How To Make Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Easy Homemade Spaghetti Recipe

This homemade spaghetti recipe is always something that we can agree on for dinner! Easy to make, spaghetti noodles that the kids can twirl with a fork , and something that the entire family loves.

It’s a homemade ground beef spaghetti sauce that simmers on the stove top for maximum flavor. Add in cooked spaghetti noodles and mix it all together.

Reasons To Make This Recipe

Wondering why making your own pasta sauce is worth it?

• This easy sauce recipe uses tomato paste and canned tomatoes. No peeling or chopping necessary.
• Lots of herbs give the spaghetti sauce an aromatic Italian flavor.
• Its ready to eat in 30 minutes. I cook my pasta while the sauce is simmering so everything is ready at once.
• Easy to make ahead and store or freeze for later.

Give me a bowl of spaghetti noodles covered in tomato sauce and Im a happy girl. Store bought spaghetti sauce is fine but making your own sauce from scratch is so much better!

This is one of those recipes thats bound to become a staple in your home. If you have pasta lovers in your family like I do, this is the best go-to homemade spaghetti sauce for those busy weeknights. As easy as it is to make, its tasty enough to serve to a dinner guest too.

Youll love the way the sauce makes your kitchen smell as its simmering! The garlic and herb aroma is so tantalizing that everyone will be lining up for a taste.

How To Make This Spaghetti Sauce Your Own

• If you have a garden full of tomatoes, thats wonderful! You can easily substitute peeled fresh tomatoes for the crushed and diced tomatoes. Roma tomatoes or another meaty variety work best. Youll need about four pounds.
• Add more veggies: Chopped bell peppers or mushrooms can be added. Sauté them with the onions. Or stir in a few handfuls of baby spinach right before serving.
• I like to serve this sauce with homemade meatballs or baked turkey meatballs. Frozen meatballs are so handy. Just add them to the sauce about halfway through the simmering time so they get heated through.
• If you would like to make a spaghetti sauce with meat, sauté ground beef or turkey, or Italian sausage with the onions, and then continue the recipe as directed.
• If you happen to have a rind of Parmesan cheese, put that in the sauce as it simmers to enhance the flavor.
• Make this sauce vegan or Whole30 simply by omitting the butter and sugar.
• Dont have any fresh herbs? Simply add a tablespoon of dried basil and parsley instead.
• If you prefer a sauce made without tomatoes, maybe this isnt the recipe for you. Try this creamy chicken spaghetti or chicken Marsala pasta.

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Tips For The Best Spaghetti Sauce

Since spaghetti has long been one of my favorite foods Ive picked up on lots of different things here and there to perfect it. Heres my tips:

• Really brown the beef. Dont add it all in one thin layer and toss and turn it constantly. Instead add it in large clumps, let the bottom really sear and brown thenstart to break it up.
• Use crushed tomatoes instead of tomato sauce or puree. It has a better, more tomato-y flavor.
• Dont be skimpy with the garlic, and add a fair amount of onion. These really build flavor here.
• Preferably use fresh basil.
• Allow time to simmer. This will offer time for those flavors to meld and compliment each other and time for the sauce to reduce and thicken a bit.
• Stir parmesan right into the sauce. Again we are building flavor and even though its only 1/4 cup it gives it special something.

What Kind Of Tomatoes Do You Use For Sauce

Were technically making a herea quick-cooking sauce thats relatively thin and tastes strongly like tomatoes . There are all kinds of different types of tomatoes out there, but this recipe is designed around crushed canned tomatoes. Crushed tomatoes are perfect because they have the ideal consistency for pasta sauce, so you dont have to drag out the food processor to get rid of the chunks.

If you have another type of canned tomato in the pantry, you could certainly use it for this recipe. Each type has a different consistency. Heres how they differ:

• Diced tomatoes: Firm chunks of chopped tomatoes in tomato sauce. These tomatoes are treated with calcium chloride, so the pieces wont fall apart as they simmer.
• Crushed tomatoes: Semi-pureed tomatoes in tomato sauce. Crushed tomatoes have a thicker texture than tomato sauce, and they sometimes contain a little tomato paste.
• Tomato sauce: A thin, fully pureed sauce made from tomatoes. These jars often contain added seasonings, like basil or oregano, and are usually thinned out with water.
• Stewed tomatoes: Large chunks of soft tomatoes in tomato sauce, sometimes left whole or chopped into rings. Many stewed tomatoes also contain onions and celery.

