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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!
Table of Contents
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
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you sure can! Transfer the browned meat, onion, and garlic mixture to a slow cooker. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, and bay leaf, then cover and cook on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours or LOW for 4 to 6 hours.
Mix up your mix-ins by stirring in chopped green peppers or sliced mushrooms with the onions. Substitute fire-roasted tomatoes for the crushed tomatoes. Or, add chili flakes (a pinch or a lot!) for extra heat.
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Meat Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 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
- Ground meat: You can do 2 pounds of ground beef, 2 pounds of ground Italian sausage, or 1 pound of each.
- 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: 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.
- 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.
- Yield: This recipe makes 2 quarts (8 cups), enough for 16 servings, ½ cup each.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Hi Meggan!
Tried your recipe while babysitting for my grandchildren. Left out the fennel seeds and added 1 tsp. of salt and a peeled chopped zucchini… even my 21 month old granddaughter who is a very picky eater LOVED it! Thanks 🙏
If you grate the zucchini, it thickens the sauce without the need to let it simmer for hours – it virtually disappears/melts into the sauce.
Best meat sauce I’ve ever made. I’ve been looking for the perfect recipe and have found it.
This is the best meat sauce ever. I used ground beef & pork 1/2 &1/2 to an equal portion of hot Italian sausage. Everything else exactly as called for. Everyone loved it. Thanks for the great recipe. It will become a family tradition.
Update: My apologies for the first review😔. I didn’t realize I had to go past so many things to get to the ingredients! I’m old and used to seeing recipes listing the ingredients first. I thought the directions at the beginning were for cooks who already knew what they were doing. 😂😂😂 The sauce is really delicious!
Hi Susan, I am so sorry for our post format!!! We just list out the basic method to go with the photos, and then there is the “recipe card” with the ingredients. We don’t put them together because if you print out the recipe card, you don’t want a ton of photos. I’m really sorry for the confusion. Thank you for your patience and you’re wonderful. -Meggan
This the hands down the BEST pasta sauce ever!!! I have made the same pasta sauce for 35 years……and then I found this recipe. Throw out every pasta sauce recipe you’ve ever made. Everyone always wants the recipe. Pour this whole recipe over a pound of pasta and EVERYONE will be happy.
WOW! Thank you so much Jeannette! What an amazing compliment! This just makes my day! I’m so happy you like it! 🙂 -Meggan
Made this today for freezing and later use in single-serving portions. I chose this recipe because it’s very simple and I actually had all the ingredients on hand, including the Italian sausage. But of course I sampled along the way. And it’s a winner! The fennel really adds to the flavor, and I found my addition of 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes to be just right for a hint of heat. Next time – and there will be a next time! – I’ll probably try some other additions, like sliced creminis. In all, a very good recipe as-is.
I have been making this recipe with HUGE success. Of course, I do a minor tweak, I omit the sausage but don’t double the beef. I add a bit less fennel seeds. I also add in some crushed coriander seeds. Sometimes I add chopped, butter-sautéed bell peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms (or make it completely vegetarian). Otherwise, its FANTASTIC AND SUPER EASY.
Made this today for supper. Since I had to work through the normal dinner hour, I prepared it all earlier and put it in the slow cooker for about 3 hours on low to get yummy while I was gone. When I got home and we sat to eat it was FABULOUS.
As for the sugar, I only used 1 teaspoon of salt. I prefer the bitter edge to the tomato products.
This sauce was awesome!!! I did not have sausage so I used 1 lb chop meat lean and 1 lb Whalburg Angus burgers. I used Caraway Seeds – did not have Fennel. I added the 2 tablespoons of sugar and also added Red Wine – a Cabernet/Merlot mix. We ate it with Dreamfields Pasta – very light. I wish I had buns for sloppy joes. I’ll try it with the sausage (I like Sausage in my sauce) next time but it was just delicious without it. Thanks so much!!! Will be looking for other recipies from you.
This is delicious. My only difference was, I used sweet Italian sausages in the link and sliced them into 3/4 slices and brown them. Delicious!