My spaghetti meat sauce recipe is sure to put the YUM into your next Itali-YUM dinner!
*crickets*
Yeah, that was a bad pun. But can you blame me? Anytime pasta recipes are on the menu, I lose myself in dreams of the perfect spaghetti sauce recipes, with visions of Italian seasonings dancing in my head. Whether you reach for pasta sauce recipes to spice up a fancy dinner or give your comfort a kick, I promise that my spaghetti meat sauce recipe will have you dreaming in oregano.
Tie on your napkins and let’s get to it!
What I Love About This Recipe
For every big ol’ Italian family, there’s a different spaghetti meat sauce recipe. What makes this one so perfect?
- Easy prep and cook. I promise.
- Bold, hearty spices
- Three steps! Seriously, EASY.
- One pot!
Italian Spaghetti Meat Sauce Recipe Notes
When most people have spaghetti with meat sauce on their dinner menu, they reach for store-bought jars. Not that there’s anything wrong with the time-saving wonder of premade sauce — but the flavor you get in my spaghetti meat sauce recipe is incomparable. And with one pan, you can have enough sauce to feed the Italian peninsula!
Spaghetti Ingredients Notes
Dried vs Fresh:Â I’ve often waxed poetic about the importance of fresh herbs — but for dishes that simmer for a long time, like spaghetti sauce with meat, you’ll actually want dried. Thanks to the lengthy simmering process, the sauce will get infused with the rich flavors of the dried herbs over time.
Crushed not Sauced? If this is a spaghetti meat sauce recipe, why not go straight for canned tomato sauce instead of crushed tomatoes? Believe it or not, there’s a difference in the plethora of canned tomato products!
For this recipe, I like using crushed to leave hearty chunks of tomato in the finished dish. If you like a smoother final product, you can opt for canned tomato sauce!
Sausage Differences:Â You might think “Italian sausage” includes all types of processed Italian meats — wrong! For my spaghetti meat sauce recipe, you’ll definitely want to go for the raw Italian sausage you find in the sausage aisle. Things like pancetta or prosciutto, while delicious, will lose their structure as the sauce simmers.
Spaghetti Sauce Storing Tips
Want to stock your pantry with homemade spaghetti sauce? To help you package your precious cargo carefully, I’ve pulled together all the best info!
Can You Freeze This?
Yes! My spaghetti meat sauce recipe is very freezer-friendly. I’ve found it helps to freeze any easy meat sauce recipe in pre-portioned batches, so you don’t have to thaw a whole huge tub of sauce in one go. You can save your portions in the freezer for up to three months.
But be sure to cool your sauce first! Storing it while still hot will lower the temp of your freezer, threatening the safety of the other things you have stored there, and may lead to freezer burn. Definitely not Itali-YUM!
Quick Meat Sauce Make Ahead Tips
Alas, this spaghetti meat sauce recipe is not exactly “make-ahead friendly,” in that all that yummy flavor comes with at least an hour of simmering.
But! It does store remarkably well in the fridge, so:
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
Once you’ve made your sauce, you can store it in the fridge for up to four days in an airtight container. Any longer, and the oils from the meat will start to separate, plus you risk yucky things growing in your sauce.
If you served this sauce over noodles, I’d store the sauce and pasta separately in the fridge. The longer noodles sit in sauce, the more liquid they absorb, turning them mushy and losing their structure.
More Meaty Pasta Recipes
Got bit by the Italian cooking bug? There’s no cure — but to make more Italian dishes!
- Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Spaghetti Recipe With Ground Beef
- Baked Ziti with Mini Meatballs
- Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Baked Ziti With Meat
Spaghetti Meat Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound ground beef 80/20
- 1/2 pound Italian sausage loose
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar, optional
Instructions
- Brown ground beef and Italian sausage in a large pot over medium heat. Drain excess fat.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together. Increase heat to high just until sauce begins to boil. Reduce heat and maintain a simmer stirring occasionally, for 1-hour minimum or longer, up to 4 hours develops better flavor.
- Serve over cooked spaghetti.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
Nutrition
Conclusion
I make my spaghetti meat sauce recipe for special birthday dinners. I make it liven up busy weeknights. I make it to pretend I’m in Italy, carefully tending an homage to centuries of deliciousness. No matter the reason, I’m always glad I did!
What did you make spaghetti meat sauce for? Tell me in the comments!
Yummmmy! The ingredients are so simple!! I love it!
Thank you! It’s so easy! Enjoy 🙂