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Make Ahead And Freezing Instructions:

To make ahead: You can prepare million dollar spaghetti 1 day ahead of time. Follow recipe instructions up to step 8 . allow it to cool, cover it well with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator until ready to bake.

To freeze: Prepare recipe right up until the baking step. Cover well with greased aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days, then bake for about 20 minutes covered and then 15-20 minutes uncovered. If baking from frozen, bake covered for about 40 minutes, then uncover and bake 20-30 minutes longer, or until bubbly and warm.

How To Make Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Step

STEP 1: In a large Dutch Oven heat the olive oil over medium-high heat .

STEP 2: Add the green pepper, onions and celery . Sauté until the onions start to soften and turn translucent .

STEP 3: Add the ground beef cook using a spatula to break the meat into small pieces . There should be no pink color .

STEP 4: Add the chili powder, salt, pepper, dried oregano stir to combine.

STEP 5: Pour in the tomato sauce, Italian parsley and mushrooms . Stir to combine.

STEP 6: Bring to a simmer, partially covered . Stir every 30 minutes to ensure no sticking to the bottom of the pan.

The spaghetti sauce will thicken and reduce to 8 cups.

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Can I Omit The Wine

Technically, yes, but I highly recommend adding it to the homemade spaghetti sauce since it adds so much flavor. Remember: the alcohol cooks out of the sauce and is only a flavoring.

However, if youre out of wine or are opposed to using it, you can add 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar instead to add a little acid and umami.

How To Make Spaghetti Sauce: Step

Guide for how to make spaghetti sauce

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How To Make Spaghetti Sauce From Scratch

• Brown the beef: heating 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef in large crumbles, leaving space between.
• Season with salt and let beef brown nicely on bottom.

• Crumble beef: Then begin breaking beef up . Let it continue to cook until it has cooked through .

• Drain beef: Transfer browned beef to a paper towel lined plate, leave about 1 Tbsp fat in pan. Or add 1 Tbsp olive oil.
• Saute aromatics: Add onion and saute 4 minutes or until almost softened, then add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.

• Add other ingredients: stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, beef, basil and oregano. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Simmer sauce: Bring to a light boil, then reduce heat to low , cover with lid and let simmer until onions have softened through, about 15 minutes.

• Adjust consistency as desired: If you have more time let it simmer longer. Thin with a little water as needed, thicken with a little tomato paste as needed .
• Finish with cheese: Stir in parmesan at the very end and let melt through. Serve over pasta of choice topped with more parmesan and parsley.

What Ingredients Go Into Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

• Olive oil use for sauteing.
• Lean ground beef I recommend 85% lean ground Angus beef.
• Salt and pepper to season the beef and sauce and highlight its flavors.
• Onion and garlic these build a flavor foundation for the sauce. Always use fresh.
• Canned crushed tomatoes Ive actually done a side by side taste taste with several brands and Hunts is best. If you want to puree a can of San Marzano tomatoes that would be delicious too.
• Tomato Paste this adds lots of tomato flavor and helps thicken up the sauce.
• Fresh basil and fresh parsley this gives the sauce so much fresh flavor. Fresh basil in spaghetti sauce is a must in my book.
• Dried oregano since you wont be using much we go with dried, but feel free to substitute fresh if youve got it .

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Ingredients For Marinara Sauce:

The ingredients are pantry staples that we always keep on hand so its easy to whip up. Since the ingredient list is very short, make sure to source the best quality ingredients you can find.

We used extra virgin olive oil for extra flavor and San Marzano Crushed Tomatoes. San Marzano is an Italian variety of plum tomato and the gold standard of Italian Marinara.

How To Peel Tomatoes For Pasta Sauce

It’s important to peel the tomatoes before turning them into sauce as the skins may create a chunky, uneven texture in addition to adding extra bitterness.

Peeling the tomatoes is easy once they have been blanched in boiling water and shocked in an ice bath.

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Equipment Needed For Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

• Large stock pot
• 8-9 quart canning jars with lids and rings
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Scale

You need to weigh out 25 pounds of tomatoes for this recipe. So if you dont have a scale that will do that much, you can do what I did and use the bathroom scale! Thats right, I just weighed myself normally, then held the bags of tomatoes and weighed myself again.

The large stock pot is to cook the spaghetti sauce, the slotted spoon is to stir the sauce, and the knife is to cut the cores out of the tomatoes and chop up the other ingredients. Of course, youll also need measuring cups and spoons to measure out the other ingredients.

