This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you purchase through those links (at no extra cost to you).
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.
More Italian favorites
Italian Recipes
Garlic Bread
Salad Recipes
Caesar Salad
Italian Recipes
Antipasto Platter
Italian Recipes
Bacon Carbonara
Join Us
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.
This is a solid recipe. When I make it a tweak it a little bit. First off I always sweat the onions before making a sauce. It takes just a bit more time, but is worth the effort.
The other thing is that I use two big cans of San Marzano tomatoes instead of using a combination of canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. I have to mash the tomatoes but that is not a big deal. And it takes a longer simmer time, but I don’t really care.
As for Italian seasonings you can use the constituents in the ratios that you prefer.
When would you add the mushrooms?
Hi Angela, I would add the mushrooms in Step 1 with the meat and onions. They have a lot of liquid to release, so you want to get rid of that before you add everything else (the liquid will come out of the mushrooms and then cook off). Thanks!
i store mine in sandwich zip bags squeeze air out and pat bag flat easy to store and easy to thaw.
Hi– I jut made this last week and it was amazing! Thanks for the recipe. What is your best recommendation for storing it in the freezer? what kind of container?
Hi Meggan,
Do you prefer sweet or hot Italian sausage? I want to try your sauce but wondering what others prefer along with you. I have made with all Italian sausage but it seems to be overwhelming. I also use green pepper. I’m told sugar cuts the acidity from tomatoes. Please help!
Hi Shari! I always use sweet or mild Italian sausage. I have small kids so it just seems like a safe bet. I do like it with half beef and half sausage because otherwise like you said, all you taste is sausage. Green pepper would be a safe bet! The sugar is great in here, but you can leave it out if you’re worried about sugar… but yes, it tastes great! If you make the sauce, just taste it as it cooks and see what you think. You can always adjust as you go along, you know? You will be the best judge of what you like. If you have any other questions just let me know! Thanks Shari. 🙂
can you use your own tomatoes
Hi Fran, yes of course! That’s awesome. I wish I did the whole canning thing.
I have tried so many different recipes for pasta sauce, this by far is the best! I am usually altering recipes here and there, but followed this one exactly and if was awesome! Thank you, this will be my go to!
You made my day! Thank you Stephanie! I’m so happy to hear that and flattered that you made it as-is. 🙂 Glad it worked for you! Thanks again and take care.
Just curious if the recipe was correct about the 2 tablespoons of SUGAR, NOT SALT?? Someone else commented that the recipe had too much salt but the recipe does not call for salt
Hi Jennifer! Salt is to taste, it’s the last ingredient listed and if you check out the 2nd instruction, you’ll see I personally add 3 teaspoons of salt. I add 1 teaspoon before the 30-minute simmer and then another 2 teaspoons after. And yes, sugar is awesome in meat sauce AND is also easily left out if you are avoiding sugar for any reason. I hope this helps! Thanks.
Hi Meggan,
I just stumbled on this recipe and wondered if I could use this for my baked ziti? I always use spaghetti sauce from a jar but wanted to try doing something more natural and healthy. Anything I should change for ziti??
Hi Wendy! You can certainly use this and I don’t think there would be any changes. I’m assuming you cook the noodles first right? If you do that, there wouldn’t be any changes. Sounds like a great dish, please send leftovers ha ha! 🙂
BEST MEAT SAUCE EVER. We don’t eat pork so I usually either do 2 lbs ground beef or 1 lb beef and 1 lb chicken. Sometimes I throw in mushrooms. It’s amazing everytime! Thank you!