my family kids and all complimented me. Very good will make again.

  374. 5 stars
    I will never buy another jar of prepared spaghetti sauce. This is amazing, so easy and other spices and veggies can be easily added.

  375. 5 stars
    So this is the 3rd time in one month I am making this spaghetti sauce. It’s the best sauce I have ever made my husband doesn’t like spaghetti but loves this sauce!! I add mushrooms and black olives. So yummy!

  376. 5 stars
    We made this spaghetti this evening. I have to say it was by far the best spaghetti sauce I’ve had. We followed the recipe and loved every bite. It was a hit with my kids, even the one that does not like spaghetti sauce. Thank you for sharing!

  377. you never give nutritional facts… what is carb amount on all you recipes….some claim low carb and are very high in carbs…. diabetics have to KNOW these numbers

    1. Hi Vicki,
      There are an estimated 16g grams of carbohydrates per serving- the recipe makes approximately 5 servings.

  378. I will follow the recipe . Don’t see no need to make changes. I’m just tired of buying Spaghetti sauce In the can

  379. Made it just as it called for in recipe. It was simple and great tasting. Used angel hair pasta , only because I like it better. Wouldn’t change a thing in this .

  380. 4 stars
    Try this with half burger, half ground sausage. And, add about half a cup sweet raspberry wine. Omit Worcestershire.

  381. 5 stars
    I think this sauce was perfect before I added the Worcestershire sauce. It had a delicious tomato flavor, but the Worcestershire totally ruined that fresh flavor. It’s a ‘keeper’ recipe without it though.

  382. 5 stars
    Delicious! I rarely try a recipe where I don’t tamper with the seasoning amounts, but this was perfect as is! I didn’t have a can of tomato sauce so I used the can of roasted diced tomatoes I had instead, and used my blender to blend it together with the onion, garlic and dry seasonings after bringing them to a boil together ( I did meatballs instead of ground meat so I started with only onion in the pot). It was amazing. My fist from scratch tomato sauce and I’m so proud 🙂 Thank you!

  383. Was expecting the recipe to be “from scratch”; I’m looking for one that starts off with tomatoes and basil leaves, I saw a vid how to do it a couple years back and remember thinking it looked pretty simple…. do you have a recipe that starts off with a bowl of tomatoes?
    Not trying to be a jerk, just want to impress my wife and the internet is just giving me recipes that call for canned ingredients
    TIA

  384. 5 stars
    Hi! I Google-searched “delicious spaghetti recipes” and you were the first hit! Although I wasn’t able find the Worcestershire sauce to add, my friends and I thought it was yummy! I’ll have to check out your other recipes now! Thank you for sharing!

  385. 5 stars
    Thank you for sharing. I made a few modifications and everyone loved it. With family coming over I tripled the recipe and used 2/3 the meat and 2/3 the Worcestershire sauce. Added a little more garlic powder to taste. I will use this recipe again.

  386. 5 stars
    My husband loved this recipe and he can be very picky. I made a few little adjustments though. I used 1bl ground beef and 1lb Italian sausage doubled up everything else expect the sugar and add in some spinach. And it was delicious. My husband said I’m no longer allowed to buy that junk in a jar or can lol.

  387. 5 stars
    I am the sole cook for my wife and 3 year old son, both picky eaters. I have been hesitant to try making homemade spaghetti sauce for the past 14 years…all I can say is all of our bowls we’re clean after eating this sauce .. although I used ground turkey and made meatballs with panko bread crumbs and cooked them into the sauce. Thank you, Awesome recipe!!

  388. 5 stars
    Love, love, LOVE this recipe! My son has custody of his two sons & I’m helping him raise them. It’s unusual for both of my grandsons(16 & 12) to like the same thing, but … they both love it!! The only change I made was using minced onions instead of fresh only because I didn’t have fresh onion. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe – our go-to from now on. And absolutely awesome response to Richard the troll. I’ll never understand those people who feel the need to try to make others feel bad. I’ll have to check out your other recipes now! ? Keep up the good work!

