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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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Ground Beef Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves - minced
- 3 medium white onions - chopped into small pieces
- 1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
- 2 celery stalks - chopped small
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3 ½ lbs fresh tomatoes
- 22 oz strained tomatoes - or tomato puree (660 ml)
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- Now add 1 lb ground beef to the pot and cook until brown and no longer pink. Drain excess grease if needed.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Heat the spaghetti sauce in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour over fresh pasta noodles and sprinkle with parmesan. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
- Freeze the leftovers in mason jars or freezer bags. Add cooled sauce to a container and freeze for up to 6 months.
- Store in serving portions to save time. 1 ½ to 2 cups per portion.
- Keep tomatoes whole or cut in half. Don't chop any further. As the sauce cooks, the tomatoes break down, but the skin and cores do not. You'll have to remove those at the end - the less you need to scoop through the sauce the better!
- Let the 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.
- The sauce will boil and bubble as it's simmering. Sauce splatters on the stove are just part of the process. I kept a wet cloth nearby to wipe up splatters anytime I stirred the sauce.
- I used 24 oz wide mouth mason jars (750 ml). These jars are great for homemade sauces! They are freezer friendly and store easily.
- Because this sauce contains ground beef, it's best to refrigerate or freeze the recipe.
Nutrition Info
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.
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