When cooking this delicious spaghetti meat sauce, the house smells heavenly.

Spaghetti Sauce with Pasta on Plate

This spaghetti sauce recipe has been around a long time in my family.

Each generation changes it up just a bit.

My grandmother made it with ribs, my mother made it with ground and shredded beef, and I make it with 3 different types of ground meat (pork, beef and turkey).

Spaghetti Sauce and Noodles on Plate

I also add a bit of spice to my version by including a Serrano chili pepper.

About this Recipe

The one thing each generation has in common when making this homemade spaghetti sauce is using canned tomatoes and canned tomato sauce.

Spaghetti Sauce and Pasta on Plate

When this spaghetti sauce is cooking, the first thing that guests say when they come in the house is “it smells so good in here“.

Spaghetti meat sauce and pasta

Serving

Since this meat sauce is on the thicker side, it pairs well with longer noodles such as spaghetti pasta, angel hair (capellini), linguine, bucantini and fettuccine.

I’ve also served it with rigatoni, ziti and penne pasta and it tastes wonderful.

When serving, top the sauce and pasta with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (or a combination of both).

Garlic Bread in Foil

And don’t forget the garlic bread…spaghetti and homemade garlic bread are a match made in heaven (recipe links for garlic bread are located at the end of this post).

Freeze Leftover Meat Sauce

It’s great to make a large batch of this sauce because it lasts nicely in the freezer.

Just defrost a container of spaghetti sauce, warm it up in a pot, boil up some pasta and wella, a delicious homemade dinner is served.

Let’s check out the ingredients.

Spaghetti Sauce Ingredients

Tomato sauce, canned cut tomatoes, tomato paste, celery, bell pepper, onion, Serrano pepper, garlic, olive oil, water, Worcestershire sauce, dried parsley, dried oregano, dried basil, bay leaves, salt, pepper and…

Ground Meat for Spaghetti Sauce

…ground beef, ground turkey and ground pork…

Mushrooms Olive Oil Herbs

…mushrooms and olive oil

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

printable recipe with the measurements and instructions is located at the bottom of this post.

Spaghetti Sauce Ingredients

Chop the Vegetables and Garlic:

Chopped Celery on Cutting Board

Chop all of the celery, including the leaves from the innermost section.

Add the chopped celery to a large bowl.

Mushrooms Onion Jalapeno on board

Slice the mushrooms in fairly thin slices…a little thicker than about 1/8 of an inch wide.

Add the mushrooms to the bowl.

Vegetables for Spaghetti Sauce in bowl

To the bowl, add chopped onion, bell pepper, Serrano pepper, and garlic.

Set aside for a moment.

Sauté the Vegetables and Garlic:

Olive Oil in Pot

In a large saucepan, add olive oil and heat the pan on medium heat.

Cooking Vegetables in Pan

To the pan, add the chopped vegetables.

Let the vegetables cook for 10 minutes while stirring about every 3 minutes.

Canned Cut Tomatoes, Sauce and Paste:

While the vegetables are cooking…

Canned Cut Tomatoes in Bowl

In the bowl that the chopped vegetables were in, add the cut tomatoes.

With a potato masher or a clean hand, mash them up a little.

Set aside for a moment.

Tomatoes in Spaghetti Sauce in pot

Spaghetti Sauce in Pot

Stir all of the ingredients.

Spaghetti Sauce in Pot

To the pot, add tomato sauce and tomato paste.

To the empty cans of tomato sauce, add water and stir (to get any excess tomato sauce that is left inside of the cans); add this water to the sauce and stir.

Seasonings:

Herbs in Spaghetti Sauce

To the pot, add Worcestershire sauce, parsley, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper.

Stir together.

Ground Meat:

Ground Meat in Skillet

To a large skillet add the ground meat and pepper.

Heat the skillet on medium heat and stir.

Using a heat resistant spatula or end of a wooden spoon, break up the ground meat so that it’s all about the same size.

Cooked Ground Meat in skillet

Continue cooking until the meat starts to brown.

Transfer the ground meat onto a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any excess grease.