    1. Thank you so much Carol 🙂 I’m so happy your grandons approved, and I hope you get to try more recipes here soon 🙂

  389. 5 stars
    I didn’t have any tomato paste, so I just used two small cans of tomato sauce and I substituted onion powder for fresh onion. And ground turkey for the meat. It was delicious!! Next time I’ll try it just like the Recipe I’m sure it will be even better!!! Who needs bottled sauce anymore? Not us!!! Thank you!!!

  390. 5 stars
    So good, and I had to omit a couple of the ingredients because I was out of them. Delicious! I used ground turkey from Costco. You can also use Morningstar crumbles to make it meat-free! They are so good in recipes, and even my meat eating husband can’t tell!

    Thanks for the recipe! 🙂

  391. 5 stars
    Thanks for the recipe! Going to make this tonight for the wife and I. We have a bunch of fresh tomatoes from the garden and will be adding them to the sauce. Can’t wait! Thanks again!

  392. 5 stars
    Simply put, this sauce is amazing! I have always been intimidated by making my own spaghetti sauce and just fall back on canned sauce for the convenience, but this weekend I thought I would step up to the challenge. I am so glad I chose this recipe as the directions were so simple easy to follow. My husband loved it and has already asked for it again this week. I think I will double the batch and freeze it, as it seems like it will freeze well. Thanks for sharing.

  393. How much does a serving equals? Is it a cup or I 1/2 cups? I’m looking at making spaghetti for 75 to 80 people.

  394. TSorry but this is not scratch. You use 6 oz tomato paste. From where? From a can? How do you make tomato paste? That would be scratch.

    1. Hi Richard,
      Thanks for your comment. I definitely value cooking from scratch and I try to provide recipes that use real ingredients and that anyone can make. I love the peace of mind that comes from making dinner for my family rather than relying on highly processed foods. In the case of homemade tomato paste the time and effort to make this particular ingredient myself does not seem worthwhile. It doesn’t qualify as a highly processed food (It has few and simple ingredients and Hunt’s tomato paste does not contain artificial ingredients or preservatives). However, I applaud you for wanting to make your own. Here is a recipe that might help.

  395. 5 stars
    I’ve used this recipe several times. I use canned diced tomatoes and tomato sauce instead of tomato paste. I let the sauce simmer a little longer to thicken it. I use ground turkey instead of ground beef to make it a little lower calorie.

  396. 5 stars
    I have made this several times and can’t get enough of it! I have to make a double batch and freeze some. I use one lb.. of Italian sausage and one lb. Of ground turkey. Other than that.. DON’T CHANGE A THING!

    1. Hi Matt, you could add more tomato paste, if you’d like it thicker. You’d probably need to add more seasonings if you do so. You could also crumble the cooked ground beef in your food processor into really small pieces, which will thicken the sauce up once you stir the meat it.

  397. 5 stars
    This recipe is a keeper! I wanted spaghetti tonight but didn’t have jarred sauce. A quick Pinterest search turned this up. The simplicity seduced me. It was delicious! Family loved it. I quit counting the “mmmhms” (translates to delicious) after several. Added to rotation. Thank you!!

  398. 5 stars
    This is definitely the most delicious recipe ever. Spices are just perfect. ALL my friends like this sauce and I’m making it for my friend from Oregon. She has requested it. I made it for her the last time she was here. Make extra, it freezes wonderfully.

  399. So I made this tonight, only we didn’t have tomato sauce so I substituted a can of diced tomatoes instead. It turned out really bland and not really all that delicious. (We also didn’t have time to simmer it for 30 minutes, it probably only got 15). Adding salt helped some, but it still really wasn’t so good. Is it because of the diced tomatoes? We have a lot leftover and wondering if there’s something I can add to it to make it better tomorrow night…

    1. Hi there, I would definitely stick with the tomato sauce next time. The tomato sauce has a much thicker and richer consistency and taste. If you have to use diced tomatoes you would need to add additional tomato paste. Simmering also helps add flavor, and at the end, you can always taste it and add additional spices as needed, to taste.

  400. The real ingredients, falls apart with the Sugar and Worchestershire Sauce though, but others than that, awesome Sauce 🙂

  401. 5 stars
    My family loves this spaghetti sauce and it’s become regular in our dinner rotation. I always make a double batch and freeze half – perfect dinner for a busy weeknight.

