This savory Meat Sauce is infused with fresh garlic, crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and a pinch of red pepper flakes for a rich and comforting sauce to serve over your favorite pasta. Ready in under 40 minutes, it makes any dinner a special occasion. I recommend serving the sauce over spaghetti for the ultimate dinner.
Everyone needs a go-to recipe that delivers every time. The recipe you think of when you have guests coming over and you need something delicious, that will also satisfy the picky eaters in the group. This meat sauce recipe is the dish that you will be proud to serve the family and when you have guests over.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This homemade sauce is ready in under 40 minutes.
- This sauce takes spaghetti night to the next level.
- If you need a meal to serve a crowd this is your meal.
Recipe Ingredients
- Ground beef: We prefer 93% lean ground beef.
- Yellow onion: Adds depth to this sauce with a robust flavor.
- Coarse kosher salt: Larger and coarser grains help season food more evenly than table salt.
- Black pepper: Spicy and earthy, it adds subtle warmth and enhances other flavors.
- Garlic: Fresh or from a jar would work for this recipe.
- Crushed tomatoes: The texture in the tomatoes helps add body to the sauce, and the flavors build the base of the sauce.
- Tomato sauce: Brings a smooth texture and a tangy, rich flavor to the recipe.
- Tomato paste: Helps build the tomato flavor and thickens the sauce.
- Granulated sugar: This cuts the acidity of the tomatoes and balances the flavors.
- Worcestershire sauce: Tangy, savory and sweet, this sauce adds a complex flavor.
- Italian seasoning: Available in grocery stores or make your own Italian seasoning.
- Herbs: Dried parsley, dried basil, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and fresh parsley give the sauce its delicious flavor.
How to Make This Meat Sauce
Be sure to see the recipe card for full ingredients and instructions.
- Sauté. In a sauté pan over medium heat add the ground beef, onion, salt, and pepper. Sauté for 4 minutes.
- Add garlic. Add the garlic to the saute pan and continue cooking until the juices of the meat run clear, which will take 3-5 more minutes. Drain the meat if needed.
- Combine. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, granulated sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, dried parsley, dried basil, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.
- Simmer. Turn the burner down to low to medium and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes with the lid on. Leave a little room for air to escape, occasionally stirring throughout.
- Finish. Serve with cooked pasta and top with parsley.
Recipe FAQ's
Yes, there are a number of vegetables that would compliment the flavors in this meat sauce. Try chopping up your favorite mushrooms, add diced carrots or zucchini and simmer with the sauce. You can also add chopped spinach before serving.
Tomato based sauces can be quite acidic, so a little bit of sugar helps to balance the flavors in the sauce. This recipe calls for white sugar, but brown sugar can be substituted as well.
Top Tips
- Plan to make a double batch of this meat sauce recipe. After the sauce is done cooking, divide the recipe in half and set half aside to let it cool. Once cooled, place in a freezer safe container or zip-top bag and freeze. This meat sauce will last up to 3 months in the freezer. When you're in a hurry for dinner later, you can thaw the sauce while cooking fresh pasta to have a quick meal ready in minutes.
Recipe Variations
- You can use ½ pound of ground beef and ½ pound of ground Italian sausage for the meat sauce.
- Ground turkey can also be used to lighten things up, or a combination of ground turkey and ground beef or ground Italian sausage.
- To turn up the heat, add a pinch more red pepper flakes or to taste.
Storage & Reheating
- To store: You can keep the leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To reheat: Place a serving size in a microwave safe dish and heat until warmed throughout. You can also reheat this on the stovetop; stir and heat until it is warm.
- To freeze: This is a great sauce to freeze, as it will keep for 3 months in the freezer.
Easy Sides for Pairing With Meat Sauce
If you want to keep things super simple, pair your meat sauce with spaghetti noodles for a delicious main dish. If you're up for putting in a little more effort, here are some easy side dish ideas that will go well with the flavors in this recipe:
- Easy Garlic Bread
- Air Fryer Asparagus
- Caprese salad
- Roasted broccoli or brussels sprouts
- Garden salad with light vinaigrette dressing
More Pasta Recipes
- Pizza Pasta Casserole
- Crock Pot Baked Ziti
- Creamy Tomato and Spinach Tortellini
- Spaghetti Pie
- Olive Garden Stuffed Shells
Did you make this recipe? Leave a star rating and I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.
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Meat Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef (we prefer 93% lean ground beef)
- ¼ cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 3 ounces tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 Tablespoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a sauté pan over medium heat add the ground beef, onion, salt, and pepper. Sauté for 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic to the sauté pan and continue cooking until the juices of the meat run clear, which will take 3-5 more minutes. Drain the meat if needed.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, granulated sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, dried parsley, dried basil, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.
- Turn the burner down to low to medium and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes with the lid on. Leave a little room for air to escape, and occasionally stir throughout.
- Serve with cooked pasta and top with parsley.
Notes
- To store: You can keep the leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To reheat: Place a serving size in a microwave safe dish and heat until warmed throughout. You can also reheat this on the stovetop, stir and heat until it is warm.
- To freeze: This is a great sauce to freeze, as it will keep for 3 months in the freezer.
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