HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Name: HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI SAUCE
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 sweet onion, diced; 6 garlic cloves, minced (more or less based on preference); 2 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted; 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; 1 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano; 2 teaspoons dried sweet basil (1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh basil); 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

by The Joy-Filled Kitchen

6 Cups

1 hr 15 min

Homemade spaghetti sauce doesn’t need to be complex or time-consuming to be delicious. You just need good, quality ingredients to make a sauce full of amazing flavor. This recipe is perfect for making in large batches to feed a crowd or freezing for quick, easy meals later.

Spaghetti night is a favorite in our house. Everyone loves it and leaves the table satisfied and happy. It’s one of those meals that doesn’t need to be overly complex or time-consuming to be amazing!

For years, I thought homemade spaghetti sauce must be hard to make or at least hard to make really good. So I bought spaghetti sauce in a jar. It wasn’t bad; we enjoyed it. But I finally decided to develop my own recipe for homemade spaghetti sauce that was both easy and delicious. And here it is! I will never go back to sauce in a jar again.

Best Tomatoes to Use:

The best spaghetti sauce is made using crushed San Marzano tomatoes. San Marzano is a variety of plum tomatoes with a more robust flavor and are sweeter and less acidic. You can usually find canned San Marzano tomatoes at your grocery store. But there are times I can’t find this variety, so I have used other brands of crushed tomatoes or fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, and the sauce still turns out amazing. So whichever type or brand you use, be sure they are crushed tomatoes.

Adding Meat to the Sauce:

If you like to have meat in your spaghetti sauce, you certainly can add it. I love to use ground pork sausage in my sauce, or you can use ground beef. You can brown the meat with the onions (be sure to cook it thoroughly), draining off the extra fat, or cook the meat separately and add it to the sauce at the end.

We love meatballs with our spaghetti, and my Baked Sausage Meatballs complement this sauce perfectly. The meatballs are full of flavor and baked to perfection!

Freezing Instructions:

It’s easy to freeze any leftovers to use later or make a larger batch with the intent to freeze for future use. Simply allow the sauce to cool completely, scoop the desired amount into sealable freezer bags, label, and lay flat in your freezer. Once frozen, they stack easily in your freezer.

Thawing and Reheating Instructions:

When you are ready to use the sauce, let it thaw at room temperature for a few hours or in the refrigerator overnight. Then, reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed through.

Related recipes: CAPRESE SALAD CHEESY LEMON ASPARAGUSBAKED SAUSAGE MEATBALLS

HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI SAUCE

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Recipe details

Yield 6 Cups
Time spent: Prep time: 15 Minutes Cook time: 60 Minutes Total time: 1 hr 15 min

Show Nutrition Info

Per serving

% Daily value

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced (more or less based on preference)
2 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried sweet basil (1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh basil)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a large skillet or pot, heat oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and saute for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the garlic from burning.
Add the crushed tomatoes, sugar, salt, oregano, basil, and parmesan cheese (break up any clumps before adding). Stir well. Bring to a simmer.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, but maintain a simmer. Simmer for at least an hour to give the sauce time to cook down and thicken.
Serve over spaghetti noodles. This spaghetti sauce pairs perfectly with my Baked Sausage Meatball recipe.

Tips

Adding meat to the sauce: If you like to have meat in your spaghetti sauce, you certainly can add it. You can use ground pork sausage or ground beef. Brown the meat with the onions (be sure to cook it thoroughly), draining off the extra fat, or cook the meat separately and add it to the sauce at the end.
Freezing Instructions: It’s easy to freeze any leftovers to use later or make a larger batch with the intent to freeze for future use. Simply allow the sauce to cool completely, scoop the desired amount into sealable freezer bags, label, and lay flat in your freezer. Once frozen, they stack easily in your freezer.
Thawing and Reheating: When you are ready to use the sauce, let it thaw at room temperature for a few hours or in the refrigerator overnight. Then reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed through.

Comments

Jef52483042 on Jan 10, 2022

Recipe was easy to follow and the results were great. Would recommend giving this one a try!👍️

11 Reply
- The Joy-Filled Kitchen on Jan 16, 2022
  
  Thank you!
  
  3
Cat12300364 on Jan 26, 2022

“Many herbs do well over extended cooking and gradually infuse a stew or sauce with their particular herby flavor — basil, however, is not that. Basil has a lot of delicate flavor and aroma compounds that will heighten briefly when the basil first hits the heat, but then break down if the basil is cooked too long…it’s best to add the basil only in the last minute or so of cooking.”

(I never put sugar in my sauce, red wine—yes!)

P.S. “Cook Time: 1 Hour.”

20 Reply
- See 3 previous
- Kathy on Jan 26, 2022
  
  Cat, you are correct if using fresh basil which would fare better closer to the end of cooking but if you are using dried basil, or any dried herb for that matter, add it in early in the cooking process so they have time to develop and fully release their flavors. For this application, I am going to actually add my dried herbs to the pan with the garlic allowing them to "bloom" before adding in the tomatoes. As for the sugar addition, that would be personal taste, I always add sugar to my sauce, it tones down the "acidic" taste. Of course, any recipe is just a starting point, I will be adding in my favorite herbs and flavors but this looks like a quick, easy and delicious recipe when I want something fast. Thank you Joy filled Kitchen for sharing this recipe. I'll let you know how it turns out.
  
  8
- Aquagirl! on Jan 27, 2022
  
  Sugar tones down the acid in the sauce. All my Italian friends add 2 tablespoons of sugar to their sauce. Creates a sublime flavor! 😊
  
  7
- Paul Dels on Jan 27, 2022
  
  TY No Sugar, i had The Worst Sauce at our Local Restaurant Loaded with Sugar... and Thanks on the Basil Tip !
  
  3
- Tina on Jan 26, 2023
  
  Totally agree!!!!!
  
  1