This homemade spaghetti sauce with meat is rich, hearty, and ready in just 30 minutes. Made with ground beef, tomatoes and simple ingredients. It delivers deep flavor without hours of simmering. Perfect for busy weeknights or quick pasta dinners.
This sauce with meat is perfect for my creamy lasagna with béchamel sauce, my cheesy baked spaghetti, or my cheesy baked ziti recipe.
And if you are looking for a more traditional sauce like a veal ragù or beef ragù, try my recipe for classic ground beef ragù.
Visit my recipe box for some more great recipe ideas inspired by Italian tradition!
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Here's Why You'll Love this Recipe
You'll love this pasta sauce recipe because:
- ready in just 30 minutes using pantry ingredients
- rich, comforting flavor without long simmering
- perfect for pasta, baked dishes, or meal prep
- freezer friendly and easy to double
- perfect sauce for leftovers and take to work lunches
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The One Ingredient I never Skip When Making Spaghetti Sauce
Living in Canada, fresh herbs are hard to come by. Summer is 3 months long and we get some mild temperatures 6 out of 12 months of the year.
While grocery stores always have fresh herbs on site, it's way more convenient to step out in to your garden to grab some fresh herbs when available.
During the summer, we always plant herbs like oregano, basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary and chives.
This means I don't always have fresh basil on hand. But, I always use basil when making a simple marinara sauce or meat sauce.
In the summer, I'll use fresh basil and in the winter, I'll use dried basil that was made from the garden basil we didn't use.
Ingredients
For this quick homemade spaghetti sauce you'll need: olive oil, garlic, ground beef, tomato paste, tomato, tomato passata, basil and seasoning.
For exact measurement details and directions see recipe card...
How to Make Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Chop your tomato into cubes. Prepare your garlic by slicing it. Set aside.
Thaw your ground beef fully before use, if it was frozen.
Heat up the oil on medium heat in a medium skillet or pot. Cook the garlic until fragrant then add the ground beef. Using a wooden spatula break of the meat as you stir. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
Cook the beef until brown. (If you find that there is too much fat from the beef, you can drain the fat and then return the ground beef to the pan.)
Add the tomato paste. Stir the beef until all of the tomato paste has been mixed and evenly distributed into the beef. Add the chopped tomatoes. Cover and cook on medium for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes have wilted and are soft. Use a wooden spoon to squash the tomato chunks.
Add the tomato passata. If you are using fresh basil, add it now. Add any other ground spices as well. Cover and simmer on low for 10 to 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
Once the sauce is ready, turn off the heat. If you are using ground basil, add it now and stir in to the sauce until well combined.
Storage
This homemade spaghetti sauce stores well in the fridge and freezes perfectly. Let the sauce cool down to room temperature, then place in an airtight container like a jar and place it in the refrigerator.
For freezing place in airtight freezer-safe containers for not more than 2 months.
Thaw overnight then re-heat on the stove top for best texture results.
Top Tips
Brown the meat thoroughly to build flavors before adding tomatoes.
Drain excess fat, then return the meat to the skillet.
Cook the tomato paste for a minute or two to deepen richness.
Taste and adjust salt at the end once flavors develop.
If the sauce thickens too much, add a small splash of pasta water when tossing with pasta.
Substitutions and Variations
Get creative with substitutions and variations in this recipe by using:
- Vegetables - add vegetables like onions, red peppers, mushrooms, carrots in your homemade spaghetti sauce recipe
- Meat - use ground turkey, ground chicken or mild Italian sausage in your tomato sauce
- Herbs - try adding fresh parsley or other dried herbs
- Spice - add red pepper flakes for a little heat
- Cheese - top your pasta dish with parmesan cheese for the ultimate comfort meal
The perfect recipe isn't that far away. I'd love to know how you substituted ingredients to fit your dietary needs. Drop a comment below and let me know!
Try one of these Pasta Dishes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe Details
Homemade Meat Sauce
https://easyhomemaderecipes.caIngredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 4½ oz tomato 1 medium tomato, cubed
- 13 oz tomato passata or more
- 3 leaves fresh basil or ½ tsp ground basil
Instructions
- Heat up the oil on medium-high heat in a medium skillet or pot. Cook the garlic until fragrant then add the ground beef. Using a wooden spatula break of the meat as you stir. Add salt and black pepper to taste.3 tbsp olive oil, 1 clove garlic, 1 lb ground beef, salt and pepper
- Cook the beef until brown. (If you find that there is too much fat from the beef, you can drain the fat and then return the ground beef to the pan.)
- Add the tomato paste. Stir the beef until all of the tomato paste has been mixed and evenly distributed into the beef. Add the chopped tomatoes. Cover and cook on medium for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes have wilted and are soft. Use a wooden spoon to squash the tomato chunks.2 tbsp tomato paste, 4½ oz tomato
- Add the tomato passata. If you are using fresh basil, add it now. Add any other herbs as well. Cover and simmer on low for 10 to 20 minutes stirring occasionally.3 leaves fresh basil, 13 oz tomato passata
- Once the sauce is ready, turn off the heat. If you are using ground basil, add it now and stir in to the sauce until well combined.3 leaves fresh basil
Notes
Top Tips
Brown the meat thoroughly to build flavors before adding tomatoes. Drain excess fat, then return the meat to the skillet. Cook the tomato paste for a minute or two to deepen richness. Taste and adjust salt at the end once flavors develop. If the sauce thickens too much, add a small splash of pasta water when tossing with pasta.Nutrition
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Food Safety
Note that the storage guidelines provided on this page and site are estimates from personal experiences. We are all adults and as an adult you are responsible to ensure that the food you eat is safe to eat. Since, I'm not a food safety expert, you are responsible to review your local guidelines on food storage prior to storing any food left-overs.
Remember to:
- Not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For Canadian Guidelines check the Government of Canada Food Safety Guidelines or see more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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