My dad was generally the one who always made our sauce; it was one of his favorite things to do on Sunday afternoons.
Best Ever Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
This homemade spaghetti sauce recipe was passed down from my Sicilian grandma. It has been used for generations, and you can’t mess it up! It is really easy and tastes SO much better than the store-bought sauce. I love that you can make this in a crock-pot, too (my favorite crockpot is this one!); no need to spend hours babysitting the stove making sure it doesn’t burn.
In fact, it’s one of our favorite dump recipes!
Homemade sauce is not as hard as you may think! It is actually pretty simple and tastes so much better than store-bought sauce! You can either make it on the stovetop, crockpot, or pressure cooker.
Making homemade sauce makes me feel like a super mom, even though I typically make it in the crockpot.
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How to make homemade spaghetti sauce:
This is for the stovetop version of the sauce.
Step 1: Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a 5+ qt. pot over medium heat, and saute 1/2 chopped onion until golden brown.
Step 2: Add the chopped or minced garlic. Heat for another one to two minutes, making sure not to burn the garlic, t
Step 3: Add spices: 1 Tbsp salt, 2 tsp black pepper, 4 Tbsp basil, and 1 Tbsp sugar (optional). Stirring often, bring to a low boil.
Step 4: Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2-3 hours stirring often. For the first half of the simmer time, do so with the pot uncovered, then cover.
Step 5: Add in 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, stir in and simmer for an additional 5 minutes or so.
Step 6: Taste and add more salt if necessary. Then stir.
Here is the Crockpot version of the sauce:
Step 1: Add 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 onion, and minced garlic to the bottom of the crockpot.
Step 2: Add in 3 cans of crushed tomatoes.
Step 3: Add in all the spices: 1 Tbsp salt, 2 tsp black pepper, 4 Tbsp basil, and 1 Tbsp sugar (optional)
Step 4: Stir together
Step 5: Set the crockpot to low and cook for 6 hours.
Step 6: Before serving, add in 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan or Romano cheese and stir. Return lid to crockpot and cook 10 minutes longer. Serve over spaghetti. You can also add use this to make Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs.
Step 7: Taste and add more salt if necessary. Then stir.
Helpful hints for a perfect spaghetti sauce:
1.) Pick the right crushed tomatoes.
There are so many ways to make sure your sauce can be perfect every time. You first need to start with the best quality crushed tomatoes. When you buy your crushed tomatoes, make sure that you are buying ones that do not have any seasoning added. Often times you can buy crushed tomatoes with basil and salt already added, which can throw off the taste when you take into account the spices I add to my tomatoes.
You also want to decide if you like a chunky or smooth spaghetti sauce. We prefer a smooth sauce, so I like to buy Tuttorosso or Hunt’s crushed tomatoes. If you prefer a chunky sauce, you may want to use whole tomatoes or buy a chunky canned crushed tomato.
2.) Add Ground Beef or Italian sausage.
You can easily add ground beef or Italian sausage to this sauce. We typically brown it before adding it to the sauce. Another thing that we like to add is the big sausage links. That way, if the kids don’t like them they can pick them out without it affecting the entire pot of sauce.
3.) Use canned crushed or fresh tomatoes.
When using canned tomatoes vs fresh tomatoes there are a few things to consider. If you are growing your own tomatoes at home, it is obviously going to be cheaper to make a sauce using your own tomatoes. You will need approx 15 medium-sized tomatoes to equal 3 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes.
If you plan on purchasing fresh tomatoes in the grocery store to make a homemade sauce, you are going to spend about 3 x’s the price than if you were to use crushed tomatoes.
I can find 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes on sale once a month for $0.50 per can, so this sauce should cost you no more than $2.00 per pot. If you were making this with fresh tomatoes purchased at the grocery store, out of season, you would spend about 2-3 times that.
Let’s take a look at how to make a homemade spaghetti sauce using fresh tomatoes.
How to make homemade spaghetti sauce using fresh tomatoes:
If using fresh tomatoes, you would need about 12-15 medium-sized tomatoes.
There is definitely more work involved when using fresh tomatoes, but it is worth it. Especially if your tomatoes are fresh off the vine from your own garden.
Here is how:
- Take the skins off. The easiest method for this is to score the skins with a sharp knife, and then boil them for about a minute and then place them in cold water. This is easiest if you do this in batches.
- Peel the tomatoes. Once the tomatoes have cooled, the skins should peel off relatively easily.
- Chop the tomatoes and blend in a food processor. You can control how chunky or smooth you want the sauce by how long you blend them.
