It has been awhile since I shared a recipe with you, so I thought today could be a good day to share my in-law’s meaty spaghetti sauce recipe. It is SUPER simple to put together, but hearty and delicious.
My mother-in-law got this recipe years ago from an Italian family that lived next door to them. The Italian family used sausage in the recipe traditionally, but I’m not a big sausage person, so I just use ground beef when I make this spaghetti sauce.
I always double this recipe because it freezes beautifully as well! Another great thing about this recipe is that you can add pureed vegetables to it as a sneaky mama move if you so desire. It will change the flavor and consistency a bit, but it’ll still be tasty!
Spaghetti is one of the ultimate comfort foods in my book. A hearty plate of spaghetti, especially with some warm breadsticks or garlic bread, is sure to warm you up on a chilly night or comfort you when you’re blue, dontcha thing? Now let’s get cooking!
- 1¼ pounds ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- several Teaspoons olive oil
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 2 cans tomato paste (short and skinny can)
- 2 cans tomato sauce (short and fat can)
- 2 cans diced tomatoes (regular sized can)
- 1-2 Tablespoons dried basil (or to taste)
- 1-2 Tablespoons dried oregano (or to taste)
- 1-2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
- 1-2 teaspoons pepper (or to taste)
- Brown meat, drain.
- Throw in olive oil and onion (with meat) and cook until onion is soft.
- Add garlic and cook for 15 seconds (ONLY IF USING FRESH GARLIC, otherwise add garlic later with other spices).
- Add all tomatoes.
- Add spices.
- Bring to a boil.
- Simmer 1+ hours.
- Taste a couple of times to ensure that you have the spices the way that you like them.
- Serve over pasta and enjoy!
If you enjoyed this recipe then you may also like:
Creamy Spinach Tomato Tortellini
Renee Schouten says
Hi there,
how much sauce does the spaghetti sauce make?
Renee
Sarah Westover McKenna says
A ton! 12 – 16 cups maybe? It feeds us for many days.