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Home / Recipes

The Best Meat Sauce

3 hours 15 minutes
4.56 from 47 votes
12 Comments
Jump to RecipePrint Recipe
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by: Joanna Cismaru
06.10.20

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This is the Best Meat Sauce recipe! Never go back to a store-bought jar again. Once you discover how simple it is to make your own and how much better it tastes, your pasta making world will never be the same! Chop, sauté, simmer, and you’ll be rewarded with incredible, rich, deep, homemade flavors.

overhead closeup shot of meat sauce over a bed of linguini with a fork twisting some pasta garnished with parmesan cheese and parsley

I’ve been making my own pasta sauces for years! It’s about time I shared it with all of you. The process is so incredibly easy. When making a pasta sauce, the most important ingredients are the tomato paste, sauce, and crushed tomatoes. Beyond that, it really is up to you how you want it flavored!

Today I’ve included some hearty ground beef, onion and garlic (of course), bell pepper, some red wine, and a variety of herbs. This will give you that classic homemade Italian-restaurant-using-nona’s-recipe vibe. Your kitchen will smell heavenly! The secret? It’s simple, simmer it for a long time, this way you will extract more flavor from the meat and spices.

overhead shot of all the ingredients needed to make the best meat sauce

Ingredients

Keep scrolling down to the recipe card for a list of FULL ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page!

  • Ground beef – Lean ground beef. You can use other types of ground meats as well.
  • Onion – I find white or yellow onion works best.
  • Garlic – Use as much or little as you like.
  • Bell pepper – While I used a green bell pepper, you can use any type you have handy, but adding peppers is a nice way to bulk up your sauce and hide some veggies in it.
  • Tomato paste – Make sure you have tomato paste. It’s very thick and has a strong tomato flavor which provides extra richness to the sauce.
  • Italian seasoning – Make your own or use any combination of your favorite Italian herbs.
  • Red wine – I used a Cabernet Sauvignon.
  • Crushed tomatoes – Use more tomato sauce if you want it completely smooth or diced tomatoes if you want extra chunks.
  • Tomato sauce – Or tomato passata.
  • Bay leaves – Dried or fresh.
  • Olive oil – Canola, vegetable, grapeseed, sunflower, safflower, or avocado oils will work too.
  • Sugar – Use more or less depending on your preference. You don’t want to skip the sugar, there’s a reason it’s added to tomato sauces and that is to cut the acidity of the tomatoes and create a more balanced sauce.
  • Parsley – Freshly chopped for garnish.
  • Salt & pepper – Season to taste.
detailed process shots showing how to make meat sauce from start to finish

How to make meat sauce – 3 different ways

On the stove

  1. Cook the beef: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook for 3 minutes, breaking it as you go, until no longer pink.
  2. Add the veggies: Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for another 3 minutes until the onion softens. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, pepper, and red wine. Cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until the wine cooked off.
  3. Add the tomatoes and simmer: Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and bay leaves to the pot, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a medium-low. Cover the pot and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. If your sauce is too thick add some of the beef or chicken broth to thin it out, or even pasta water.
  4. Garnish and serve: Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Garnish with fresh parsley or basil and serve over pasta and garnished with Parmesan cheese.

In a slow cooker

  1. Sauté: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook for 3 minutes, breaking it as you go, until no longer pink. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for another 3 minutes until the onion softens. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, pepper, and red wine. Cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until the wine cooked off.
  2. Cook: Add the meat mixture, along with the rest of the ingredients, to your slow cooker. Mix everything together and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Garnish with parsley and serve.
side close up shot of meat sauce in a braiser with a wooden spoon in it and garnished with parsley

In a pressure cooker

  1. Sauté: Turn your pressure cooker onto the sauté setting. Add the olive oil and ground beef and cook fully, breaking up as you go. Drain excess grease if needed. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for another 3 minutes until the onion softens. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, pepper, and red wine. Cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until the wine cooked off.
  2. Cook: Add the rest of the ingredients to the pressure cooker and stir well to combine. Secure the lid of your pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, then quick release the pressure. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Can I add anything else to my sauce?

If this sauce is supposed to help you clean some ingredients out of your pantry and/or fridge, there are lots of different ingredients you can use to bulk it up. Some of these include:

  • Fresh herbs
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Peas
  • Spinach
  • Beans
  • Mushrooms
  • Ground sausage
  • Bacon
overhead shot of linguini in a white bowl with lots of meat sauce and garnished with parmesan cheese and parsley

What type of wine should I use?

When using wine to cook with, go for a dry variety. I know some people will say just go for the cheapest bottle you can find, but I suggest using a type of wine that you would drink. Varieties that work best for cooking are Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Merlot.

Add a splash to the sauce, and a splash to your glass! Cooking is always so much fun with a (moderate, of course) glass of wine in hand.

overhead shot of meat sauce over a bed of linguini with a fork twisting some pasta garnished with parmesan cheese and parsley

What to make with your meat sauce

Of course, this loaded sauce is perfect over a bed of spaghetti or even some steamed rice. If you have some sauce leftover and you want to get creative with it, use it to make:

  • Easy Beef Lasagna
  • Lasagna Dip
  • Lasagna Roll Ups
  • Stuffed Manicotti
  • Stuffed Shells
  • Five Cheese Ziti al Forno

You can make giant batch of this incredible, easy sauce and use it in a variety of meals throughout the week. You can even serve it up all on its own with some good homemade bread to scoop it up!

overhead up shot of meat sauce in a braiser with a wooden spoon in it and garnished with parsley

How to store and reheat leftovers

Once fully cooled down to room temperature, transfer leftovers to an airtight container. They will last in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can reheat in the microwave, stirring the sauce every 30 seconds or so.