- Once this step is done, follow the rest of the recipe using the tomatoes you just prepared replacing the crushed tomatoes.
How to thicken spaghetti sauce?
If your spaghetti sauce seems a little runny and you want to thicken it up, there are 3 different methods to do so. Often times your sauce can see runny when you’ve made it using fresh tomatoes, so if you are using fresh tomatoes read up on this. Here are the 3 methods.
1.) Add a very small amount of starch. This can be cornstarch or flour/water roux.
2.) You can add a little bit of tomato paste to thicken things up more and improve the flavor. Add it a spoonful at a time, string after every spoonful.
3.) Increase the temperature to boiling for 5 minutes and stir your sauce. Reduce the temperature and simmer it for at least 10 minutes. This should thicken it up nicely.
One of these 3 methods should give you a very thick spaghetti sauce that will impress your guests
Tips for making ahead and freezing spaghetti sauce:
If you plan to can this sauce or freeze it you will want to omit the Parmesan cheese. Make a note on the freezer bag and add the cheese when you cook the sauce following the recipe.
We often add ground beef or Italian sausage to it BEFORE freezing it. This just makes it that much easier to cook!
You can make this sauce with either canned crushed tomatoes or fresh tomatoes.
When I make my Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs I put the meatballs and sauce directly in the bag before I freeze it. Then throw it in the crockpot in the morning. In 6 hours I have a delicious and healthy meal for my family!
Spaghetti sauce, marinara sauce, and pizza sauce; what’s the difference?
The main difference between the 3 of these sauces is the spices used and the cooking method.
Spaghetti/Pasta sauce is a slow simmer sauce that has a few herbs like basil involved. This is usually a thicker sauce, and you usually add meats and peppers to it. This would never go over a pizza.
The marinara sauce is usually a quick-cooking sauce that only cooks for an hour or less. has a sweeter, deeper flavor. This can be used over pasta or even over pizza.
Pizza sauce is an uncooked tomato sauce. Pizza sauce is typically made with tomato pasta or thicker tomato sauce. It uses different spices from spaghetti sauce, featuring – oregano, Italian seasoning, garlic salt, onion powder, and sugar.
Other Italian Recipes
If you love this homemade spaghetti sauce recipe, you will love some of our other Italian recipes:
Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs
Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Casserole
In fact, you can find many of these recipes in our ALDI Meal Plans, where we teach you how to make 20 meals for under $160 in under 3 hours!
Homemade Italian Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 TSBP olive oil
- 1/2 onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 3 28 oz. cans of Crushed Tomatoes either regular or with basil, oregano and garlic 28 oz. sized cans OR 12-15 fresh tomatoes (peeled, chopped and blended in a food processor)
- 1 Tbsp Salt
- 4 Tbsp Basil
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- 1 Tbsp Sugar optional
- 1/3 cup Grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a 5+ qt. pot over medium heat, and add the onion.
- Saute for 10 minutes or so, stirring often and being careful not to burn it.
- Add the chopped or pressed garlic.
- Heat for another one to two minutes, making sure not to burn the garlic, then add all the tomatoes, salt, black pepper, basil, and sugar. Stirring often, bring to a low boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2-3 hours stirring often.
- For the first half of the simmer time, do so with the pot uncovered, then cover.
- Add the cheese, stir in and simmer for an additional 5 minutes or so.
- This will make the equivalent of 4-5 jars of sauce, and the cost is probably about half (and it tastes way better).
Have you grabbed my freezer meal plans, yet? I might be biased but I think they are pretty amazing! They have saved our dinner hour for years now. Check them out!
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[…] jarred sauce often has a lot of sugar in it. Try one of these amazing homemade recipes – Classic Italian Spaghetti Sauce, Easy Bolognese Sauce, and Easy Alfredo Sauce (with a secret […]
I do not understand how you could get 6 jars from this recipe. Recipe. Confusing It first says 3/4 crushed tomatoes then all. This looks good but no instructions on adding meat or sausage. There is no way this would be 6 jars. Did I miss something
3-4 means 3 or 4 cans of tomatoes
3/4 means three quarters of a can.
Maybe that will help?
I really don’t see how it would make 6 jars either, unless they are very small jars. I made this to use with my Manicotti yesterday, I only used “half” of everything as it was my first time making it and didn’t know whether the family would like it and didn’t want extra. My Manicotti recipe called for a 26oz jar of sauce and I barely had enough. I would say this recipe would make maybe 2-3 average size jars (24-26oz) of sauce. Though I can see it making 6 jars of the smaller sauce jars, like 16-18 oz jars.… