Best Meat Sauce Recipe with Spaghetti

Aerial photo of a bowl of pasta with homemade meat sauce on it. There is a fork in the bowl and the plate is garnished with parsley and grated cheese.

5 from 4 votes

Best Meat Sauce Recipe with Spaghetti

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.

Prep Time20

Bake Time1 30

Total Time1 50

Recipe Author Lynn April

Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

▢ 2 Tablespoons (27g) extra virgin olive oil
▢ 1 large onion I prefer a sweet one
▢ 3 cloves of garlic minced
▢ 1 and ½ to 2 pounds (680-907g) ground meat I prefer pork-- if you use a lean meat, add more olive oil
▢ 28 ounces (794g) crushed tomatoes¹
▢ 12 ounces (340g) tomato paste
▢ ½ to 1 teaspoon salt

Need to keep track of your ingredients?Check out my Printable Ingredient List!

Instructions

Add the olive oil to a large warmed skillet or saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, and ground meat and cook until meat is browned and onion is translucent.
2 Tablespoons (27g) extra virgin olive oil, 1 large onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 and ½ to 2 pounds (680-907g) ground meat
Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and salt to the skillet, then simmer sauce on low at least 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until desired thickness. Add water if sauce is too thick for your liking. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 1 week. Sauce freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight.
28 ounces (794g) crushed tomatoes1, 12 ounces (340g) tomato paste, ½ to 1 teaspoon salt

Notes

Fresh tomatoes: you can make your own crushed tomatoes-- using a sharp knife, score the bottom of each tomato with an "X" and boil in water until skin pulls away (approximately 1 minute). Transfer boiled tomatoes to a bowl of ice water and allow to cool. Peel and quarter tomatoes, then pulse in a food processor until crushed.

Nutrition Disclosure

All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.