The Best Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
This Homemade Spaghetti Sauce is so easy and delicious, you will never buy the jarred kind again! Try it and you will see why I call it the Best Ever!
For more delicious Dinner Recipes, be sure to check out my Mississippi Pot Roast, Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos, and Air Fryer Meatloaf.
This homemade spaghetti sauce recipe comes from my mother-in-law, and it is one that I have kept and used ever since she first made it for us.
I love that it is so easy to make, has a delicious rich flavor, and uses real ingredients.
It’s better than any jarred sauce you can find at the store, and there is always plenty left over to freeze for another meal or two in the future.
Ingredients for The Best Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
- lean ground beef
- onion
- green bell pepper
- garlic
- canned diced tomatoes
- tomato paste
- brown sugar
- Dried spices: oregano, basil, thyme, salt, bay leaf
- water or beef broth
How to Make Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Step 1: Cook meat and vegetables
In a dutch oven cook meat, onion, green pepper, and garlic until meat is browned and vegetables are tender. Drain off fat.
Step 2: Add tomatoes and spices
Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, oregano, salt, basil, thyme, and bay leaf.
Step 3: Simmer
Stir in the water or beef broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until sauce is of desired consistency, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf. Serve over hot cooked spaghetti.
Tips and Notes for Making The Best Spaghetti Sauce
- Try to use good quality tomatoes if you have access to them. My favorite brand of tomatoes is Tuttorosso tomatoes, Muir Glen, or Pomi tomatoes. I like the Pomi tomatoes because they come in a box rather than a can, which is nice if you’re looking to avoid BPA.
- Don’t skip the brown sugar. Adding a bit of sugar to your homemade spaghetti sauce helps to cut the natural acidity of the tomatoes and helps to balance the sauce.
- For an extra kick, add a sprinkling of red pepper flakes to your sauce. Only add this if you like some spice, though!
- Meat substitutions: you can replace the lean ground beef with ground turkey or pork sausage. You can also leave it out completely for a meatless, vegetarian spaghetti sauce.
- Let it simmer. I like to let my sauce simmer for at least an hour and a half, but longer is better (up to 2-3 hours.) The more time you allow your sauce to simmer, the richer the flavor will be. You can also transfer the sauce to a crockpot after preparing it on the stove and allow it to cook over low heat for a few hours. If your sauce is too thick after cooking, add a little more water to thin it out.
What to do with leftover spaghetti sauce
If you have leftover spaghetti sauce, here are a few ideas to help you put it to good use:
- Make baked meatballs and serve with leftover homemade spaghetti sauce, or turn them into meatball sandwiches.
- Use it for lasagna! We love zucchini lasagna and easy skillet lasagna for busy nights.
- Bake up some garlic bread and use the leftover spaghetti sauce as a dip.
- Stuff it into bell peppers and bake in the oven, or top cooked spaghetti squash with leftover sauce.
FAQs
Freshly made homemade spaghetti sauce will last for about 4-5 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Tomato paste acts as a flavor enhancer and also a thickener in the sauce. Also, your sauce will thicken as it simmers on the stove. If you’ve given your sauce plenty of time to simmer but would still prefer a thicker sauce, you can add a cornstarch slurry (1 part cornstarch to 1 part water whisked together; I’d start with 2 Tablespoons of each). Make sure to mix the slurry into your sauce very well to prevent any lumps.
Yes, and this homemade spaghetti sauce recipe makes enough to freeze leftovers for another meal. To freeze, allow the sauce to cool completely before transferring to a freezer safe container with a lid, or to freezer safe ziplock bags. If using ziplock bags, make sure to remove as much air as possible before sealing. Freeze for up to 6 months. Allow your frozen spaghetti sauce to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating on the stove.
Not exactly. While both sauces are tomato based and slow-simmered to develop flavor, marinara sauce is meatless and includes fresh herbs and garlic. Spaghetti sauce usually contains a ground meat like beef, and also includes vegetables like onions, green pepper, mushrooms, etc.
More delicious Pasta Recipes You Should Try!
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below. I love to hear from you and always appreciate your feedback!
Recipe: The Best Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef or pork sausage
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large green pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups water, or beef broth
Instructions
- In a dutch oven cook meat, onion, green pepper, and garlic until meat is browned and vegetables are tender. Drain off fat.
- Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, oregano, salt, basil, thyme, and bay leaf.
- Stir in the water or beef broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until sauce is of desired consistency, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf. Serve over hot cooked spaghetti.
Notes
- Try to use good quality tomatoes if you have access to them. My favorite brand of tomatoes is Tuttorosso tomatoes, Muir Glen, or Pomi tomatoes. I like the Pomi tomatoes because they come in a box rather than a can, which is nice if you’re looking to avoid BPA.