You can also reheat in a saucepan over medium heat. Add a splash of broth (any type) or water to the saucepan if you find the sauce is drying out as it reheats. Stir often so that the sauce reheats evenly.

How to freeze meat sauce

Your homemade meat sauce will last 4-6 months frozen. Make sure it’s fully cooled down to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container and storing in the freezer.

I find it’s best to let the sauce thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. Once thawed, reheat using one of the methods described in the section above. Otherwise, you can reheat straight from the freezer in the microwave. Keep a close eye on it and stir it often to evenly reheat the sauce.

side shot of meat sauce over a bed of linguini with a fork twisting some pasta garnished with parmesan cheese and parsley

Did you love this recipe? Try these:

  • Marinara Sauce
  • Beef Ragu
  • Baked Spaghetti Casserole
  • Spaghetti Bolognese
  • Spaghetti and Meatballs
  • One Pot Spicy Pork Ragu with Orzo
  • Skillet Lasagna

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side close up shot of meat sauce in a braiser with a wooden spoon in it and garnished with parsley

The Best Meat Sauce

4.56 from 47 votes
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 3 hrs
Total: 3 hrs 15 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 12
Print Pin Rate
This is the Best Meat Sauce recipe! Never go back to a store-bought jar again. Once you discover how simple it is to make your own and how much better it tastes, your pasta making world will never be the same! Chop, sauté, simmer, and you'll be rewarded with incredible, rich, deep, homemade flavors.

Equipment

  • Le Creuset 3.75-Quart Braiser

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 ½ lbs ground beef
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 1 medium green bell pepper chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • ¾ tsp salt or to taste
  • ½ tsp pepper or to taste
  • ¼ cup red wine
  • 28 oz crushed tomatoes (1 can)
  • 2 cups tomato sauce
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook for 3 minutes, breaking it as you go, until no longer pink.
  • Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for another 3 minutes until the onion softens. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, pepper, and red wine. Cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until the wine cooked off.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and bay leaves to the pot, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a medium-low. Cover the pot and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. If your sauce is too thick add some of the beef or chicken broth to thin it out, or even pasta water.
  • Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Garnish with fresh parsley or basil and serve over pasta and garnished with Parmesan cheese.

Recipe Notes

  1. If you find that your meat sauce is too thick, feel free to add a bit of beef or chicken broth to it to thin it out to your desired consistency.
  2. Nutritional information does not include pasta or parmesan cheese.
  3. Once fully cooled down to room temperature, transfer leftovers to an airtight container. They will last in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can reheat in the microwave, stirring the sauce every 30 seconds or so.
  4. Your homemade meat sauce will last 4-6 months frozen. Make sure it’s fully cooled down to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container and storing in the freezer.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 173kcal (9%)Carbohydrates: 11g (4%)Protein: 14g (28%)Fat: 8g (12%)Saturated Fat: 3g (19%)Cholesterol: 37mg (12%)Sodium: 372mg (16%)Potassium: 611mg (17%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 7g (8%)Vitamin A: 529IU (11%)Vitamin C: 21mg (25%)Calcium: 51mg (5%)Iron: 3mg (17%)
Course:Dinner, Sauce
Cuisine:Italian
Keyword:meat sauce, meat sauce recipe
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!

Meet Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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Comments

  1. Erica says

    January 7, 2021 at 3:39 pm

    Do you drain the grease after browning the beef?

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      January 7, 2021 at 4:20 pm

      I did not. If you want to drain a bit of it, feel free!

      Reply
  2. Tamara says

    November 24, 2020 at 6:44 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe was fantastic, it is sure to be in regular rotation in our house!

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      November 24, 2020 at 7:00 pm

      I’m so glad you liked it!

      Reply
  3. Mary says

    October 19, 2020 at 11:12 am

    5 stars
    This sauce recipe is a go-to several times a month. It makes my leftover ingredients all dressed up. Use spinach (almost always), leftover Costco rotisserie subbed for ground beef (at times), sliced Italian sausage vs ground beef w/sauce dumped on a hoagie with mozzarella cheese (favorite with teens/college kids. Love all of Jo’s recipes! p.s….Jo is right about the sugar, don’t forget it. Oh would have thought 🙂

    Reply
    • jo says

      October 19, 2020 at 11:16 am

      So happy to hear this! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Geneen Benoit says

    June 15, 2020 at 8:02 pm

    5 stars
    A really great meat sauce! Thanks Jo!

    Reply
  5. Valerie says

    June 12, 2020 at 4:43 am

    The directions say ‘if the sauce is too thick, add some of the beef or chicken broth’.. Broth is not an ingredient, is it? Well, unless its too thick i mean. Thank you. Just checking before i try it.

    Reply
    • jo says

      June 12, 2020 at 9:57 am

      Yeah, it’s not an ingredient in the list, use it only if you need it. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Janet Bradley says

    June 11, 2020 at 9:12 am

    Is a 4.2 rating a good rating? Did no one leave comment? I sooo want to try this recipe. It sounds amazing.

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      June 11, 2020 at 9:52 am

      This is a brand new recipe! We’ve had a few readers leave a star rating but no written comments yet. Yes I’d say 4.2/5 is good.

      Reply
  7. Ant says

    June 11, 2020 at 8:56 am

    Lovely red sauce

    Reply

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I'm Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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