Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

• ▢ 1 pound lean ground beef
• ▢ ½ pound Italian sausage casings removed, or bulk sausage
• ▢ 1 medium yellow onion diced
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices
• ▢ 28 ounces crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
• ▢ 6 ounces tomato paste
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ ¼ cup shredded carrot or a pinch of sugar
• ▢ 1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or fresh basil (optional)

• In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the beef, sausage, onion, and garlic over medium-high heat until no pink remains, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain fat.

• Add diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, carrot, Italian seasoning, basil, salt, and pepper.

• Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until thickened.

• Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired. Stir in fresh parsley if using.

• Serve over spaghetti or cooked pasta.

Carrot: Shredded carrots balance the tart flavor of the tomatoes. Carrot can be replaced with ½ finely diced red bell pepper or a small pinch of sugar.

Meat: If substituting Italian sausage for another ground meat such as ground beef or pork, increase the Italian seasoning to 2 teaspoons and add ½ teaspoon oregano and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Consistency: To thicken this homemade spaghetti sauce further, simmer uncovered.

Pasta: Do not rinse the spaghetti after draining or add butter or oil to the pasta. The starches in the pasta will help the sauce to cling to the noodles.

Freezing: Spaghetti sauce can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 4 months. 

Course Main Course, Pasta, Sauce

Cuisine American, Italian