Homemade Spaghetti Sauce is a household staple. Better than what you can find at the local supermarket, this recipe uses fresh vegetables, lean meat, savory seasonings, sweet tomatoes, and a little red wine to create the perfect sauce. Serve it over simple spaghetti for an unforgettable meal every time!
We like to complete our Spaghetti dinners with an appetizer of Simple Cream Cheese Bruschetta, a side Caesar Salad, and Focaccia bread to soak up the leftover sauce!
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
We firmly believe everyone should have a homemade Spaghetti Sauce recipe that they can easily whip up. It’s practically a dinner staple! A good spaghetti sauce is quintessential for weeknight meals, Sunday night family dinners, or to impress a date or friends.
Spaghetti is one of those meals that is both comforting and seems just a little fancy and it all comes down to the sauce. Homemade is always better than the jarred stuff you find in stores. The best part is that this recipe couldn’t be easier or more mouthwatering.
Sauteed onions and peppers, juicy ground beef and pork, savory beef broth, fresh tomatoes, and a splash of red wine come together to create the perfect sauce. The key is to let it simmer for a few hours to really let those flavors marry. Keep this recipe in your repertoire, we promise it comes in handy!
How To Make Spaghetti Sauce
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the ground beef and pork, olive oil, diced onion, chopped bell pepper, and minced garlic until the vegetables have softened and the meat has cooked through. Drain any fat and return the mixture to the pot.
- Using a food processor, pulse your tomatoes 3 to 4 times until they are broken into chunks. Careful not to overdo it and turn them into a puree.
- Add the tomato chunks, tomato paste, basil, thyme, salt, and bay leaf to the pot with the meat and vegetables. Stir to combine.
- Pour in your beef broth and red wine and stir. Bring the liquid to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 2 hours or until the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency.
- Do a quick taste test, adjust any seasonings to your liking, and serve over your favorite pasta dish. Enjoy!
Tips and Variations
- Instead of ground meat you can swap this out for meatballs or leave the sauce meatless.
- You can substitute any variety of Italian sausage for the ground pork if you prefer.
- If you want to omit the red wine from the recipe, use more beef broth in its place.
- If you don’t want to leave the sauce simmering on the stove for hours, transfer it to your crockpot and let simmer there until it thickens.
- Go for sweeter tomatoes when choosing ones to add to the sauce, you’ll want less acidity when blending with all the other flavors.
Storage and Reheating
Storage: Store leftover spaghetti sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days.
Freezing: You can also freeze the sauce once it cools completely. Store in a freezer safe container (or flat in a ziplock bag to save space in your freezer) for 2 months.
Reheating: Reheat on the stove or microwave until warmed through. If frozen, let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before heating and serving.
Recipe Card with Ingredient Amounts and Instructions
Suggested Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, large in size, chopped
- 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
- 84 ounces whole San Marzano tomatoes, 3 (28 ounce) cans
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 3 teaspoon(s) oregano, dried
- 1 teaspoon(s) basil, dried
- 1 teaspoon(s) thyme, dried
- 1 teaspoon(s) kosher salt, or to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 ½ cups beef broth
- ½ cup dry red wine
Instructions
- In a large pan or Dutch oven, cook the ground beef, ground pork, olive oil, onion, bell pepper, and garlic until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables have softened. Drain any excess fat, and return to the pan.1 pound ground beef1 pound ground pork¼ cup olive oil1 yellow onion1 green bell pepper5-6 cloves garlic
- Place the tomatoes in a food processor, and pulse 3 to 4 times until they are broken down into chunks but not pureed.84 ounces whole San Marzano tomatoes
- Add the pureed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, thyme, salt, and bay leaf to the pan. Stir to combine.6 ounces tomato paste3 teaspoon(s) oregano1 teaspoon(s) basil1 teaspoon(s) thyme1 bay leaf1 teaspoon(s) kosher salt
- Pour in the beef broth and red wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Continue simmering uncovered for 2 hours or until the sauce has thickened to the desired consistency.2 ½ cups beef broth½ cup dry red wine
- Taste, add additional salt, and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve hot over your favorite pasta.
- See post for storage options.
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