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Quick Weeknight Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

This delightful recipe is easy to follow and perfect for any occasion.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 1 1 pound ground beef, ground turkey, or ground pork (or a combination)
  • ½ ½ cup chopped onion
  • 2 2 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 2 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ ½ teaspoon coarse, kosher salt
  • ¼ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 28- 28- ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 8- 8- ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1-2 1-2 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 1 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
  • hot cooked noodles, for serving
  • freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground meat, onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper, breaking the meat into small pieces as it cooks, until the meat is not longer pink.
  2. Drain any excess grease.
  3. Stir in the tomato paste, basil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, for about a minute, until the mixture smells fragrant.
  4. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, brown sugar and soy sauce. Stir to combine.
  5. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes (or as long as you like/need).
  6. Serve over hot, cooked noodles.

Notes

  • Time Savers: to get a full spaghetti meal on the table fast, cook the noodles while you make the sauce. It probably goes without saying, but you could use ground sausage, if that's your preference, or experiment making this meatless. Also, I won't tell if you decide to opt for 1/2 or so teaspoon garlic powder in place of the minced, fresh garlic.
  • Tomato Paste: like I mention in the post above, since the recipe calls for two tablespoons of tomato paste, you can freeze the remaining tomato sauce (from a can) to use later OR look for the tomato paste in the squeezable tubes (life changing!).
  • Other Meal Ideas: this sauce is obviously delicious as a quick spaghetti meal, but it's also wonderful subbed in a multitude of pasta dishes, like this manicotti or these lasagna rolls.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 serving Calories 172kcal (9%) Carbohydrates 16g (5%) Protein 20g (40%) Fat 4g (6%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Cholesterol 47mg (16%) Sodium 749mg (31%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 9g (18%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories

% Daily Value*

Serving 1 serving
Calories 172kcal 9%
Carbohydrates 16g 5%
Protein 20g 40%
Fat 4g 6%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 47mg 16%
Sodium 749mg 31%
Fiber 4g 16%
Sugar 9g 18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.