Meat Sauce Recipe

The BEST Meat Sauce Recipe has both beef and Italian sausage, plenty of spices, and even a touch of sugar. It’s perfect for lasagna, spaghetti, or zoodles, and it comes together with easy pantry ingredients.

This homemade spaghetti sauce recipe is made from scratch and worth getting excited about. First of all, it beats anything out of the jar. You can breeze right through the pasta sauce aisle, knowing that your homemade meat sauce is worlds better. Galaxies, even.

I recommend making the sauce with both ground beef and ground sausage (a half pound of each), but you can choose one or the other, too. Either way, adding the fennel seeds will really elevate the flavor of this sauce. The sugar is possibly a Midwestern thing; we love sugar in our spaghetti sauce. Feel free to leave it out if that sounds weird.

Put your easy meat sauce recipe to work with your favorite pasta or next batch of Spaghetti and Meatballs, Lasagna, or Baked Ziti. Cutting carbs? This meat sauce is a critical element in our Zucchini Lasagna and Zucchini Parmesan, and I bet you could make it work with Stuffed Zucchini, too.

Or, just toss it with spaghetti noodles and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. It’s easy and delicious!

Recipe ingredients

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

Ingredient notes

• Ground meat: You can do 2 pounds of ground beef, 2 pounds of ground Italian sausage, or 1 pound of each. Choose lean ground beef if that’s important to you.
• Sugar: Even a tablespoon is too much for some people. If you don’t like the sound of sugar in your meat sauce, please leave it out. In my family, people add ¼ cup or even up to ½ cup.
• Italian seasoning: It’s easy to make your own homemade Italian seasoning with dried basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme and marjoram. Fresh herbs are delicious if you have them.
• Fennel seeds: The seeds make the Italian sausage flavors pop. If you love the taste of a sweet tomato sauce, use just ground beef (no sausage), at least ¼ cup sugar, and omit the fennel seeds.

Step-by-step instructions

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add beef, sausage, and onion and cook until mostly browned, about 5 minutes. Break up clumps with a wooden spoon. Drain the grease if desired. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. To the bottom of the pot, add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, and bay leaf. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper).

3. Serve with cooked pasta or spiralized zoodles. Or, use in your next Homemade Lasagna, Zucchini Parmesan, or Eggplant Parmesan.

Recipe tips and variations

• Yield: This spaghetti meat sauce recipe makes 2 quarts (8 cups), enough for 16 servings, ½ cup each.
• Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• Make ahead: The sauce can be made, cooled, covered, and refrigerated up to 3 days in advance. To make sauce cool quickly, add it to a bowl set in a vat of ice water and stir frequently.
• Freezer: Cool the finished sauce, then pack into freezer-safe containers (I like to use glass Mason jars; leave a half-inch of head space for expansion), and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Flat-laying freezer bags work too!
• Customize your sauce: Change up this homemade meat sauce recipe to your personal preference. For a lighter sauce, use ground chicken or ground turkey instead of beef and ground pork sausage. You could even add veal for a “meatloaf mix.” 
• Herbs: Stir minced fresh herbs into the final sauce or garnish your dish with fresh parsley or fresh basil.
• Spicy: Stir in red pepper flakes to taste with the other spices or pass separately at the table.
• Creamy: Add heavy cream to taste (start with ¼ cup and see if you want more). If you have time for the sauce to simmer longer, stir in a leftover Parmesan cheese rind from the freezer.
• Buttery: Add 1 or 2 tablespoons butter or a drizzle of olive oil to the sauce for a rich, buttery taste.
• Thicker: For a thicker homemade spaghetti meat sauce, simmer to your desired consistency or stir in a can of tomato paste.
• Bolognese sauce: Use a mixture of ground beef and pork with mirepoix, a mixture of onion, carrots, and celery sautéed in olive oil. Then, add tomato paste, white wine, and milk, and simmer. To me, the most noticeable factor of bolognese is that it doesn’t contain garlic.
• Italian meatballs: These classic Italian Meatballs are ready to be sauced and served with spaghetti, on meatball subs, or as an appetizer. Pan-fry and baking instructions included! Or try my wildly popular Turkey Meatballs.
• Meatless: For a hearty meatless marinara sauce, try my Homemade Tomato Sauce. You can add extra vegetables like onions, bell peppers, or finely diced carrots. This one makes a great pizza sauce, too!
• Spaghetti and Meatballs: This classic Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe is a hearty and comforting family dinner idea. One bite of this Italian-American dinner recipe will transport you to a Midwestern red sauce restaurant.
• Spaghetti Squash with meat sauce: Learn how to cook spaghetti squash, then top with homemade tomato sauce or your favorite meat sauce.
• Lasagna: This traditional Lasagna Recipe has three kinds of cheese, two different meats, one fantastic homemade sauce, and plenty of cheese. Or, try my super popular Make Ahead Lasagna which uses standard lasagna noodles (not the no-boil kind) but they go in unboiled, uncooked, bone-dry. It’s amazing.
• Zucchini Lasagna: Grilled ribbons of zucchini stand in for lasagna noodles in this Zucchini Lasagna layered with ricotta and marinara-coated ground beef.
• Zucchini Parmesan: In lieu of the whole breading-and-frying situation, this fuss-free Zucchini Parmesan uses roasted zucchini “noodles” in one of my best Italian dinners for busy weeknights.
• Baked Ziti: Far less fussy than lasagna but just as cheesy and comforting, this meaty Baked Ziti casserole is made with ground Italian sausage and calls for just 15 minutes of prep time.

More Italian favorites

Italian Recipes

Garlic Bread

Salad Recipes

Caesar Salad

Italian Recipes

Antipasto Platter

Italian Recipes

Bacon Carbonara

Meat Sauce Recipe

By Meggan Hill

The BEST Meat Sauce Recipe has both beef and Italian sausage, plenty of spices, and even a touch of sugar. It's perfect for lasagna, spaghetti, or zoodles, and it comes together with easy pantry ingredients.

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings 16 servings (½ cup each)

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Calories 171

4.96 from 311 votes

ReviewPrint

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 2 pounds ground beef and/or ground Italian sausage (see note 1)
• ▢ 1 medium onion peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• ▢ 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• ▢ 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• ▢ 2 tablespoons granulated sugar or to taste (see note 2)
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (see note 3)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (see note 4)
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions 

• In a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add beef, sausage, and onion and cook until mostly browned, about 5 minutes. Drain if desired. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, and bay leaf. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper).

Recipe Video

Notes

1. Ground meat: You can do 2 pounds of ground beef, 2 pounds of ground Italian sausage, or 1 pound of each.
2. Sugar: Even a tablespoon is too much for some people. If you don’t like the sound of sugar in your meat sauce, please leave it out. In my family, people add ¼ cup or even up to ½ cup.
3. Italian seasoning: To make your own Italian Seasoning, in a small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp. of dried basil, 2 Tbsp. of dried oregano, 2 Tbsp. of dried rosemary, 2 Tbsp. of dried thyme, and 2 Tbsp. of dried marjoram. Store extra in an airtight container.
4. Fennel seeds: The seeds make the Italian sausage flavors pop. If you love the taste of a sweet tomato sauce, use just ground beef (no sausage), at least ¼ cup sugar, and omit the fennel seeds.
5. Yield: This recipe makes 2 quarts (8 cups), enough for 16 servings, ½ cup each.
6. Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5 cupCalories: 171kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 11gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 105mgPotassium: 319mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 111IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 36mgIron: 2mg

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