Nana's Best Meat Sauce (with Spaghetti!) Recipe | A Spicy Perspective (2024)

Nana’s Best Meat Sauce Recipe (with Spaghetti)– Zesty, savory, and terrifically meaty, this Best Spaghetti Recipe with homemadeItalianmeat sauce recipe is perfect to enjoy withgarlic bread and much more!

Why We Love This Meat Sauce Recipe

Nana knows athing or twoabout home cooking.

If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you’ve surely triedNana’s EPIC Creamy Potato Soup RecipeandNana’s Epic Chicken and Rice. If you haven’t yet STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING and go add these to your dinner menu for next week. Seriously.

Anyways, as I was saying, my mom “Nana” is my go-to guide for all things comfort food. So when I wanted to create ahearty, savory, Sunday dinner-worthySpaghetti with Meat Saucerecipe, I of course turned to Nana…

This fabulouslyeasy and delicioussauce is a play off my mom’s old-timey spaghetti and meat sauce recipe. It’s not meant to be an authentic Italian Bolognese recipe, but is more of a classic Italian-America bistro meat sauce that’s heavy on tomatoes. It is similar toSunday Gravybut without the sausage links and peppers.

The Best Spaghetti Meat Sauce Recipe

Although there are lots of ingredients you can add to Italian meat sauce, we like to keep it simple so that the flavor of the ground meat, Italian sausage, tomatoes, garlic, and basil really shines through.

It is basic butincredibly satisfyingwithlots of rustic flavors. Our Spaghetti Meat Sauce Recipe can be enjoyed on everything from pasta topolentaand even potatoes!

This sauce is fabulous on day one, but even better after 24 hours. It’s a great recipe to make and freeze for an effortless homemade meal later in the week or month. I love preparing several batches at once to stock the freezer and to give to friends.

We hope you enjoy the best meat sauce with your family, too!

Spaghetti Sauce Ingredients

Here are the ingredients needed to make our classic Italian-inspired Spaghetti Meat Sauce recipe:

• Butter
• Red onion
• Garlic
• Ground Italian sausage
• Ground beef
• Dried oregano
• Canned tomato sauce (or 20 oz tomato paste + 36 oz water)
• Canned crushed tomatoes
• Fresh basil
• Salt and pepper

You canjazz the sauce upa bit by adding a variety of other ingredients, like shaved carrots, aged balsamic vinegar, red wine, crushed red pepper, ground veal, and/or bell peppers. These aren’t necessary, but each adds a different unique flavor that can be fun to try!

Also… Sometimes canned tomatoes can be overly acidic and benefit from a littlebit of sugarto balance the flavor. Only useif needed, and remember, a little goes a long way.

How to Make Meat Sauce

Instructions…

1. First, set a heavy-bottomed 6-quart sauce pot over medium heat. Add the butter and onions, and stiruntil the onions become soft. If they start to brown, turn the heat down to medium-low.
2. Then stir in the minced garlic and sauté for another couple of minutes. Next add in the ground sausage, ground beef, and dried oregano.Cook the meatand break it into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Once the meat pieces are well browned, stir in the tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes.
3. Cover andsimmer for 30-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Once the sauce is done, stir in the fresh chopped basil. Taste, thensalt and pepperas needed. If the meat sauce tastes too acidic, stir in 1-2 tablespoons sugar.

Pro Tip:The ground sausage and canned tomatoes are both quite salty. It’s best to let the sauce cook a little while –at least 30 minutes– before deciding if you want to salt it.

Keep homemade spaghetti with meat sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to3 days, or in the freezer for up to3 months. The flavors keep getting better the longer all of the ingredients sit together!

Get the Complete Best Spaghetti Recipe Below with Detailed Instructions. Enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

While this spaghetti and meat sauce is a filling and satisfying meal on its own, you can try serving it with a variety of side dishes for a well balanced and delicious meal. And don’t forget dessert! Here are my suggestions:

• Garlic Bread
• Kale Caesar Salad
• Wedge Salad
• Lemon Butter Roasted Asparagus
• Dinner Rolls
• Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart

Frequently Asked Questions

How Can I Enjoy Meat Sauce Made from Scratch?

Serve this classic homemade spaghetti sauce recipe with spaghetti noodles or ziti, inlasagna, or as the sauce with ourRicotta Stuffed Shellsrecipe with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. But before you start to boil the water, be sure to check out our guide forHow to Cook Pasta (Perfectly)!

Also, thisBaked Spaghetti Pieis perfect for afun and easyfamily meal.

Enjoy agluten-freemeal by pairing it with baked polenta, or even enjoy over-baked potatoes to mix things up.

Livinglow carb? Try the best Meat Sauce withLow Carb Spaghetti(psst, it’s spaghetti squash!) for a yummy and super healthy dinner.

Can I Make Homemade Pasta Sauce without Beef? Or Sausage?

You can certainly make delicious spaghetti sauce without ground beef and/or Italian sausage.

Try this recipe withground turkeyfor a leaner meat sauce.

Or for avegetarian andvegan pasta sauce, substitute the meat with chopped mushrooms for a wonderfully savory flavor.

Is this meat sauce the same thing as ragu?

Yes! Ragu is a tomato based sauce that has meat that is braised in the sauce for a long period of time. This meat sauce is a ground beef ragu sauce!

Looking for More Easy Classic Recipes?

• Best Hamburger Patty Recipe
• The Ultimate Cottage Pie Recipe
• The Best Classic Meatloaf
• Chopped Steak with Mushroom Gravy
• The Best Chili Recipe

Check the printable recipe card below for the nutrition information including calories, carbohydrates, protein, cholesterol, sodium, potassium, fiber, vitamin c, and calcium percentages.