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.
Add garlic, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Sauté for another minute or so.
Add ground beef along with a few large pinches of salt and pepper. Cook, crumbling with a spatula until browned.
Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute.
Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, and Worcestershire, along with a few large pinches of salt and pepper.
Add bay leaves. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer over low heat for 30-60 minutes.
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.