Meat Sauce with Spaghetti

A homemade meat sauce with spaghetti is a delicious and cozy weeknight meal to prepare. While this sauce is not a traditional Italian recipe, it’s packed with flavor and is easy enough to make any night of the week or special enough for the weekend. Swirl a serving on a plate and watch the family come running to devour this sauce!

This is the perfect pasta weeknight meal to make.

A good hearty meat sauce with spaghetti is a staple for weeknight cooking. A jar of tomato sauce will always win in need of a quick turnaround, but with just a few more minutes, this sauce can be made with ingredients that are in the pantry. The start is sauteeing onion and green pepper with butter. The butter adds a rich undertone and softens the acidic tomatoes. Ground beef adds protein and quickly cooks in the vegetable base. The key is three types of tomatoes. Tomato paste gives a sweet, rich tomato flavor. Tomato sauce adds a thick texture to the sauce by adding body. Diced tomatoes add heartiness. Together this trio of tomatoes creates a fully flavored sauce that will rival any jarred favorites.

Everything you’ll need to make this recipe.

• Butter is used to saute the onion and pepper instead of oil. The butter helps temper the acidity of the tomatoes.
• Bell pepper may surprise anyone used to an Italian red sauce. This recipe is a midwestern comfort food staple where home cooks were used to using what was readily available. Green pepper adds a nice balance to the onion.
• Dried basil and dried oregano provide the traditional herb flavors needed. Instead of using fresh, the dried offers a quick pantry staple that makes this easy to make any weeknight.
• Tomato paste is cooked with ground beef and vegetables to ensure it becomes slightly caramelized and sweet.
• Diced tomatoes have more flavor than out-of-season fresh tomatoes. They are canned at peak ripeness and give great flavor to the sauce.
• Tomato sauce will help give a slightly thick texture to the finished recipe.

Here’s how to make this recipe.

1. Sauté the onion and pepper. Slice the onion into an even dice. Cut the bell pepper into similarly-sized planks, then dice. Over medium heat, melt butter in a large stockpot. Add in the diced onion and bell pepper, along with salt and black pepper. Stir everything together and let the mixture sauté for 4 to 6 minutes. Once they are softened with just a bit of color, add in the minced garlic, dried basil, dried oregano, and red chili flakes. Mix these spices into the onion and pepper mixture, allowing the garlic to cook for about 30 seconds. 

2. Brown the ground meat. To the stockpot, add the ground beef. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, break up the meat into small pieces, letting it brown for about 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Add the tomato paste. Once the beef has been browned, add the tomato paste to the stockpot. Mix it into the meat, onion, and pepper, and let it cook for 6 to 8 minutes, cooking off some of the uncooked tomato flavor. To know when the tomato paste is cooked, use a spoon or spatula to pull the mixture to one side of the stockpot. In the empty space, if a layer begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, it means that the paste has cooked.

4. Add the remaining sauces and spices. When the tomato paste has cooked, add in the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Mix everything together and let the mixture simmer for 18 to 20 minutes while the spaghetti is prepared.

5. Cook the spaghetti. To a large stockpot, add water and bring it to a boil. Before adding the spaghetti, add some salt to the water. Then using the instructions on the package, cook the spaghetti until al dente. When ready, do not drain the spaghetti.

6. Mix everything together. Once the spaghetti is ready, add the undrained noodles to the simmering meat sauce. Stir together the spaghetti and sauce until everything is fully incorporated and the noodles are covered with sauce. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

These pro tips will make this recipe a success.

• When slicing the bell pepper, simply cut off the top and bottom, and make a single slice on one side. Open the pepper, lay it flat, and remove the inner pith and seeds. Slice it into planks and then dice. Rather than discarding the top and bottom, dice these up as well, removing the stem.
• The cooking time when it comes to garlic is very important. Since garlic can have a raw flavor, it’s imperative that it’s cooked slightly to reduce the raw flavor. But make sure not to cook the garlic for too long, though, as garlic can burn quickly. About 30 seconds to one minute should be the right amount of time needed.
• When purchasing ground beef for this recipe, look for a lean variety. Personally, I choose 92% lean beef so that there is a minimal amount of juice left in the stockpot.
• When cooking the pasta for this recipe, do not drain the spaghetti once at al dente stage. Add them directly from the pasta water to the sauce. This allows the spaghetti to soak up some of the sauce, reaching the perfect stage when ready to serve. Additionally, if the sauce is too thick, some of the pasta water can be used to thin it down.

You’ll love these other weeknight meal recipes.

• The best homemade goulash
• Classic sloppy Joes
• Pork chops with quick applesauce
• Kielbasa with cabbage and apples
• Sungold tomato pasta bake
• Fresh tomato herb pasta
• Baked zucchini crust pizza
• Tomato zucchini summer pasta
• Spicy peanut noodles
• Tequila citrus chicken tacos