This is the BEST Spaghetti Meat Sauce Recipe and has both ground beef and Italian sausage in it. It is so full of flavour and is easy to make in bulk for freezing.
My Uncle Ben makes the most amazing lasagna I have ever had! I managed to get his recipe (I will share it here soon), and have made it countless of times. I eventually realized that the meat sauce portion of the recipe would be awesome over pasta. And I was right! It pairs so perfectly with spaghetti so whenever I make the lasagna, I double the meat sauce portion so I will have extras for spaghetti.
This Best Spaghetti Meat Sauce Recipe is SO flavourful and is really easy to make in bulk to freeze for an easy weeknight meal. Just top with Parmesan cheese and serve with a fresh salad and glass of wine - a perfect dinner that is equal, if not better, than you would get at any Italian restaurant!
What ingredients do you need to make the Best Spaghetti Meat Sauce?
- Ground beef and Italian sausage - the beef and pork together create more flavour!
- Green pepper, onion, garlic
- Tomato sauce and tomato paste
- Fresh oregano, basil and parsley - you can use dried herbs but using fresh will elevate the taste and make the sauce that much better.
- Red pepper flakes - these don't make the sauce spicy, just more flavourful.
Looking for more weeknight meals? You'll love these:
Best Spaghetti Meat Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ lb 3-4 links Italian Sausage, casings removed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 22 oz jar tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons fresh oregano minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley minced
- ¼ teaspoons red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Cook the ground beef in a medium frying pan over medium heat until just past the pink stage.
- Pour the ground beef into a large dutch oven pot.
- Cook the sausage in the same frying pan, over medium heat, breaking the sausage up as it cooks.
- Drain the sausage fat and then pour the sausage into the dutch oven pot.
- Clean out the frying pan and place it back over medium heat. Grease the pan with olive oil and add in the peppers and onion once the pan is hot.
- Saute the vegetables until they are soft and the onion is translucent. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pour the vegetables into the dutch oven pot.
- Heat the dutch oven pot over medium heat and add in the can of tomato paste. Mix the tomato paste thoroughly through the meat and vegetables. Add tomato sauce and stir to combine.
- Add oregano, basil, parsley and red pepper flakes to the pot. Stir to combine and then simmer over low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Notes
- Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave or in a saucepan over stove top.
- The meat sauce can be frozen in freezer bags for up to 3 months. Bring it back to room temperature before reheating.
Mike Hegerfeld
Why the Green Pepper?
Nina
Many meat sauce recipes use bell peppers in their sauce. You can use a different colour of bell pepper, or simply leave it out. 🙂
Amanda
This sauce looks so delicious! Who doesn't love a big bowl of pasta 🙂
Colleen
Spaghetti is a go to weeknight meal for us. Every cook needs a classic spaghetti sauce recipe and this one looks delicious.