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.
This looks yummy. FYI on your comment about canned tomatoes: no USA canned tomato companies use BPA.
I didn’t see any measurements for each ingredient.. I’d love to try it
Hi Kevin, the measurements are located in the recipe card towards the bottom of the post.
Fantastic, delicious and simple. I just canned 10 Quarts; the house smells wonderful. I sautéed the onions, garlic and peppers in bacon grease and, cooked the burger (4.5 Pounds of Aged Beef) on the grill. I was able to get the fresh Sweat Basil and Thyme from the garden, as well as all of the tomatoes. This will be perfect in my Lasagna.
I haven’t made the sauce yet. Just wondering if most used ware or beef broth?
This sauce is rich and nutrient! It’s exactly what I need for the cold season!
So glad I found this recipe! Homemade is always the best!
This sounds incredibly delicious! My family would love it!
YUM! This sounds like the perfect spaghetti sauce! I love that it’s homemade!
Finally! I can make my own spaghetti sauce now.
So good. Definitely ditching the store bought sauce now.
This is such a delicious recipe. I love the flavors and how nice and chunky it is.
Loved this recipe. It was so easy and Delicious. Definitely will keep this recipe for future use.
I knew a lady that had a restaurant that made the best spaghetti sauce ever!! I’ve been trying different recipes to try to find that taste again and this is the closest I’ve found. It is so good!!
Very good!
Girl, I have been making spaghetti for years and had the nerve to think that Rago sauce was good, I definitely have a change of heart today. This is the BEST sauce I have ever eaten in my life I kid you not. My entire family and friends tell me how good your sauce is and I don’t take the credit, I tell them exactly who and where I got it from. I even mix some in my dog’s bowl, even he loves it I kid you not. You go girl.
Haha awesome!
This is the closest recipe to my husband’s late father’s recipe. Been making it for a couple of years now and I refuse to make a different recipe. I normally do half ground beef and half sweet Italian sausage, add a couple of more veggies in it ( that way I know we get more of it) and I cook mine in the crock pot for about 12 hours. The entire house smells amazing by the end.
my husband Greg loves spaghetti and will be making this as soon as I go to the store to buy all ingredients, thanks
If you wanna jazz this up add a tiny bit of red wine to the broth its amazing😍
Used half beef and half Italian sausage and added mushrooms. Flavors are great!
Love this spaghetti sauce. I make a double batch and freeze for future meals. I make it with 50% ground beef 50% Italian sausage. You can use turkey or chicken Italian sausage for a healthier option and/or use extra ground beef so there is almost no fat to strain off. For a low carb meal serve with spaghetti squash rather than pasta.
Thank you for your suggestions here. I think I’ll try them, I’ve been craving spaghetti! Idk if spaghetti squash is in season right boss but I’ll look!
This recipe is SO good! The flavor is delicious and it makes the house smell amazing. It’s very easy, highly recommend.
Ooo, totally saving this to try! Homemade sauce is such a game changer!
This homemade spaghetti sauce is so hearty and delicious! I love the addition of green bell peppers in the sauce.
Wonderful flavor and so simple to make!
I am excited to try this out. We love pasta so this will be perfect for it.