Spaghetti Meat Sauce

With sautéed onions, robust tomato flavor, aromatic herbs and chunks of tender ground beef this savory Spaghetti Meat Sauce is packed with flavor. A classic Italian inspired sauce like this is perfect for serving over lasagna, spaghetti, fresh pasta and so much more.

In other words, you can forget about canned or jarred spaghetti sauce from the store! Because this recipe makes it so easy to pull together a thick and hearty sauce using canned tomatoes and dried spices. This rich and meaty sauce will be perfect for your next pasta night!

If you are a lover of all things Italian and looking for more ways to add pasta and delicious sauces like our homemade fresh Pesto to your life you must try this homemade spaghetti meat sauce with our Zucchini and Pesto Lasagna. Go ahead, add this one to your weekly menu and thank me later!

Jump to:

• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions
• 👩🏻‍🍳 Make it Your Own
• 💭 Top Tips
• 🍽 Storing
• 📋  FAQ's
• 📖 Recipe

🥘 Ingredients

We like to keep our spaghetti meat sauce fairly uncomplicated. All you need for a truly delicious saucy ragù is some ground beef, an onion, parmesan cheese and a handful of pantry staples!

• Butter
• Onion
• Ground Beef
• Dried Basil
• Oregano
• Salt and Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Tomato Sauce
• Tomato Paste
• Parmesan Cheese

With a handful of ingredients it sure is easy to pull together a warm and comforting weeknight meal the whole family will love.

🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions

Firstly, in a large pot, like our favorite Dutch Oven Pot, sauté your chopped onion and butter. Once the onion is fragrant and translucent add the uncooked hamburger to the pot. Secondly, you want to cook the meat until browned and fully cooked.

As soon as that is cooked go ahead and add the tomato sauce and paste, oregano, basil, garlic, salt, pepper and parmesan to the pot. Afterwards, stir everything together and cover the pot. Now, turn your heat to low and allow your spaghetti meat sauce to simmer for 20 minutes or so.

When that is all done simmering go ahead and add your water to the pot. (Leftover pasta water is best if you have it! See note about that below.) Lastly, give your sauce one more good stir to combine.

Spoon this rich spaghetti meat sauce over a bowl of freshly made pasta for an easy and quick weeknight meal. Of course, you can also serve it as a dipping sauce with thick slices of our favorite homemade bread or super soft dinner rolls for an easy comfort food fix!

👩🏻‍🍳 Make it Your Own

There are lots of ways to jazz up your zesty spaghetti meat sauce but here are a few tried and true options if you are looking for some extra pizazz!

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil drizzled in to your sauce will add an authentic and rich infusion of flavor.
• Freshly Minced Garlic subbed out for garlic powder adds more depth.
• Chili Pepper Flakes will add extra heat.
• Crushed Tomatoes for more authentic tomato goodness.
• Cream or butter for richness and a velvety sauce.
• Meat Variations could include Hot Sausage, Veal, Italian Sausage or Ground Turkey.
• Pasta water leftover from cooking the pasta, also known as cooking water adds natural starch which will really enrich the sauce. It also helps the sauce stick to the pasta and is a great way to thin out the sauce if a little thicker than you generally like it. I’m not talking about adding a lot – just a ¼ cup to ½ cup will do!

💭 Top Tips

The Lodge Enameled Dutch Oven Pot is by far our favorite pot when it comes to cooking just about anything! It provides all the benefits of working with cast iron cooking but offers super easy and simple cleanup.

All things considered, it is the perfect pot for simmering sauces like this spaghetti meat sauce, which is why we totally recommend checking it out. Particularly, we also love using it when making some of our other favorites like French Dip Sandwiches or making soups like Zuppa Toscana.

🍽 Storing

Leftover spaghetti meat sauce can be stored in a glass mason jar in the fridge for up to 5 to 10 days. Most important, if frozen - spaghetti sauce can last for 6 months! Without a doubt, that makes this recipe perfect for doubling and saving for later!