HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI SAUCE

This easy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce is filled with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, garlic, green peppers and spices. Made from scratch, it’s one of the best pasta sauce recipes that everyone loves.

Growing up, we had spaghetti at least once a week. I’m not even kidding. My mom would always make her spaghetti sauce from scratch. She said it just tastes better and I wholeheartedly agree. It really does.

Don’t get me wrong – somedays I will pop open a jar of pasta sauce when I’m short on time.

My Homemade Spaghetti Sauce takes about one hour and 20 minutes to make so it’s not too crazy. It’s worth the few extra minutes of simmering though, in my opinion. It really blends those yummy flavors.

I like my spaghetti sauce with meat, but you could leave it out if you are vegetarian. I use ground beef, but Italian sausage could be substituted if you prefer.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp oregano
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (12oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish, optional

Instructions:

Add extra virgin olive oil to a large pot. Add ground beef, onions, garlic, green peppers and mushrooms. Cook over medium heat until beef is browned and vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, sugar, bay leaf, oregano and Italian seasoning.
Reduce heat to low. Cover. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Remove bay leaf before serving. Serve with cooked spaghetti noodles or your favorite cooked pasta. Top with fresh parsley, if desired.