Homemade Spaghetti Meat Sauce Recipe

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This authentic Italian meat sauce recipe is made with seven simple ingredients and has been the trusted go-to in my family for over a century. 

In fact, the current owners of my family’s restaurant still use this great recipe as originally written alongside staples like the original meatballs and traditional Italian-style pizza. 

While I think there are some really great pasta sauces out there that you can buy from the store, I am of the opinion that there are too many that are packed full of way too many ingredients that completely mask the basic, fundamental spaghetti sauce recipes (as well as other authentic Italian recipes) that my great grandparents brought with them directly from Italy.

Furthermore, sometimes I find that store-bought meat sauces can be a little too thin for my liking, and what I love about this particular homemade meat sauce is that you can absolutely cook it to your liking.

If you like a hardy, thick sauce, cook it for a longer time than you might if you prefer a thinner one. The good news is if you cook it down too far, you can always add back in some water or continue to cook it if you feel it isn’t quite thick enough. It’s flexible. It’s customizable. And that, in turn, makes it so simple and easy.

That’s the beauty of the “basic bones” style of this homemade spaghetti sauce: you don’t have to try to find more wine or more jarred sauce because you’re working with nothing but meat and tomatoes (that’s like “meat and potatoes” but the Italian version). It’s hard to screw it up if you follow the recipe card below. 

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Spaghetti Meat Sauce Ingredients

This homemade meat sauce recipe is very very simple with just a 7-ingredient list. And I am going to be very very snobby-ish about why (so that Nonna and Nonno DeAngelis don’t haunt me for obliterating their recipe).

We don’t need a ton of fancy spices or fresh herbs, nor do we need red wine or white wine, or, god forbid, SUGAR for simple spaghetti meat sauce. The best meat sauce lets the tomatoes and the meat shine through without many things to mask the natural flavors of these important components.

For this spaghetti meat sauce recipe, you will need:
• olive oil
• fresh garlic
• onion
• meat (more on this in a bit)
• crushed tomatoes (more on these in a bit, too)
• tomato paste
• salt

In our family’s opinion, sugar absolutely does not belong in pasta sauce.

In fact, when he emailed me the recipe, my dad said in his typical silly humor, “during this entire process, ensure that your sugar container remains in your cupboard.”

If you’re looking for subtle sweetness, that’s where a sweet onion can come in.

My dad has always used a white onion, but I find that I really enjoy the natural sweetness of a simple tomato sauce + a sweet onion. It’s absolutely perfect against all that savory meat flavor. Use whatever type of onion you prefer, I just wouldn’t use a red onion– it is a little punchy against Italian flavor profiles or any Italian seasoning you might be using on your pasta dish.

Just keep in mind that if you choose to go with poultry or a lean ground beef, you may want to use a little extra olive oil while cooking your onions and garlic so the mixture doesn’t dry out.

Crushed tomatoes, as opposed to canned whole tomatoes, contain tomato puree which gives them a thicker texture. Since there is less liquid, the flavor of crushed tomatoes lends a more intense and rich flavor after they’ve been cooked in your Italian pasta sauce. Not only that, crushed tomatoes also cook more quickly since they have been flash cooked before canning. 

Alongside of these tomatoes, you’ll use tomato paste, which is a thick paste made from seedless, skinless cooked tomatoes, reduced to a rich, flavorful concentrate.

The combination of canned tomatoes with the puree included + tomato paste means we’re packing an incredibly tomato-y punch into the sauce. No watered down tomato flavor in this recipe!

Guess what? I have GOOD NEWS– you can absolutely use fresh tomatoes in place of canned crushed tomatoes. Just keep in mind that you may need to cook the sauce longer since your fresh tomatoes will not be pre-cooked like the canned crushed ones will.

This crushed tomatoes + tomato paste combination make the perfect simple base for this meaty spaghetti sauce without drowning out the flavors of the meat nor making the sauce too runny. I think you’re going to love the combo!

That’s. It. 

Your sauce is ready to use right away, but in my 35+ years of enjoying this sauce, I find it gets even more flavorful the longer it marries together in the refrigerator. It’s perfect for anything from soaking up with garlic bread to using in lasagna, or even on top of vegetables or eggs (one of my favorite uses for it!). 

Meat Sauce Recipe FAQs