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Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

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4.6 from 8 reviews

This easy, one-pot meaty spaghetti sauce recipe is packed with familiar flavors of Sunday night dinners. It’s loaded with tender ground beef, hearty canned tomatoes, and fresh and dried herbs.

  • Author: Kylie
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
  • 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 (29 oz.) can tomato sauce
  • 1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
  • 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
  • Kosher salt
  • fresh cracked pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.
  2. Sauté onion for 4 minutes, stirring frequently.
  3. Add garlic, Italian seasoninggarlic powder, and onion powder along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Sauté for another minute or so.
  4. Add ground beef along with a few large pinches of salt and pepper. Cook, crumbling with a spatula until browned.
  5. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute.
  6. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, and Worcestershire, along with a few large pinches of salt and pepper.
  7. Add bay leaves. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer over low heat for 30-60 minutes.
  8. Stir in fresh basil and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Notes

    • You can simmer the sauce for longer than an hour if you prefer, but in my experience, it doesn’t add a ton more flavor.
    • Add a splash of dry red wine while you’re simmering the sauce. This will add more dimension to the sauce and give it a slightly richer flavor.
    • Add a Parmesan rind into the sauce while it’s simmering to add a delicious nutty flavor.
    • Salt this sauce moderately. The ingredients are super simple, so adding an ample amount of salt is going to go a long way in boosting the overall flavors of the dish.
    • Make a double batch over the weekend and freeze the leftovers so you’re never too far away from a homemade spaghetti dinner! 
    • Omit the meat altogether for a vegetarian option more akin to marinara sauce. Or replace the meat with sautéed vegetables – finely diced carrots, celery, and onion cooked in about a tablespoon of olive oil and butter are a delicious option. 

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Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/8 of the recipe
  • Calories: 154
  • Sugar: 7.1 g
  • Sodium: 119.3 mg
  • Fat: 5.7 g
  • Carbohydrates: 12.7 g
  • Fiber: 2.8 g
  • Protein: 14.8 g
  • Cholesterol: 33.9 mg