This delicious homemade spaghetti sauce recipe made with ground beef, fresh tomatoes, vegetables, and herbs embodies classic flavors, perfect for an easy meal. Serve over fresh pasta with fresh parmesan cheese.

A large white pot of ground beef spaghetti sauce with chopped parsley sprinkled overtop. Tomatoes, a kitchen towel and fresh parsley surround the pot.

Ground Beef Spaghetti Sauce Overview

Making homemade spaghetti sauce in large batches can save a lot of time. This is an easy recipe using wholesome healthy ingredients.

First, chop and cook onions, celery, mushrooms, garlic and tomatoes. Add them to cooked ground beef with tomato paste, tomato sauce, and a few herbs. Let the ingredients simmer and the flavors will release. This recipe will make three 24 oz jars worth of sauce.

Recipe Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil
6 garlic cloves - minced
3 medium white onions - chopped into small pieces
1 cup fresh mushrooms - chopped
2 celery stalks - chopped small
1 lb ground beef
3 ½ lbs fresh tomatoes
22 oz strained tomatoes - or tomato puree
11 oz tomato paste - about 2 small cans (5.27 oz each)
1 ½ Tbsp dried oregano
½ Tbsp dried basil
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper

Four images in one: 1. Onions chopped on cutting board with chef knife. 2. Celery and mushrooms chopped on cutting board, garlic minced in white bowl, tomatoes chopped in half in bowl. 3. All above ingedients in pot. 4. All above ingredients cooked in pot.

How To Make Homemade Meat Sauce

Full ingredients and instructions are also in the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post.

STEP 1: Chop 3 medium white onions into small pieces, chop 2 celery stalks into small pieces, chop 1 cup fresh mushrooms, slice 3 ½ lbs tomatoes in half, and mince 6 garlic cloves.

STEP 2: Add the 3 medium chopped onions, 1 cup chopped mushrooms, 2 chopped celery stalks, and 6 minced garlic cloves to a large pot over medium heat with the olive oil. Cook until onions turn translucent and mushrooms soften, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the cooked vegetables to a bowl and set aside.

Four images in one: 1. Raw ground beef in pot. 2. Cooked ground beef in pot. 3. All vegetables, ground beef, tomatoes, sauce, tomato paste and herbs in pot. 4. All ingredients combined in pot.

STEP 3: Now add 1 lb ground beef to the pot and cook until brown and no longer pink. Drain excess grease if needed.

STEP 4: Add back to the pot the cooked vegetable mixture, 3 ½ lbs of sliced tomatoes, 11oz tomato paste, 22 oz strained tomatoes, 1 ½ Tbsp dried oregano, ½ Tbsp dried basil, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp salt, and ¼ tsp ground black pepper.

Four images in one: 1. All ingredients fully cooked and mixed in pot. 2. Closeup of finished sauce, tomato skins and cores in a separate bowl. 3. Mason jar filled with sauce. 4. Three mason jars filled with sauce.

STEP 5: Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce and let it simmer low for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Once finished cooking, you can discard the bay leaves and scoop out any tomato skins and cores.

STEP 6: Pour sauce into mason jars. Let cool completely then store in the fridge or freezer. You can also store the sauce in Ziploc freezer bags. Use Ziploc brand to prevent them from leaking.

Two images in one: 1. Closeup of finished sauce with parsley garnish. 2. Sauce on pasta on a plate with parmesan and parsley garnish.

STEP 7: Heat the spaghetti sauce in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour over fresh pasta noodles and sprinkle with parmesan. Serve and enjoy!

Three mason jars of spaghetti sauce on a counter together with garlic and tomatoes in the background.

Recipe Tips

Keep tomatoes whole or cut in half. As the sauce cooks, the tomatoes break down, the skin and cores do not. They should be removed at the end and it's easier when they're in large pieces.
If using canned whole tomatoes, choose ones without any added flavor. These already have the skins removed, and cores will still need to be scooped out at the end.
Let the pasta sauce simmer for a full hour. This allows for a greater depth of flavor in the sauce. Let simmer on medium-low heat. Cover with a lid on an angle.
I used 24 oz wide-mouth mason jars (750 ml). These jars are great for homemade sauces! They are freezer-friendly and store easily.
Extra-lean ground beef will produce less grease. This works better so you don’t have to scoop out the excess grease while you’re cooking the sauce.
You can also use ground Italian sausage or ground turkey instead. Try adding chopped bell peppers, and/or a pinch of red pepper flakes.

How to store leftovers

Freeze - Stored the leftover spaghetti sauce in an airtight container in the freezer for future meals. I used 24oz wide mason jars that are freezer-friendly. Because this sauce contains ground beef, it’s best to freeze the recipe and not use it for canning.

If you have limited freezer space, add serving portions to medium-sized Ziploc freezer bags. Some other brands may leak!
Refrigerate - Keep sauce in a sealed container in the fridge for a maximum of 4 days.

A plate with spaghetti noodles and spaghetti sauce poured overtop and a fork. Mason jars with spaghetti sauce and tomatoes surround the plate.

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