Ground Meat in Spaghetti Sauce

To the sauce, add the cooked meat and stir.

Bay Leaves:

Bay Leaves in Spaghetti Sauce

To the pot, add bay leaves and stir.

Simmer the Sauce

Spaghetti Sauce in Pot

Continue to stir every 20 minutes or less.

Spaghetti Sauce in Pot

Here’s how the sauce looks after cooking for about 3 hours.

The sauce will reduce, thicken, and the ingredients should blend together nicely.

Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Serve

Spaghetti Sauce and Pasta on Plate

Serve warm…

Spaghetti and meat sauce on plate

…over spaghetti pasta, angel hair (capellini)

Spaghetti and meat sauce on plate

linguine, bucantini or fettuccine.

When serving, top the sauce and pasta with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (or a combination of both).

Spaghetti Meat Sauce and Pasta

Add a side of garlic bread (easy homemade garlic bread recipes below) and…

Spaghetti with meat sauce on plate

…dinner is served.

Spaghetti and meat sauce on plate

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Spaghetti and meat sauce on plate

How to Make Spaghetti Meat Sauce

The house smells heavenly while this delicious homemade sauce is cooking.  
5 from 2 votes

Ingredients

Vegetables and Garlic:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 bunch celery chopped, including the leaves from the innermost section of the bunch
  • 1 bell pepper stem and seems removed, chopped
  • 1 medium to large size onion peeled and chopped
  • 15 medium size fresh mushrooms sliced in fairly thin slices (a little thicker than about 1/8-inch wide)
  • 1 Serrano pepper stem and seeds removed, chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic peeled and chopped

Canned Tomatoes, Sauce and Paste:

  • 3 cans (14.5 ounces per can) cut tomatoes
  • 4 cans (15 ounces per can) tomato sauce
  • 3 cans (6 ounces per can) tomato paste
  • 3 cups water

Ground Meat:

  • 2 pounds lean ground meat beef, pork and, or turkey
  • 4 dashes ground black pepper for the ground meat

Seasonings:

  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 7 bay leaves
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper for the sauce

Equipment

  • A large spaghetti sauce pot

Instructions

Vegetables and Garlic:

  • In a large bowl, add the chopped bell pepper, onion, celery, mushrooms, garlic and serrano pepper.  With a large sturdy spoon mix together.
  • To a large sauce pan, add olive oil and heat the pan on medium heat.  To the pan, add the chopped vegetables. 
  • Let the vegetables cook for 10 minutes while stirring about every 3 minutes. 

Canned Cut Tomatoes:

  • In the bowl that the chopped vegetables were in, add the cut tomatoes. With a potato masher or clean hand, mash them up a little.
  • After the chopped items have cooked for about 10 minutes, add the cut tomatoes to the pot.  Stir together.

Tomato Sauce and Paste:

  • To the pot, add tomato sauce and tomato paste.  To the empty cans of tomato sauce, add water and stir (to get any excess tomato sauce that is still inside of the cans); add this water to the sauce.  

Seasonings:

  • To the pot, add Worcestershire sauce, parsley, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper.  Stir together.  
  • Turn the heat down to low and continue to stir occasionally while the meat is cooking in a separate pan.

Ground Meat:

  • To a large skillet, add the ground meat and ground black pepper.  Heat the skillet on medium heat and stir.  
  • Using a heat resistant spatula or the end of a wooden spoon, break up the ground meat so that the meat is all about the same size.  
  • Continue cooking until the meat starts to brown.  Transfer the ground meat onto a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any excess grease.

Spaghetti Sauce:

  • To the pot with the vegetables and canned tomatoes, add the cooked and drained ground meat. Stir.
  • Add bay leaves to the pot and stir.
  • Let simmer for at least 3 hours.  Continue to stir every 20 minutes or less. 
  • After simmering for 3 hours, the sauce should reduce, thicken, and the ingredients should blend together nicely.
  • Remove the bay leaves before serving. 

Serve:

  • Serve warm over any type of pasta.

This recipe was originally posted on July 23, 2011.

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