This easy spaghetti recipe with meat sauce takes just a few minutes of prep and a low simmer on the stove for a deep, meaty-flavored, homemade spaghetti recipe ever.
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When I finished college and moved into my first apartment, I wrote down my mom’s recipe for our favorite family dinner and plopped it into my tattered recipe binder. But it never tasted quite as good as my mom’s. My sister texted me a picture of her copy of my mom’s spaghetti recipe, as seen below. I then realized I was missing one crucial ingredient that makes this spaghetti and meat sauce better than all the rest: Dried cloves! Cloves aren’t typically found in spaghetti sauce but they add so much flavor and shouldn’t be skipped. While I have several quick and easy spaghetti recipes like my pasta Pomodoro, cacio e pepe, or spaghetti carbonara that are ready in minutes, this spaghetti and meat sauce recipe is the ultimate Sunday, long-simmer dinner. I promise you it’s worth the wait!
What’s in This Spaghetti Recipe
This spaghetti recipe is the type of pasta dinner recipe you can easily have at the ready thanks to a simply stocked pantry and a few foundation refrigerator ingredients I can always find at my local Smith’s Marketplace / Kroger store.
Here’s what’s in this spaghetti and meat sauce:
- Ground Beef. I use 85% lean ground angus beef for my sauce so it still has flavor but not a lot of fat. You could also use ground turkey.
- Tomato sauce. Use
- Diced tomatoes. You could use canned whole tomatoes and then crush them with your hands and fingers.
- Tomato paste. This gives the sauce body and also a little sweetness.
- Beef broth. Another layer of meatiness.
- Canned mushrooms. Typically I use fresh mushrooms in recipes, but this is one where I never, ever, ever do.
- A splash of wine. Mom says to use the empty mushroom can as your measurement guide. Purchase a variety that is of the same quality you’re willing to drink. I usually use a good boxed blend or Pinot noir in this spaghetti recipe.
- Onion, celery, and fresh garlic. They’re always lolling around the refrigerator crisper waiting to be used.
- Dried herbs, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a pinch of sugar for sweetness. Don’t skip out on the bay leaves, they make a huge difference.
- Dried whole cloves! My mom learned this trick from her friend Virginia, and adding a few whole cloves is her secret ingredient. She uses 5-6 cloves but my husband prefers four. The cloves give it an earthy, spiced flavor that’s not often easy to place.
How to Make This Spaghetti Recipe
Truly fantastic homemade spaghetti sauce is easier to make than you’d think, but it does take time.
- Brown the beef. Drain off any excess fat, then, throw in the chopped celery, onion, and garlic and cook until the vegetables soften.
- Boil and simmer. Dump the rest of the homemade pasta sauce ingredients into the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and let it simmer on the stove for 3 hours. 3 hours sounds like forever, but that’s how long it takes to make a rich, flavorful meat sauce. Just do what the Italians do, and fuhgetaboutit.
- Cook your noodles. Once the homemade spaghetti sauce has had time to simmer, all that’s left to do is boil the spaghetti noodles according to package instructions and dish it up!
What is the Secret to Good Spaghetti
This spaghetti recipe is so easy to make, but there are a few key tips that make it extra good:
- Salt your pasta water generously. You want your pasta to have flavor on its own, so don’t be shy—salt that water like the sea!
- While the easy homemade spaghetti sauce cooks low and slow for 3 hours, stir it occasionally. You don’t want anything sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning, adding a bitter flavor to the meat sauce.
- Serve this meat sauce with regular spaghetti noodles. It would be just as good served with any other twirly pasta, tortellini, ravioli, or even as a filler for lasagna.
- This homemade spaghetti recipe makes a lot so it’s great for serving to a crowd or a big family. If you’re making for two or a few, it makes excellent leftovers for lunch all week long, or divide the sauce into gallon freezer and save for later.
Can I Omit the Wine?
Technically, yes, but I highly recommend adding it to the homemade spaghetti sauce since it adds so much flavor. Remember: the alcohol cooks out of the sauce and is only a flavoring. However, if you’re out of wine or are opposed to using it, you can add ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar instead to add a little acid and umami.
The Difference Between Spaghetti Meat Sauce and Bolognese
Bolognese (a slow-cooked ragu from the Northern Italian city of Bologna) is a mixture of ground beef and/or pork, tenderized with milk and sautéed with soffrito (an essential flavor base of most Italian recipes, consisting of a mixture of onion, carrots, and celery). While it does have tomatoes, it’s not as saucy or tomato-forward as spaghetti and meat sauce. A traditional bolognese is more meat-forward, less tomato-heavy, richer, and more delicate in flavor than most spaghetti and meat sauce recipes. And in case you’re wondering, I love them both equally, don’t make me choose!
How to Reheat Spaghetti
If you wind up with leftovers from this homemade spaghetti recipe, you can easily reheat them the next day. I recommend reheating leftover spaghetti in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat. You may need to add a splash of beef broth to loosen up the pasta.
How to Freeze Meat Sauce
Freeze the homemade spaghetti sauce separately and then make fresh spaghetti noodles when you’re about to eat it. Defrost the sauce in the refrigerator for 1 day, or, add to a large pot, cover, and heat on medium to medium-low until thawed.
To make this spaghetti sauce for meal prep, freeze the sauce in gallon freezer bags. Lay them down flat so you can stack them flat or upright side by side in the freezer.
What to Serve with Spaghetti
We always serve this with a super crunchy iceberg salad tossed with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes and dressed in my favorite red wine vinaigrette and a few slices of buttery garlic bread. If you’re looking for a little bit more
My Mom’s Spaghetti and Meat Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound 85% lean ground beef
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 4 stalks celery chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced or pressed
- 1 29- ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 29- ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 6- ounce can tomato paste
- 2 7- ounce cans sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 15- ounce can beef broth
- 4-6 whole cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or 4 teaspoons dried
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound dried spaghetti noodles
- grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef until browned, about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the rendered fat and add the meat back to the pot.
- Add the chopped onion, celery, and garlic and cook until the vegetables soften, about 5-7 more minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients (except the spaghetti noodles and Parmesan), stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, stir and cover with a lid, and cook for at least three hours on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions in generously salted water. Drain and mix into the spaghetti sauce.
- Serve with grated or ground Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley if desired.
