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!
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.
So easy! Delicious! I added red pepper flakes and mushrooms, and served with venison Italian meatballs! Will make again! Thank you!
This came out delicious! The recipe and instruction were simple, but the result are OUTSTANDING! I like that the sauce takes 1-1/2 to 2hrs. to thicken. This gives me time to grate some cheese for the lasagne and do the dishes that I used. God bless you Belle Of The Kitchen!
Easy and so delish! My grandson said it smelled so good, he could hardly wait to eat it!
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and the family loves it! Only thing I change is red pepper instead of green because I don’t like green peppers. It’s very good and freezes well for later.
My go-to spaghetti sauce. Simple ingredients found in everybody’s kitchen, easy to make, and delicious.
This is cooked long, which is really good. The only suggestion: Italian sauce is not glopped on top of the pasta, but mixed in with the pasta. Glopping it on top is an “American thing” and is not how Italians do it.
I liked it “glopped on top”
It’s not “glopped on” either.
This Homemade Spaghetti Sauce 🍝 Is the absolutely the Best 😋
My Family loved it. This will Now be my to do Spaghetti Sauce.
NO MORE STORE BOUGHT SPAGHETTI SAUCE
Thanks for Sharing 😊
This is such a great & easy recipe! I’ve made it multiple times because in addition to being delicious it freezes well and is super flexible. I’ve flexed the types of canned tomatoes, added other veggies (mushrooms, diced carrots, summer squash) and it’s been great each time! Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
Delicious!! Only thing I added was some mushrooms!
I just ordered some of the Tuttorosso tomatoes. I have been using cherry tomatoes from Italy but thought I would try the ones you recommended. I can’t wait to get them and thank you for your lovely recipes. You are going to make me look so good at the dinner table.
I made it today and I have to say it’s one of easiest sauce recipes I have ever made and the most delicious. Their right, I’ll never buy a jar sauce again. Everyone in the house liked it. Well done and thank you.
I love that you put beef broth in this spaghetti sauce. That sounds like a red sauce I make with meatballs that I love!
This sauce sounds so amazing! I hate how the store-bought ones have all the sodium in them, so I will be checking this one out!
Homemade spaghetti sauce is seriously the best! I can’t wait to give this recipe a try!
Well if it’s the best I need to try it! I could use some pasta 😍
I’ll never buy a jar of spaghetti sauce again because of this recipe! I love it and an added perk is that it makes the house smell great. Thanks!
Recipe lacked salt in our opinion, calls for no extra virgin olive oil or pepper, which adds the IT factor.
This is similar to my late Dad’s recipe that he got from a Merchant Navy cook. The important thing IMO is the use of both tinned tomatoes AND tomato paste. My main difference from yours is I also add a beef stock cube, I use mushrooms instead of the peppers, I add some Worcester sauce, and I use red wine – lots of it!
These sound like great additions i also use diced pimento and mushrooms. But thr beef cube and wine!!! I’m definitely gonna try that.
I got to the point I didn’t care for spaghetti sauce any more but my husband wanted it so I made this and I will definitely make it again I love it
This sauce lives up to its billing: “Best Ever.” Have made it twice now in triple-batches, almost-exactly as the “Belle” wrote it. Only modification has been to the canned tomatoes, using crushed, diced and cut-up whole in equal proportions, just to make it a little more chunky. Making another batch this weekend. We (extended family) portion it out into quart freezer bags, freeze ’em, and are able to enjoy the sauce for a month or so. Then I’ll do another batch. Thanks, Ms. Edwards, for a TERRIFIC recipe!
So glad your family is enjoying it, Rocky!
I will try these recipes and will come back and tell you how the turn out😊
Excellent recipie. Have made it 5 or 6 times now. I doubled the garlic after my first though. Big hit with all my girls.
I made this spaghetti sauce today and it is delicious!!! I look forward to making it often and look forward to trying more of your recipes. Thank you,
We plan on making your recipe with fresh tomatos since one of us needs to reduce our sodium intake…
My very picky teenager kept sneaking tastes while this was cooking on the stovetop and then cleared the pan so that her dad and I couldn’t even get second helpings. This recipe was fantastic. Simple, yet very tasty. We followed the recipe exactly per the directions and enjoyed it immensely. Thank you for adding some joy to our isolated lives!