Family favorite homemade spaghetti sauce, seasoned to perfection! So simple and easy!
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword pasta sauce, spaghetti, tomato sauce, tomatoes
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 45 minutesminutes
Servings 8people
Calories
Ingredients
1tablespoonextra virgin olive oil
1cupyellow onion, diced
2-3tablespoonsgarlic, minced
1lb.seasoned ground beef (see note)
2(14 oz cans)diced tomatoes (I used the basil, garlic, and oregano flavor from Hunt's brand)
1(30 oz can)tomato sauce ( I used Hunt's brand)
Spice Mix
2tablespoonsgranulated sugar
1 teaspoondried basil
1teaspoondried parsley
1teaspoondried oregano
½teaspoondried thyme
1teaspoongarlic powder
1teaspoononion powder(optional addition but I love it!)
1generous pinchfennel seed
½teaspooncelery salt
½teaspoonpaprika
⅛teaspoonblack pepper
⅛teaspoonred pepper flakes
1bay leaf
2-4tablespoonsfresh basil, chopped
1-2tablespoonsfresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat.
Add onions and cook until tender and then add garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add ground beef, chopping the beef with a rubber spatula or a ground meat chopper to spread it out in the skillet. Season beef. (see note)
Cook until beef is done and then drain off the fat.
To the skillet, add diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. (You can chop up the tomatoes if you prefer them smaller)
Combined all the spices (except for fresh basil and fresh parsley ) and stir them into the sauce. (See NOTE)
Add the bay leaf.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.
Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes. If you want to simmer longer or want to thin out the sauce, add a bit of water or chicken broth (Now's a good time to make your pasta)
Stir in the fresh basil and parsley and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings (go easy on the salt if you plan on serving with parmesan cheese). The sauce will taste even bolder the next day.
Serve sauce on top of pasta.
Video
Notes
Ground beef seasoning: I season my ground beef with 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. However, feel free to season your beef to your liking. If you want more flavor add 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder.Sauce seasonings: If you use other brands of canned tomatoes/sauces you may want to add the seasonings gradually and taste after each addition. Some brands use more salt, sugars & other seasonings.12 oz of spaghetti noodles is the perfect amount if you want to combine it with the sauce.