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.
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.
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:
- Ground Beef or Pork Sausage
- Onion
- Green Pepper
- Canned Diced Tomatoes
- Tomato Paste
- Water or Beef Broth
These are the spices I always use in my marinara sauces:
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.
Best Ever Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
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
Nutrition
Want a sweet ending to your yummy dinner? Check out my recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Pie!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Pie
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
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Originally published September 2014. Updated September 2018. Updated with nutritional information March 2020.
the spaghetti looks absolutely delicious
It sure does. Ashlyn swears it’s one of her family’s favorites. Enjoy, Zaby!
I love pasta, it is my favorite meal. This would be yummy on a piece of garlic bread. yum! Happy Wednesday!
Thanks, Leslie! I think this recipe from Ashlyn at Belle of the Kitchen looks amazing too.
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.
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?
What kind of green pepper? Bell pepper??
Yes! That’s correct, Carla. Green bell pepper. Enjoy the spaghetti sauce.
Best wishes,
Carrie
Ideas for the Home by Kenarry®
How many people does this recipe serve?
Hi Lynn,
Great question! This recipe makes about 8 servings!
Best wishes,
Carrie
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.
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
Marinara sauce is a tomato sauce. No meat!
I love this recipe! I also add one cup of finely chopped carrots. It is a winner every time.
Thanks for the feedback Peter, we love this sauce also!
Carrie
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. ❤️
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