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Easy homemade spaghetti sauce, using ingredients you probably already have in your pantry! This recipe is a family dinner staple!
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!
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,)
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.
I use this sauce all the time in my Spaghetti Pie, Million Dollar Spaghetti, Slow 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.
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.
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Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef, (or ½ lb ground Italian sausage and ½ lb ground beef)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, , to taste
- 1 medium onion, , chopped
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- crushed red pepper flakes, , to taste
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, (optional)
- spaghetti noodles, , for serving
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.
- This sauce tastes great in Spaghetti Pie, Million Dollar Spaghetti, Slow Cooker Lasagna and Instant Pot Spaghetti.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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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.
So good! I have made this at least 5 times already. I always make a big pot and freeze half for another night for dinner ☺️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This recipe turned out great. It was even better than my recipe straight from Italy.
My family LOVES this sauce! It’s so good and easy to make! Thank you!
I made this sauce for my lasagna. It was the best I’ve ever tasted! Loved it and will continue to make it.
This recipe is seriously delicious, having made sauce hundreds of times this one is a true keeper. I’ve made your recipe about 10 times and it never fails. Thank you
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!
I’ve tried a number of homemade spaghetti sauces and this is my favorite of all! Thank you so much.
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!!
How is this made from scratch if it’s all canned tomato sauce? Lol
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.
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.
Thanks for the recipe.
This sauce is amazing and it is so easy! It is the only recipe we use!
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
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?
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!
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)?
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!
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.
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!
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