  402. 5 stars
    This is my go-to spaghetti sauce recipe. I like your suggestion to spin the beef a few times in a food processor. That makes it even better!

  403. 5 stars
    This really is the greatest spaghetti sauce in the world. I make it all the time and triple the recipe, then use it for meatball subs, lasagna, spaghetti meatballs and a number of other things. It freezes well and is a great quick go to when I don’t have time to make dinner, just pull some out of the freezer.

  404. 5 stars
    I pinned this a while ago, I made it the first time about two months ago. I love this! I always bought canned sauce and finally made this, it is absolutely delicious. It has become a regular in our home, my five year son eats it up! We’ve had it about once a week since I’ve first made it.
    I often add veggies to it, while the sauce simmers- I throw in the veggies and they are tender enough when it finishes.

    I went to make it yesterday and realized I didn’t have ground beef- I did have ground turkey and I used that instead. And it tastes just as good and everyone still ate it!

    1. Thanks so much for sharing! I agree, this is the perfect thing to add veggies to, and a great way to sneak them in for kids! Love your adaptions!

  405. Out of curiosity, can you can this recipe with the meat included? I would assume so as everything would be hot when it is put together. ??

    1. 5 stars
      Hi Kayla
      When i make my homemade spagetti sauce for canning I put EVERYTHING EXCEPT FOR THE MEAT, because then you can water bath can your sauce without the lenghthy pressured cooking needed for meats! Then, when its time to have the auce you cook up some meat and noodles and your done!! So simple!
      Good luck and Enjoy!
      Jennifer

  406. I just wanted to say this is so good. I love this recipe thank you so much for sharing. Someone gave me a ton of tomato sauce and I didn’t have my canned spaghetti sauce so I made this last week and it was really yummy my whole family loved it!! I don’t think I will be buying canned spaghetti sauce for a while unless I have to because I don’t have time to make this sauce.

  407. How would I go about using frozen garden tomatoes in this recipe? Would they replace the tomato sauce and paste, and if so, how much should I use? I froze them by weight so I have a number of ~1lb. bags of quartered and skinned tomatoes. Thanks so much for your time and any help you can provide!

    1. Hi Rachel, You could use your tomatoes to replace the tomato sauce. I’m betting you will still want to use the tomato paste to add some thickness to the sauce. I would think about 1.5-2 lbs of tomatoes should be good. You can always adjust the seasonings to your liking.

      1. I did just that and it turned out wonderful. My very first time making spaghetti sauce and everyone loved it, even my 7-year-old who does not like any red meat. Thank you!

      2. Hello. To piggyback on this, what if I can’t get tomato paste? I live in South America. I can get ketchup by the bucketful but not really tomato paste or tomato sauce easily. I can get tons of tomatoes at the market, and I assume i can just pulse them in the processor to get the sauce, but what could i use to thicken them to make a paste?

        1. Your best bet is to make a homemade sauce using real tomatoes. Tomato paste is simply pureed tomatoes cooked down for a long time. I would not use ketchup.

        2. I’ve used fresh tomatoes to make sauce. The easiest way to prep tomatos is to wash them well, then simmer them (skins and all) until they break down. I then run them through a food mill to remove core and skin. Don’t use moldy tomatoes and be sure to cut off any blemishes. Put the ground tomatoes in a big pot and simmer them on low (no lid) till the excess water boils off and they thicken up. I add in the spices (and meat) part way through, then freeze the extra sauce in one gallon freezer bags.

    1. Good for you!
      Adds flavor and I also would throw in some Mushrooms and Italian sausage.

      No harm to add some Parm as well !

    1. 4 stars
      you don’t use worstershire sauce! And you use regular white sugar. The reason why is because it cuts the acid from the tomato (if you use real tomato) Also if you use a little portion of beef rib, and dice it super fine it adds more flavor. I have a lot of money invested in just my knife and cutting board. In the art of cooking, the more work you put into preparation the higher the quality of your finished recipe. Hand cutting, lets you alter the texture of each ingredient. I go as far as using a mortar and pestle for garlic and spices.