Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

This is my go-to Homemade Spaghetti Sauce that can be made in 30 minutes or less. It is made with ground beef, canned crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste. I usually serve this with spaghetti and some roasted vegetables. But today, I decided to serve it with my homemade meatballs as well. Hope you love this recipe as much as I do!

Looking for another tasty pasta dish? Try my Beefaroni or Roasted Tomato Pasta next!

About This Recipe

I've been making this homemade spaghetti sauce for almost 10 years now. It was one of the first homecooked dishes that I learned to make when I moved out of my parent's place, and it’s been one of my favorites ever since.

It's super easy and can be done in under 30 minutes. I know a lot of authentic pasta recipes want you to cook the sauce for at least 2 hours, but you do not need to do that for this recipe. You only need to simmer the sauce for 20-30 minutes, and it will end up with a very deep, rich flavor.

This recipe is so popular that my friends ask me if I'm making this when I invite them over. The sauce has a very tomato-y and beefy flavor. The key is to use a whole tin of tomato paste.

Key Ingredients

Extra virgin olive oil: This is for sauteeing the ground beef, onions, and garlic.

Extra-lean ground beef: I prefer extra-lean ground beef because it's healthier.

Onions & garlic: The secret to good spaghetti sauce is to use a good amount of onions and garlic. For this recipe, I used 1 medium yellow onion and 4 cloves of garlic.

Crushed tomatoes: You can also use diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes. If you use whole tomatoes, use a food processor or immersion blender to blend them until smooth.

Tomato paste: I used a whole 6-ounce tin. Tomato paste is essentially concentrated tomatoes with their water removed. It has a very deep tomato flavor.

Chicken stock: I used Better Than Bouillon chicken base and mixed it with water.

Spices & seasonings: Sugar, dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and black pepper. If you're feeling bougie, you can also use fresh oregano and basil.

Instructions

STEP 1: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, onions, and garlic, and cook for 6-8 minutes until the meat is no longer pink.

STEP 2: Add the tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes. You want the tomato paste to caramelize a bit to give it a deeper flavor.

STEP 3: Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes. If by the end of 30 minutes, the sauce is too watery, keep cooking it until it becomes thicker. On the other hand, if the sauce is too thick, just add more water.

Finally, taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper as needed. Serve with your favorite pasta 🙂

📋 Recipe

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

This has been my go-to homemade spaghetti sauce for over 10 years. It is one of my favorite and most frequently made recipes.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 pound lean ground beef
• ▢ 1 yellow onion (finely diced)
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• ▢ 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• ▢ 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock (or vegetable broth)
• ▢ 2 (15-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes (or diced tomatoes)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

 

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, onions, and garlic, and cook for 6-8 minutes until the beef is no longer pink.
• Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, sugar, basil, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes.
• Taste and add more salt or black pepper to taste. Serve with your favorite spaghetti, meatballs, and garnish with parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.

Did you make this?Let me know how it was!