The Best Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Name: The Best Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 10 min
Yield: 8 serving
Ingredients: 1 ½ pounds ground beef or pork sausage; 1 large onion; 1 large green pepper; 2 cloves garlic; 3 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes; 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste; 2 teaspoons brown sugar; 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano; 1 teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon dried basil; ½ teaspoon dried thyme; 1 bay leaf; 2 cups water

User Reviews

4.9

780 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs
Total Time
2 hrs 10 mins
Servings
8
Calories
270 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
American

The Best Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Ronan Ford

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This Homemade Spaghetti Sauce is so easy and delicious, you will never buy the jarred kind again! Try it and you will see why I call it the Best Ever!

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Ingredients

Servings

1 ½ pounds ground beef or pork sausage
1 large onion chopped
1 large green pepper chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
3 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cups water or beef broth

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Instructions

In a dutch oven cook meat, onion, green pepper, and garlic until meat is browned and vegetables are tender. Drain off fat.
Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, oregano, salt, basil, thyme, and bay leaf.
Stir in the water or beef broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until sauce is of desired consistency, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf. Serve over hot cooked spaghetti.

Notes

Try to use good quality tomatoes if you have access to them. My favorite brand of tomatoes is Tuttorosso tomatoes, Muir Glen, or Pomi tomatoes. I like the Pomi tomatoes because they come in a box rather than a can, which is nice if you're looking to avoid BPA.
Don't skip the brown sugar. Adding a bit of sugar to your homemade spaghetti sauce helps to cut the natural acidity of the tomatoes and helps to balance the sauce.
For an extra kick, add a sprinkling of red pepper flakes to your sauce. Only add this if you like some spice, though!
Meat substitutions: you can replace the lean ground beef with ground turkey or pork sausage. You can also leave it out completely for a meatless, vegetarian spaghetti sauce.
Let it simmer. I like to let my sauce simmer for at least an hour and a half, but longer is better (up to 2-3 hours.) The more time you allow your sauce to simmer, the richer the flavor will be. You can also transfer the sauce to a crockpot after preparing it on the stove and allow it to cook over low heat for a few hours. If your sauce is too thick after cooking, add a little more water to thin it out.

Nutrition Information

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Calories 270kcal (14%) Carbohydrates 12g (4%) Protein 16g (32%) Fat 17g (26%) Saturated Fat 6g (30%) Cholesterol 60mg (20%) Sodium 682mg (28%) Potassium 724mg (21%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 7g (14%) Vitamin A 530IU (11%) Vitamin C 31.9mg (35%) Calcium 75mg (8%) Iron 3.8mg (21%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 270 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	270kcal	14%
Carbohydrates	12g	4%
Protein	16g	32%
Fat	17g	26%
Saturated Fat	6g	30%
Cholesterol	60mg	20%
Sodium	682mg	28%
Potassium	724mg	15%
Fiber	2g	8%
Sugar	7g	14%
Vitamin A	530IU	11%
Vitamin C	31.9mg	35%
Calcium	75mg	8%
Iron	3.8mg	21%