Making homemade spaghetti sauce is easy with basic ingredients like meat, tomatoes, spices, garlic, and onion. Simmering for a few hours improves the flavor, and adding vegetables like zucchini or carrots can boost nutrition. A quick version can be made with browned meat and plain marinara sauce.
Homemade spaghetti sauce is easy to make provided you have a few basic ingredients at home. You must first decide whether you want to make a sauce with or without meat. If you’d like to use some meat, typical choices are ground beef, pork, chicken, or turkey, and you can also use things like ground sausage mix or Italian sausage.
Of course, homemade spaghetti sauce just wouldn’t be the same without tomatoes, so you’ll want to have canned or fresh tomatoes or tomato sauce on hand. Some people use tomato paste instead, which is fine as long as it reconstitutes with water to make into a sauce. Don’t confuse the pasta with the sauce or the sauce will be too acidic and thick.
You will also need some spices. You can choose an Italian spice mix or you can use your own spices. Keep some garlic and onion on hand, if you like, and herbs and spices like basil, oregano, and thyme. You can also use a little rosemary, you can make the sauce hotter with red pepper flakes, and you’ll need some salt and pepper for seasoning.
If you’re making a meat sauce, you want to start browning the meat. If you’re also using onions, brown the meat and onions together. There is some dispute that you should cook the garlic at this point as well. This is a matter of preference; some prefer to add garlic as the last ingredient. Carefully pan out the meat when it’s browned or you’ll have a very oily sauce.
Once the meat has drained, add the tomatoes or tomato sauce, herbs and spices, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. You can use two to three cups (.45-.68 kg) of chopped fresh tomatoes for about one pound (.45 kg) of ground beef. It really depends on how thick you want your homemade spaghetti sauce to be. You can also add a tablespoon of sugar, as canned tomatoes and salsas are a bit acidic, and sugar can reduce this acidic taste.
Bring all ingredients to a boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Most homemade spaghetti sauce gets better when you simmer it for a few hours before serving. If you can simmer for even an hour or two, the flavors will meld well together. Make sure the heat is very low and check the sauce periodically to make sure it doesn’t get too thick. If it seems too thick, add some water.
You might add a splash of red wine to the sauce as you add all the ingredients, but that’s usually a matter of preference. A few minutes before serving, you can add things like grated zucchini or carrots, which can boost the nutritional value of your salsa. Homemade spaghetti sauce will be heavier if you used chopped tomatoes and a bit smoother if you used tomato sauce or pasta.
If you are short on time and still want to make semi-homemade spaghetti sauce, you can do the following. Brown some of the meat and add a can or jar of plain marinara sauce. Add some fresh garlic and simmer for about 20-30 minutes. This is a quick “homemade” spaghetti sauce that can still taste fresh and great.
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