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A bowl of spaghetti covered with meaty spaghetti sauce topped with basil and fresh Parmesan
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5 from 1 vote

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

This meaty sauce tastes like it simmered all day but cooks in under an hour.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Comfort Food / Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: dinner, Italian, pasta, sauce
Servings: 8
Calories: 203kcal
Author: Tricia

Ingredients

  • 1 pound 85% lean ground beef or a combination of ground beef and Italian sausage
  • 1 tablespoon water + 1/2 cup divided
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
  • 1 large onion finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 6 tablespoons tomato paste
  • ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 28 ounce can crushed San Marzano tomatoes or tomato sauce
  • 1 large sprig of fresh basil stems and leaves
  • salt and pepper to taste

For serving:

  • fresh basil leaves
  • Parmesan cheese
  • hot cooked spaghetti noodles or other pasta

Instructions

  • TIP: If serving with spaghetti or pasta, start heating a large pot of water until boiling. Reduce heat and keep warm until needed.
  • Mix 1 tablespoon water with ½ teaspoon baking soda in a small bowl. In a large bowl gently toss the ground beef with the baking soda water mixture and ½ teaspoon of salt until combined. Set aside.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven or large skillet on medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion starts to soften. Stir in the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and cook stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and the tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the paste darkens in color and a fond starts to form on the bottom, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Add the beef and cook while breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning, black pepper, and tomatoes with juice. Add ½ cup of water and stir until incorporated. Submerge the basil sprig into the sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
  • While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta al dente according to package directions and grate fresh Parmesan for serving.
  • Remove the wilted basil sprig and discard. Check the seasoning and add more salt if needed. Loosen or thin the sauce with about 1/4 cup hot pasta water, if needed, and serve over hot cooked spaghetti. Garnish with additional basil leaves and Parmesan.

Notes

  • Makes enough sauce to serve with one pound of pasta
Nutritional information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered as an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition

Calories: 203kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 490mg | Potassium: 505mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 323IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 3mg