# Quick and Tasty Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
This **Quick and Tasty Homemade Spaghetti Sauce** is robust, filling, and brimming with flavor developed from slow cooking, all without requiring lengthy preparation. It’s a straightforward **one-pot sauce** perfect for draping over your preferred pasta, complemented with homemade garlic bread. Whether dressing up spaghetti or incorporating it into lasagna or baked ziti, this sauce delivers a delightful homemade taste.
## Key Features of Holly’s Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
– **What I Appreciate About This Recipe:** This sauce comes together swiftly, is highly adaptable, and incredibly versatile. Additionally, it’s prepared in a single pot, making for a simple clean-up!
– **Taste Profile:** Hearty and flavorful, infused with the meaty essence of beef and sausage, harmonized by sweet tomatoes, garlic, and Italian spices.
– **Preparation Tip:** Consider creating a double batch to freeze (your future self will be grateful!).
– **Required Equipment:** Utilize a Dutch oven (or a sizable pot) to simmer the sauce, and my go-to meat chopper for efficiently breaking up the beef and pork.
**Cooking Duration:** 40 Minutes
**Servings:** 8
**Cooking Technique:** Stovetop
## Ingredient Information
– **Ground Beef:** Opt for lean ground beef and remove any excess fat to prevent your sauce from becoming greasy. You can substitute with ground turkey, chicken, or pork, although very lean meats may yield a slightly lighter sauce.
– **Italian Sausage:** Choose between mild or spicy Italian sausage, or create your own homemade version. For an all-beef sauce, enhance the Italian seasoning and include oregano and red pepper flakes.
– **Diced Tomatoes:** Pick regular or petite diced tomatoes based on your preferred texture in the sauce.
– **Crushed Tomatoes:** For a deep tomato flavor, incorporate crushed tomatoes or substitute with tomato sauce for a smoother, thinner texture.
– **Tomato Paste:** Allow the tomato paste to cook in the pot for about a minute to thicken the sauce before mixing in the other tomatoes.
– **Shredded Carrot:** Helps to offset the acidity of the tomatoes and adds a hint of natural sweetness. You can replace it with finely diced red bell pepper or a small amount of sugar.
## Steps to Prepare Spaghetti Sauce
1. Brown the ground beef, sausage, onion, and garlic. Drain any excess fat.
2. Mix in the remaining ingredients and let it simmer without a lid (full recipe below).
Before serving, taste and modify the seasonings. Then stir in fresh herbs, reserving a few to sprinkle on top once plated.
### Tips for Achieving Perfect Spaghetti Sauce
– **Simmer Without a Lid:** Leaving the lid off while simmering allows moisture to evaporate, leading to a thicker sauce.
– **Prevent Splatter:** Utilize a splatter screen or cover the pot partially as needed, ensuring steam can escape.
– **Avoid Rinsing:** Do not rinse the pasta after cooking if serving with the sauce. The starch helps the sauce adhere to every strand.
– **Slow Simmer Option:** For a hands-off approach, consider making my slow cooker spaghetti sauce.
## How to Store Leftover Spaghetti Sauce
– **Refrigeration:** Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. When possible, keep the sauce separate from cooked spaghetti.
– **Freezer:** Freeze the sauce in an airtight container for up to 4 months.
– **Thawing Process:** Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or defrost gently in the microwave. Reheat over medium-low heat on the stove, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of water if the sauce is too thick.
**Treasure Your Leftovers!** Use leftovers to create baked spaghetti, serve over garlic bread sloppy joe-style, or ladle the sauce over baked spaghetti squash for a quick lunch.
## My Top Picks for Spaghetti Night Side Dishes
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### Recipe Overview
– **Servings:** 8
– **Preparation Time:** 10 minutes
– **Cooking Time:** 30 minutes
– **Total Duration:** 40 minutes
### Cooking Instructions
1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, brown the beef, sausage, onion, and garlic over medium-high heat until there’s no pink left, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the fat.
2. Stir in diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, carrot, Italian seasoning, basil, salt, and pepper.
3. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until thickened.
4. Taste and adjust with additional salt and pepper if needed. Mix in fresh parsley if using.
5. Serve over spaghetti or the pasta of your choice.
### Additional Notes
– If swapping Italian sausage for another ground meat like beef or pork, increase the Italian seasoning to 2 teaspoons and add ½ teaspoon oregano along with a pinch of red pepper flakes.
– Do not rinse the spaghetti after cooking.