This Homemade Spaghetti Meat Sauce is perfect over your favorite pasta. Crushed tomatoes, onion, garlic, tomato paste, fire roasted tomatoes, spices, Italian sausage, and beef slow simmered for hours to create the most delicious, rich, meaty sauce you’ve ever made.
Spaghetti Meat Sauce
Take spaghetti night to the next level! This Spaghetti Meat Sauce can be done in as little as 90 minutes, simmering while you prepare the rest of your dinner, or you can let it cook for up to four hours which allows the meat to get extra tender and the flavors of the sauce to intensify. Either way, it’s absolutely the most delicious spaghetti and meat sauce we’ve ever made!
To complete your meal, make Cheesy Roasted Asparagus Casserole, homemade French Bread, and for dessert either The Best Chocolate Cake or Magic Lemon Cobbler.
The Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make The Best Homemade Meat Sauce (the exact measurements and full recipe instructions are below in the easy to print recipe card):
- Bulk Italian sausage – we used a mild Italian sausage, but you could also try sweet or spicy.
- Lean ground beef – we like to use a lean, organic ground beef.
- Onion – use a sweet onion, such as Vidalia.
- Garlic – it’s best to use fresh garlic for this recipe.
- Granulated sugar – sugar adds a hint of sweetness to the sauce and also helps to cut the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Italian seasoning blend – you can make your own or buy it from the store. Click here to see our recipe for Italian Seasoning.
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Fresh parsley – you can use 1-2 teaspoons of dried parsley instead, but fresh is really best for this recipe.
- Tomato paste – the tomato paste adds and intensity to the tomato flavor.
- Crushed tomatoes – crushed tomatoes serve as the base for the sauce.
- Fire roasted tomatoes – these tomatoes really kick up the flavor!
- Chicken broth – chicken broth slightly thins the sauce to the right consistency while also adding flavor.
How to Make Spaghetti Meat Sauce
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and beef into the pot and break it up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Next, add in the onion and cook, stirring often, until the meat is fully browned and no pink remains. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Drain off the excess fat.
Reduce heat to medium and add in the sugar, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and parsley.
Add in the tomato paste and stir to well to combine. Next, add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with the liquid, and chicken broth. Stir well until combined.
Bring the sauce to a simmer, then cover the pot with a lid and reduce heat to low. Simmer the sauce for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours for the best flavor and consistency. Stir occasionally to prevent the sauce from burning at the bottom of the pot.
Tip: if the sauce becomes too thick, add more chicken broth 1/4 cup at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
How to Serve Meat Sauce
- Over spaghetti, rigatoni, fettuccine, penne, or your favorite pasta
- In lasagna
- With cheese filled ravioli or stuffed shells
- With garlic bread for dipping
How to Store Leftovers
Store the meat sauce in an airtight food storage container or a jar in the refrigerator for up to three days. You can also freeze the sauce for up to three months.
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Homemade Spaghetti Meat Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 large sweet onion peeled and diced
- 5 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning blend
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 12 ounces tomato paste
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 15 ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and beef into the pot and break it up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add in the onion and cook, stirring often, until the meat is fully browned and no pink remains. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Drain off the excess fat.
- Reduce heat to medium and add in the sugar, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and parsley.
- Add in the tomato paste and stir to well to combine.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with the liquid, and chicken broth. Stir well until combined.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer, then cover the pot with a lid and reduce heat to low. Simmer the sauce for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours for the best flavor and consistency. Stir occasionally to prevent the sauce from burning at the bottom of the pot.
- Tip: if the sauce becomes too thick, add more chicken broth 1/4 cup at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- Serve the sauce hot over pasta.
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18 comments on “Homemade Spaghetti Meat Sauce”
If using only 1lb beef, do I halve the ingredients??
Hi Anna. You could halve the recipe if you are only using 1lb of beef or use the full amounts. It would still taste the same but not be at “meaty” if you use the full amounts of other ingredients. Really depends on how many you are feeding.
I made just as recipe stated but added cup of dry red wine to simmering sauce at the beginning. It was so good there were NO leftovers at all.
My son and say it’s the best sauce recipe we have ever had.
This is a great sauce !! New favorite
Can I put in crockpot if I cook meat first?
Thanks Cathy. Yes, the slow cooker would work!
Double the recipe using the crockpot and freeze some!!!! I like to keep the crockpot on warm all day !!!!
OMG this was the best spaghetti sauce I have ever eaten!! Thanks for the recipe ! I’m following you ! Thanks again.
Can this recipe be canned?
Do you need to drain fat off after cooking meat?
Yes, drain off the excess fat.
no sugar!!! you can cut back the acid by grating a carrot in it, plus its healthier.
Dropping 3 or 4 raisins into the pot is another great way to reduce acid– just pull them out before you serve the sauce. Doesn’t make the sauce sweet like sugar!
That’s what I do!
My new “Best Meat Sauce Ever!” recipe. For those who like a little kick, I added a can of crushed tomatoes with green chili because I didn’t have the fire roasted tomatoes on hand. Awesome.
Fred Hamilton
Sounds delicious
How much potassium? I’m on low potassium diet.