- Don’t skip the brown sugar. Adding a bit of sugar to your homemade spaghetti sauce helps to cut the natural acidity of the tomatoes and helps to balance the sauce.
- For an extra kick, add a sprinkling of red pepper flakes to your sauce. Only add this if you like some spice, though!
- Meat substitutions: you can replace the lean ground beef with ground turkey or pork sausage. You can also leave it out completely for a meatless, vegetarian spaghetti sauce.
- Let it simmer. I like to let my sauce simmer for at least an hour and a half, but longer is better (up to 2-3 hours.) The more time you allow your sauce to simmer, the richer the flavor will be. You can also transfer the sauce to a crockpot after preparing it on the stove and allow it to cook over low heat for a few hours. If your sauce is too thick after cooking, add a little more water to thin it out.
I followed the recipe to a “t” and I have to say – it turned out GREAT! Raves from my family. I took the suggestion of Muir Glen tomatoes and I think that is part of the success I had. I let my sauce simmer for 3+ hours, FYI. It is my go-to spaghetti sauce recipe now – thank you so much!
Hi there!
Did you try with water or beef broth? Im trying to decide which one I should try with!
Try cooking over low heat for about 6 hours, even better. I think the sauce tastes better after a day in the fridge, but thats just me. Great recipe, thank you.
For a thicker sauce, skip the water, it’s not really needed. Or use the beef broth for extra flavor. I also use canned whole tomatoes and blend them up. Diced are good to of course.
Going to be trying this this afternoon!
Can you use crushed tomatoes instead
Great recipe i made added my own twist indeed the best
This recipe sounds delicious except for the inclusion of green pepper. I wanted to clarify what must be a typo, though. You did mean 2 cloves of garlic per can of tomatoes, right? One serious question: if you go with sausage, would you still use beef broth or chicken?
Green peppers are in most sauces….
This Spaghetti is by far the best I have ever made and I will be sticking to this one. Love love love it….
Okay.. so I was skeptical.. BUT LET ME TELL YOU HOW THIS RECIPE CHANGED MY LIFE!!!
My boyfriend texts me in the middle of the day, saying “Babe, I think I want spaghetti tonight.” So naturally, I respond, “I’m going to make the best damn spaghetti in the world tonight.”
I get online, and I come across this recipe. I read through it briefly, and I’m already building my grocery list in my head.
**cont**
I’m skeptical at first, everything looks so… easy. And simple..!
I don’t question it. I substitute the ground beef for ground turkey. I add in shallots along with the garlic and onion. I actually add in a garlic clove just because I’m a freak and I love garlic.
I use double the amount of tomato paste.
I add 1/2 a tsp of crushed red peppers for a dash of heat.
THIS SAUCE BLEW US AWAY.
I can’t wait to make this again for the rest of my life.
My boyfriend tells me he loves me for the first time. I imagine our kids getting into this sauce and telling me they love me and never want to grow up. I enter this sauce into a competition. I win first place, somehow. President Obama is there, cheering for me.
Bottom line, this sauce is incredible, this recipe is glorious, I made a few tweaks, but even without the tweaks, it’s probably just as fantastic. Thank you!!!!
BAHAHAHAHA ???????????????????? this comment definitely made my day lol. So awesome!
Your comments totally made my day! Haha! I’m so glad y’all enjoyed it, Tiffany!
This is definitely the best Spaghetti we’ve ever had. My husband will not let me use any kind of store bought sauce. Thank you for sharing!
Sauce taste spicy or do all the spices blend. Not particularly fond of bay leaves.
It’s definitely not spicy! You can leave the bay leaves out if you prefer.
Thanks for the yummy recipe! The only problem is, my Husband said I’m never to use the jarred stuff again after trying this 🙂 It’s a keeper!
If I don’t have brown sugar, white sugar be fine as a substitute?
Hi, I recommend just leaving it out if you don’t have any on hand.
Good ideal..
White sugar is fine, makes it less bitter.
Getting ready to start canning. Tried a different recipe once didn’t turn out well at all. Can i use fresh tomatoes in this recipe?
Sure!
Tried this recipe the other day, and loved it. Thank you for sharing!
I tried out this recipe, and loved it. Thank you so much for sharing!
Is that 270 per cup of the sauce or does that also include the spaghetti?
Thanks.
This is a very well laid out recipe! I have everything on hand so I’m going to try this for tonight’s dinner! Thank you!
i had chunks of tomatoes…thoughts on using simply sauce w paste instead?
I haven’t tried it before, but I think it would be fine!
Try a can of crushed tomatoes. That what I used.