Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

close up overhead shot of a plate of Spaghetti noodles topped with Meat Sauce and garnished with parsley

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Rich and meaty, this spaghetti with meat sauce is a traditional Italian dish that will become a go-to recipe.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Total Time1 20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce Recipe

Servings: servings

Calories: 407kcal

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef, 93%-7% fat
1 cup sweet yellow onion, known as a Vidalia onion, small diced
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
2 tablespoons dry Italian seasoning blend
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
28 ounces can tomato puree
15 ounces can tomato puree
28 ounces whole plum tomatoes (San Marzano tomatoes), crushed
1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, chopped (plus additional for garnish)
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped (plus extra for garnish)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound spaghetti noodles, cooked according to package directions

Instructions

In a large stockpot (8-quart) on medium-high heat, add the olive oil and lean ground beef. Cook the ground beef for 5 minutes or until no pink remains. Be sure to break apart and crumble the ground beef as it is cooking. Push the cooked and crumbled ground beef to the side of the pot. If you have more than a tablespoon or so of excess fat in the pot, then drain off the excess fat from the pot.
To the pot where the ground beef was pushed to the side, add the chopped onions, minced fresh garlic, dry Italian seasoning blend, salt, and black pepper. Cook the onions and spices for 2 to 3 minutes or until the onions become translucent. Once the onions are cooked, combine them with the cooked ground beef.
Stir in the tomato paste to the ground beef mixture and cook for an additional 1 minute.
To the stockpot, with the cooked ground beef mixture, add the beef broth, tomato puree, and whole plum (San Marzano) tomatoes. Using a potato masher, break up the whole tomatoes into small pieces. Add the chopped fresh Italian parsley, chopped fresh basil, and granulated sugar. Stir to combine all the ingredients together.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer with the lid on for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Once your spaghetti meat sauce has simmered, you will turn off the heat to the pot, remove the lid, and stir in the unsalted butter to the sauce. This gives the sauce a nice silky finish.
When your spaghetti meat sauce is down to the last 10 minutes of simmering, you can prepare your spaghetti noodles according to the box directions.

Notes

This easy homemade spaghetti sauce recipe will freeze really well and is perfect to thaw and use for a quick pasta on busy weeknights.
If you have more than a tablespoon or so of excess fat in the pot, then drain off the excess fat from the pot.
Serve your spaghetti with meat sauce as individual portions or place your cooked spaghetti noodles onto a large pasta plate and top the noodles with the meat sauce. Top with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese before you serve it.

Nutrition