My favorite spaghetti sauce recipe of all time! Hearty and meaty and filled with tons of flavor, this is a spaghetti sauce for any meat sauce lover!
If you are looking for a spaghetti sauce recipe with an unconventional ingredient, make sure to also check out this Easy Spaghetti Meat Sauce.
Looking for a recipe to pass down throughout time? My favorite Spaghetti Sauce Recipe is it! Any meat lover will be sure to keep this one in the family.
I love being able to find those traditional recipes that can be used often, especially when friends and family call on you for them. This sauce is one that I have been making since before I had kids and I’m sure that we’ll be having it long after they’ve left the house.
This spaghetti sauce recipe does have a jar of spaghetti sauce in it, but really, it’s just the perfect base. Plus, it makes the recipe a little bit easier. Make sure to start with a brand that you really love.
It also uses two kinds of meat. I love combining the ground beef along with Italian sausage for a deeper flavor. You can definitely sub in all of one or the other, but I think the combination of flavors is what really makes this recipe.
One of the biggest bonuses for this spaghetti sauce recipe is how well it freezes. The recipe makes a lot of sauce, so make sure to check out the tips below for freezing any leftovers. Or do what I do and make up a big batch every once in awhile to keep in the freezer for easy dinners!
How to Make Spaghetti Sauce
Making this spaghetti sauce recipe is as easy as combining a few ingredients and then letting it all simmer together.
- Start by cooking your mushrooms. If you (or your family) don’t care for mushrooms, you can definitely leave these out.
- Cook your meat, breaking it up as it cooks. When it’s almost finished cooking through, add the onion and carrot. Then add the garlic and parsley at the very end.
- Stir in the rest of your ingredients, stir it all to combine, and let it simmer! You need to let it simmer at least 20 minutes to heat through.
- Serve it over spaghetti noodles, or the pasta of your choice.
Spaghetti Sauce Tips and Tricks
- If you don’t have a Dutch oven, a heavy deep pot will work as well.
- Make sure to use a jarred spaghetti sauce that you like as it will alter the taste of the finished spaghetti sauce.
- This sauce gets better the longer it cooks. Just make sure to keep it on low to medium-low heat to simmer.
- For freezing, let the sauce cool entirely. Pour the sauce into containers that are safe for the freezer, or heavy-duty freezer bags. The spaghetti sauce will be good for 3-4 months.
- To reheat the sauce, empty the sauce into a saucepan. You will want to add a little water and stir on medium heat. Stir occasionally and continue to add water little by little if needed.
More Pasta Recipes
Tuna Casserole
Penne Pasta Bake
Skillet Pasta with Sausage
Shrimp Pasta in White Sauce
Alfredo Pasta with Bacon
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My Favorite Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
My favorite spaghetti sauce recipe of all time! Hearty and meaty and filled with tons of flavor, this is a spaghetti sauce for any meat sauce lover!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 (24 to 26 oz) jar spaghetti sauce
- 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons beef bullion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
- 1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until softened. Remove from the pot.
- Add the ground beef and the sausage and cook, breaking it up as it cooks. Add the onion and carrot when the meat is almost cooked through and continue to cook until the meat is cooked and the onion and carrot are soft. Drain any fat, if needed.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the parsley.
- Add the diced tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, sugar, beef bullion powder, dried rosemary and dried basil. Stir to combine.
- Simmer for at least 20 minutes – but longer is better.
- Serve over pasta.
Recipe Notes:
*This sauce gets better the longer it cooks. Just make sure to keep it on low to medium-low heat to simmer.
*This sauce also reheats well and freezes well!
Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guideline.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10 of recipe
- Calories: 266
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 830 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 21 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
Keywords: spaghetti sauce, spaghetti sauce recipe, spaghetti with meat sauce, best spaghetti sauce
Jenny says
Sounds good to me! If my boys could have their way, they’d prefer to have spaghetti every night. Your pictures are beautiful!!
