Best Basic Meat Sauce Recipe - Simply Scratch (2024)

Nov09

Kitchen Basics, , , Recipes, Your Basic Recipes// 11 Comments

Everyone needs a basic meat sauce recipe in their back pocket. Right? Well, my friends, this is mine.

I’m taking a break from all things Thanksgiving to share with you my favorite go-to meat sauce recipe. Whether it’s for spaghetti, casseroles, sandwiches and mostbaked pasta recipes – this is it! It’s delicious, smells amazing and tastes infinitely better and is just as easy to make as it is twisting the cap off of a jar of store-bought sauce.

To Make This Best Basic Meat Sauce You Will Need:

olive oil
yellow onion, diced (about 1 heaping cup)
fresh garlic, minced
ground beef chuck, sirloin or round (your choice)
italian seasoning
basil
tomato sauce
tomato sauce
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Simple ingredients that yield a delicious yet traditional meat sauce. Sautéed onions, garlic and cooked ground beef mixed with tomato sauce, herbs and seasonings and simmered until perfect.

Start by sautéing 1 medium [diced] yellow onion in 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium-low heat.

Season with a pinch or two of kosher salt, stir occasionally and sauté. Once the onion is soft and translucent, add in the 4 cloves of minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Then increase the heat to medium and then add in the raw ground beef (using your favorite: chuck, round or sirloin). Use a wooden spoon to break up the ground beef, cooking it until browned and no longer pink.

Drain the fat from the pan before seasoning the ground beef with 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon of dried basil and pour in all 4 cups or so of tomato sauce.

[If you’re interested in making your own Italian seasoning, you can find the recipe in my book.]

Stir to combine and then season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Simmer on low heat for 2o minutes.

Perfection!

I especially love this over roasted spaghetti squash “noodles” with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and parsley.

FYI to make spaghetti squash noodles; I cut a medium spaghetti squash in half, scoop out the seeds, place it cut-side down in a roasting pan and pour about a cup of water. Then I roast it for 40 minutes in a preheated 400° oven. Once roasted [fork tender] and safe to handle, I use a fork and scrape the flesh. This basic meat sauce on spaghetti squash is a great way to have a light yet satisfying dinner that’s light on the carbs.

Now, wait until you see what I did with the leftovers [tomorrow].

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Enjoy! And if you give this BEST Basic Meat Sauce recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

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Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 heaping cup)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds ground beef chuck, sirloin or round (your choice)
2 teaspoons italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon basil
30 ounces tomato sauce
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

In a deep sided 12-inch skillet, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-low heat.
Add in the onion and a pinch of kosher salt. Cook until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.
Then stir in the garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes before adding in the ground beef.
Increase the heat to medium and use a wooden spoon to break up the beef and cook until browned. Use a spoon to remove the fat from the pan and discard.
Season the ground beef mixture with Italian seasoning and basil. Pour in the sauce and stir in the salt, pepper and sugar.
Simmer for 20 minutes on low heat before serving.

Serving: 1g, Calories: 307kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 81mg, Sodium: 370mg, Potassium: 342mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 11IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 35mg, Iron: 2mg

Author: Laurie McNamara

Course: Kitchen Basics

Cuisine: American, Italian

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Kitchen Basics Recipes Your Basic Recipes

originally posted November 9, 2017 — last updated November 10, 2023by Laurie McNamara

11 Comments / Leave a Comment »

11 comments on “Best Basic Meat Sauce Recipe”

Mary — November 9, 2017 @ 3:05 am Reply

I clicked on the link to the Italian Seasoning and found that I need to buy your book to get the info. Is that correct or did I miss something? Thanks.
- Laurie McNamara — November 9, 2017 @ 7:40 am
  
  Hi Mary! Yes, that’s correct.
Dianna — November 9, 2017 @ 11:40 am Reply

Hi – just wanted to make sure that the recipe calls for 3 cans of tomato sauce and not two cans of sauce and one paste?
2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- Laurie McNamara — November 9, 2017 @ 6:29 pm
  
  Hi Dianna! That is correct, 3 cans of sauce. Enjoy!
Jackie — November 9, 2017 @ 9:51 pm Reply

Hi Laurie
How much sauce does this recipe make.
- Laurie McNamara — November 18, 2017 @ 2:28 pm
  
  Hi Jackie! I did not measure the sauce out, but if I had to guess I would say around 5 to 6 cups. I’ll be sure to measure it out the next time!
Barbara — November 29, 2017 @ 8:47 pm Reply

Hi Laurie! I just wanted to say thank you for the cooked spaghetti squash and meat sauce. We made it and absolutely loved it! This is going to go into our regular rotation. With the leftover sauce, we used it in an omelette the next morning for breakfast with some mozzarella and grated Asiago cheese. For those who don’t have it, your cookbook is wonderful! Again, thank you for this idea.
- Laurie McNamara — December 4, 2017 @ 8:14 am
  
  I’m so glad, Barbara! Thank you so much for taking the time to make the recipe and leave a comment! I’m also happy you love the book, as well! 🙂
Darryl — December 4, 2017 @ 12:44 am Reply

Made this tonight and it was excellent! I was surprised at the amount of flavor with what was really a short list of ingredients and relatively short cooking time.
One note, in the long version of the recipe with pictures, you indicate to turn up the heat to medium before adding the beef, but not in the short (and printed) version.
- Laurie McNamara — December 4, 2017 @ 8:00 am
  
  I’m so glad, Darryl! Thank you for taking the time to make the recipe and leave a review! I’ll also add that part into the printable instructions.
Palyn — March 11, 2023 @ 7:49 pm Reply

Thank you for sharing this basic but very tasty spaghetti sauce. When I make pasta with red sauce, I usually turn to a fabulous, authentic Bolognese sauce (with beef, pork, veal, chicken stock, white wine, etc.) from a recipe given to me by a friend who’s a cookbook/food writer in Italy. But sometimes I just want the kind of straightforward, simple and satisfying spaghetti sauce that my mother used to make. This recipe was exactly what I was hoping to find, and I’m so glad I found yours. The leftovers taste even better, and the sauce also freezes well. Looking forward to making it again this week — so comforting during cold and stormy weather!