If you are canning this recipe, youll need a waterbath canner with a lid and canning rack, and 8-9 canning jars with rings and new lids. You dont have to can this recipe, it can go in the freezer if you wish, but it does make quite a lot. Canning just makes sense for my family, as we dont have a lot of freezer space. Plus, with canning, we dont have to worry about power outages ruining our hard work!

Key Ingredients For Pasta Sauce

• Tomatoes. You cant make a traditional red sauce without tomatoes! Whether theyre fresh or canned tomatoes, this ingredient is an absolute must.
• Garlic and onions. You could technically leave these ingredients out. But without them, your pasta sauce would have little depth. Garlic and onions give your sauce a rich, fragrant quality thats hard to replace.
• Flavor boosters. When youre learning how to make pasta sauce, youll quickly see that its very receptive to herbs, seasonings and spices. Without these flavor boosters, youd have a bland recipe.

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How Long Does Canned Spaghetti Sauce Last

If processed correctly and stored in a cool, dry location, this spaghetti sauce will easily last 1-2 years. Ive seen canned food last much longer, but that is the recommended time period for storing home-canned goods.

Home-canned goods should be stored in a mostly temperature-controlled location, out of direct sunlight. Avoid anywhere that has temperature extremes.

Why This Recipe Works

One of the easiest meals on the planet to make is a comforting batch of spaghetti. It is super easy to make, it is affordable and its off-the-charts comforting and delicious!

If you ever find yourself in a situation where you either dont have the energy to make a batch of homemade pasta sauce or you do not want to take a trip to the grocery store to grab a jar of sauce, Ive got your back!

All you need is a can of tomato paste and a few other ingredients that are already likely sitting in your kitchen. Dinner has never been easier!

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How To Make Instant Pot Spaghetti:

Can I Freeze Spaghetti Sauce

Yes! I love making a double batch of homemade sauces and freezing the other portion. You can use a gallon Ziplock bag or even a Foodsaver to vacuum seal the sauce. I freeze in 1 to 2 cup increments and lay the bag flat in the freeze. Laying the sauce flat makes it thaw quicker, and it doesn’t take up much room in the freezer.

To thaw the sauce, just place the bag into a pot of cold water, and it should thaw within 20-30 minutes.

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What Is Spaghetti Sauce Made Out Of

This Healthy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce contains a few basic ingredients. The main ones being fresh tomatoes, garlic, shallots or onions, tomato sauce, fresh herbs like basil, oregano, and thyme along with a couple others.

It’s light and full of simple, clean flavors. This spaghetti sauce is ready in less than an hour – It is not the variety that cooks for hours on end which results in a heavy, bold sauce.

It’s actually more of a marinara sauce, which means it is thinner in texture than a traditional spaghetti sauce and it’s made without meat. This sauce is meant to be enjoyed right away and not meant to be jarred or canned.

I just add it to the top of some freshly cooked pasta along with freshly shaved Parmesan cheese and eat to my heart’s content.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Ingredients

• Lean ground beef This turns your spaghetti meat sauce recipe into a filling meal, though if youre vegetarian, feel free to omit it.
• Garlic Pull out the garlic press and mince it yourself for the best taste.
• Diced yellow onion A necessary component in any spaghetti sauce.
• Crushed tomatoes Grab a 28-ounce can of these babies that will make the base of your homemade tomato sauce from scratch.
• Tomato paste Helps create richness in the homemade pasta sauce.
• Chicken broth Make the sauce more saucy while adding in another element of flavor.
• Butter Trust in this, it makes your pasta sauce recipe heavenly.
• Spaghetti Sauce Seasoning Youll want fresh chopped basil and fresh parsley. Also, dried oregano.
• Parmesan cheese Whats homemade pasta sauce without a little shredded cheese thrown in for a complex flavor?
• Spaghetti pasta noodles the best spaghetti recipe isnt complete without the spaghetti noodles to showcase your pasta sauce.

Eat the spaghetti to forgetti your regretti.Anonymous

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Watch The Marinara Sauce Video Tutorial:

I hope this Marinara recipe becomes a new favorite go-to recipe for you. P.S. If this video doesnt load right away, give it a few seconds. Youll see a faded horizontal image of pasta sauce then click the play button in the center. To view the video, make sure to temporarily pause your ad blockers on your browser.

What Meat Goes In Spaghetti Sauce

If you are wanting to make a meat spaghetti sauce then you have a lot of options for the meat that you put into it. Ground beef, ground turkey, ground pork and ground chicken are my top choices.

You can also add Italian sausage and homemade meatballs. I have used the meatballs that I use in my meatball grinders and also rosemary chicken meatballs in this sauce recipe and they were both delish!

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