Best Ever Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

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Looking for the best ever homemade spaghetti sauce recipe? This amazing sauce goes great with your favorite pasta when you’re craving Italian food.

Hi everyone! I’m Ashlyn, and I blog over at Belle of the Kitchen. I’m so excited to be posting here today on Kenarry and am sharing one my family’s favorite recipes for homemade spaghetti sauce. Whenever I make this, the house smells amazing and everyone gobbles it up come dinner time.

Best Ever Homemade Spaghetti Sauce | Belle of the Kitchen

Family Homemade Marinara Sauce Recipe

This recipe comes from my mother-in-law, and it is one that I have kept and used ever since she first made it for us. I love that it is so easy to make, has a deliciously rich flavor, and uses real ingredients. It’s better than any jarred sauce you can find at the store, and there is always plenty left over to freeze for another meal or two in the future.

Homemade spaghetti sauce in a white serving bowl.

What are the best tomatoes to use in a homemade sauce?

Try to use good quality tomatoes if you have access to them. My favorite brand of tomatoes is Tuttorosso tomatoes, but I haven’t found them anywhere out here in Hawaii where we live. When we lived in Kansas, my mother-in-law used to ship them to me in care packages! Might have to ask her to do that again. 😉

Lately, though, I’ve been using either Muir Glen or Pomi tomatoes. I like the Pomi tomatoes because they come in a box rather than a can, which is nice if you’re looking to avoid BPA.

The best spices for homemade spaghetti sauce

This is the part where your personal taste will have the most power. How do you and your family like a spaghetti sauce to taste? Do you like it spicy? How about sweet?

WHAT you need:

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My recipe uses both sugar and spice for a sauce that make you eat each bite slowly, enjoying every level of flavor.

KITCHEN TOOLS NEEDED:

INGREDIENTS NEEDED:

These are the spices I always use in my marinara sauces:

Best Ever Homemade Spaghetti Sauce | Belle of the Kitchen

Do you have a favorite brand of tomatoes, or do you prefer to use fresh? I LOVE fresh tomatoes, but have to admit that I have never grown my own. My grandma and my parents have always grown tomatoes though, so maybe someday I can channel all that family-green-thumb energy and plant some. We shall see. 🙂

There is truly nothing better than homemade spaghetti sauce! Looking for other homemade recipes? Check out these 11 DIY Sauce and Condiment Recipes For When You Run Out. They are so much better than what you can buy at the store.

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4.50 from 8 votes

Best Ever Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Looking for the best ever homemade spaghetti sauce recipe? This amazing sauce goes great with your favorite pasta when you're craving Italian food.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 20 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Bolognese, Meat Sauce, Spaghetti, Spaghetti Sauce
Servings: 8
Calories: 274kcal
Author: Ashlyn Edwards

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds Ground Beef or Pork Sausage
  • 1 Onion Large – Chopped
  • 1 Green Pepper Large – Chopped
  • 2 cloves Garlic Minced
  • 3 cans Diced Tomatoes 15 oz Cans
  • 1 can Tomato Paste 6 oz Can
  • 2 teaspoons Brown Sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Dried Oregano
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • ½ teaspoon Dried Basil
  • ½ teaspoon Dried Thyme
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 2 cups Water or Beef Broth

Instructions

  • In a dutch oven cook meat, onion, green pepper, and garlic till meat is browned and vegetables are tender. Drain off fat.
  • Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, oregano, salt, basil, thyme, and bay leaf.
  • Stir in the water or beef broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 ½ to 2 hours or till sauce is of desired consistency, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf. Serve over hot cooked spaghetti.

Notes

*Sometimes I sub beef broth for part of the water. If I don’t have any beef broth on hand, I just stick with the water though and it tastes great!

Nutrition

Calories: 274kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 740mg | Potassium: 786mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 566IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 4mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag us on Instagram at @kenarryideas or leave us a comment rating below.

Want a sweet ending to your yummy dinner? Check out my recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Pie!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Pie | Belle of the Kitchen

I would LOVE for y’all to come by and visit me at Belle of the Kitchen sometime! Drop in anytime, it would be a pleasure to have you.

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Easy Dinner Ideas

While you’re here be sure to check out these easy dinner ideas on Ideas for the Home by Kenarry® –

Originally published September 2014. Updated September 2018. Updated with nutritional information March 2020.

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17 Comments

  1. This is the same recipe I’ve been making for years that My husbands mother passed on to me 30 years ago. The only difference is we add red wine to it which actually gets cooked off but gives it amazing flavor! I also use Organic cane sugar in lieu of brown but brown sounds great too! I have not bought jarred sauce since as this is far superior in every way.

    1. Oh wow! Great to hear your family has a tried and true recipe like this one. Do you actually can your recipe or do you prepare it homemade each and every time?

  2. I am making this spaghetti sauce for the first time. I purchased two 26.46 oz. boxes of Pomi finely chopped tomatoes. According to the instructions, it says 3 diced tomatoes or 15 oz. cans. Do I need to use one, two or three Pomi boxes? Thanks.

    1. Hi Sharon,
      We apologize for the confusion. It should say 3 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes so you would need 45 oz total from whatever brand you choose. So the two boxes you have amount to 52.92 oz — so remove about a cup of diced tomatoes and you should be all set!

      Best wishes,
      Carrie
      Kenarry, LLC

  3. I have been using this recipe for a couple of years now and just noticed the comments. I made this the first time because it reminded me of my moms recipe that she no longer remembers. My husband loves this and he brags on it to everyone. I have shared it with anyone who tried it and asked. I have even left it in the fridge of a neighbor who was returning home from a long trip. I do use “better than bouillon” for the beef broth and I don’t add water as it cooks down nicely from the liquid in the tomatoes. I now approximate the spices and have at times snuck in some real bacon bits. Thank you for posting this recipe however long ago, as it will be a forever favorite and shared on any cold or rainy day with whoever gathers at our table. ❤️

    1. Hi Jenny,

      First and foremost – thank you SO very much for these kind words. You have no idea what this means to us! In fact, I forwarded your story to the entire team here at Ideas for the Home by Kenarry, and everyone was so touched. It’s incredible to see how recipes and food can bring so many people together.

      That is a great tip for using the Better than Bouillon beef broth! I will have to try that out sometime.

      Of course, thank you for being a part of our community and sharing our recipes – we take such pride in them, so receiving messages like these really brightens up our day!

      Best wishes,
      Lisa, Ideas for the Home by Kenarry Customer Care

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