The Best Meat Sauce

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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