Since I was three years old, my mom’s recipe for Southern spaghetti meat sauce has been my go-to! wonderful for dinner gatherings! Serve with a salad and garlic toast and over spaghetti noodles.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 2 hrs 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 2 hrs 40 mins |
| Servings: | 9 |
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
- 2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 4 tablespoons dried oregano
- 4 tablespoons dried basil leaves
- 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
- 2 (4.5 ounce) cans mushrooms, drained
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons salt
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large plot. Add onions and simmer on medium heat until semi-soft; stir in garlic. Be careful not to burn. Add ground beef and cook until all pink is gone; drain.
- In the pot with drained beef, gently stir in tomato paste and tomato sauce. Mix in oregano, basil, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes, mushrooms, bay leaves, and salt; bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer for about 2 hours.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 336 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 21 g |
| Cholesterol | 61 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Protein | 22 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Sodium | 2562 mg |
| Sugars | 13 g |
| Fat | 19 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Pretty perfect just the way it is, put it all together the way the recipe states, and then let it go in the instant pot for 5 minutes at high pressure, and we were able to get it on the table in less than an hour on a week night. Just put some tomato sauce at the bottom of the instant pot so it does not go to “burn.” Delicious with pasta, or just on garlic bread like a meat sandwich.
It was so good! I love the thickness of the sauce! I changed a few things based on what my family likes… omit salt and red pepper from recipe add 3 Tablespoon garlic POWDER add 1 cup of water 1 lb ground beef 2 lb ground pork 1 tsp garlic salt pepper Now this is our go to pasta sauce! Thank you!!!
Cut the recipe in half. I added 3 stalks of celery, 1/2 cup fresh parsley and used fresh mushrooms and added a can of crushed tomatoes. . The red pepper flakes overpowered the taste of the sauce. If not for the added cheese blend for topping, this would have rated a 2. Would not make again.
This sauce is awesome..l have my own recipe but felt like something a little different. I noticed there were a few ingredients I don’t put in my sauce but ok..I’ll try it..and this was totally delicious. You really need to try it.
I made this exactly as written and it was very good but a little salty and spicy for my tastes. I will definitely make it again but next time I will only add half of the salt and red pepper flakes.
I went with my gut and did not add 4tablespoons of oregano and basil. That’s 1/4 cup, maybe if it’s fresh it would be ok. I only added 1tablespoon of each and the oregano flavor is overpowering. Added more tomatoes (diced, 2-15 oz cans) to cut the oregano flavor. Not saving this one!
I loved the ingredients, but I did add a bell pepper, and without adding water to the simmer, it’s just way to thick to cook 2 hours = we also cut the salt in half. Thanks!
Definitely a new favorite. The worschestire sauce was a pleasant surprise
Very good taste and thickness. I also added one can diced San Marzano tomatoes, used less salt and spices. You can add more if needed. I added a little fresh green pepper. Will uses this recipe again.
That perfect mix of sweet & spicy! A few changes I made: – the salt isn’t needed, in my opinion. Any spaghetti sauce is salty enough! – Used canola vs. olive oil (preference) – Again to cut down on salt, I used crushed tomatoes (undrained) vs spaghetti sauce I sauteed the onion/garlic combo in a skillet, and browned the meat (I used turkey) in a squat stock pot. Then I threw the onion/garlic on top and stirred in. I didn’t drain either of those because I figured it would cook in well, and it did. If you’re going to do this, though, you can probably cut down on the simmering time.
I made this tonight and would give this 6 stars if I could! So good. I made just a few small changes. Used 1 pound ground beef and 1 pound ground pork. Only used 1 can of tomato paste since the sauce was pretty thick. Omitted sugar since I’m on the Whole 30 diet and used fresh mushrooms. I also thinned it out a bit with one cup of water. The spices I kept as-is and it IS spicy! And hallelujah! I ladled the sauce over steamed broccoli. One of the best meat sauces I have ever made. Thank you to the submitter! Will make this again, hands down.
Wife said it was the best I’ve ever made and best she’s ever had. Will definitely make again.
It was way too salty. I ended up adding in an extra can of tomatoes and tomato paste and garlic powder, and it had a better consistency, as it was originally too thick.
Excellent recipe! This was actually my first time making spaghetti sauce, and I will never use store-bought sauce again! I followed other reviewers suggestion & only used 1/2 tbsp of salt, which was perfect. Also, I don’t like tooo much meat in the sauce, so I used 1 lb of ground beef instead of 2, which I thought was plenty! Note that this recipe has a good amount of heat! So if you’re not big into spicy food, I’d definitely reduce (or eliminate) the red pepper flakes!:)
The only thing I would change is to reduce the amount of salt and red pepper flake. I made enough for 14 servings it was a little to salty and spicy. I also added mild Italian sausages to the sauce after browning in the left over juices from the hamburger meat. It complimented the dish with a small meat side item, which also had the additional flavor of the meat sauce. Additional side salad and garlic bread to complete the meal.
Made 1/2 the recipe (volume-wise)…Excellent!!! One change I will change next time is One half of one half of the salt.
Made this yesterday for first time and it was excellent. Flavor was great. Will definitely be making again.
I made this and I feel like a queen!! I’m not a cook but all recipes has me feeling like a chef!! This is delicious!!
I made this and I feel like a queen!! I’m not a cook but all recipes has me feeling like a chef!! This is delicious!!
Not sure how this recipe got so many reviews and so many changes were made, I’m confused. Anyway I followed it all the way and it couldn’t have come out any better. Thanks for sharing with us.
I love it. my whole family loves it