Grace says
nothing, and i do mean nothing, beats a good meat sauce. i’ll take it over alfredo or marinara any day of the week. fabulous! 🙂
Elle says
That looks SO delicious! I think I’d like some right now for lunch! mmmmm…
Psychgrad says
Wow – I’m glad that your in-laws are ok. Even with all of that you managed to take a good photo of the food. Kudos.
This recipe looks very good and I totally agree with you regarding canned/fresh mushrooms. I think I may have even mentioned this in a post for my spaghetti sauce before. The recipe looks great! Thank you for taking part in Tried, Tested and True!
Elle says
OMG–forgot to say thank goodness your in-laws weren’t terribly hurt!
kat says
that sauce sounds so good, i can’t think of the last time I just cooked up a good meat sauce. I hope your inlaws are healing well.
Maryann says
Spaghetti is always a good choice 🙂
Veron says
Yum, I like everything that goes into it!
taste memory says
I love this recipe. It’s a similar sauce to what my mom used to make for us when growing up in California….esp. w. the mushrooms and the fresh twist too it. I came across richer versions of this sauce when living in midwest/eastcoast…either way this is great to have in the pot for midweek dinners.
Gigi says
You can’t beat a good sauce over pasta and garlic bread. Yummy!
Emiline says
I’m sorry about your in-laws. I can’t believe she lost that much blood-that makes me cringe.
Your spaghetti looks great. I bet the sauce is really flavorful.
Shandy says
Your spaghetti sauce sounds delicious Deb! BTW, I have so missed saying Hi. Because I read your blog and check in so much, it just feels like a friendship and one that has been missed =). Your in-laws accident sounds really scary! That is a LOT of blood to lose. My MIL just had to have 2 pints of blood and she said it takes 4 hours to receive 1 pint. I think those phonecalls are the most emotionally stressful. I am glad to hear they are going to be okay and you are wonderful to have made them dinner.
I am always looking for a spaghetti sauce because I am just not happy with the different ones I have been trying. I will have to try yours this week because my daughter has been asking for a spaghetti dinner . . .now that she is kind of out of the dog house. . .a little =)
Patricia Scarpin says
Deb, I hope your in laws are recovering now. That’s serious!
And this pasta sauce would make Joao run to your place to have dinner. 😉
glamah16 says
Sounds like my type of sauce. Hope the in laws recover soon.Wehave been eating a lot of pasta lately.It is comforting.
Cookie baker Lynn says
Your spaghetti sauce looks very tasty. I’m sure your in-laws appreciated both the spaghetti and the thoughtfulness. I’m so glad that they’re OK!
Kevin says
That spaghetti sauce looks and sounds good. I like to make big batches of spaghetti sauce and freeze it as well. It makes for a quick emergency meal.
Sandy says
I love combining ground beef and sausage. Mmmm, YUM!
chou says
Oh, I’m glad your in-laws are okay! I hope the trip was fun up to that time.
Lina says
A instant family classic!
The Baker & The Curry Maker says
Yum! This looks great, I’ll be trying that for sure!
The Baker & The Curry Maker says
Yum! This looks great, I’ll be trying that for sure!
kellypea says
Your ingredients list is droolworthy, so no wonder you make this over and over again. YUM! Um…but what about your in laws. JEEZ! How scary! And I would so totally think about food. It makes everybody feel better.
Ryley says
Have you ever made the Pioneer womans lasagna?? It is sooooo good.. if you havent made it.. you should!! 🙂
But I have a hard time finding hot breakfast sausage here, so I do half hot italian and half reg breakfast sausage.
This sauce looks really good though.. I’ll have to add it to my list!!
Ann says
How wonderful to be able to make something you know is great AND comforting for family when they need a little extra TLC! Your recipe looks delicious!
Rosie says
This sounds a winner to me as I adore pasta in any form!!
Rosie x
Celine says
I made this last night and it was fabulous! thanks so much!
Blair says
Silly question, but is the rosemary dried or fresh? I am kind of spice-ignorant so I might not figure it out on my own!
Deborah says
Blair – in this recipe, it is dried. I really should have specified that!!
Erin from The Sisters Cafe says
I posted this recipe on my site today, with credit and link to you of course! Thank you for the delicious recipe!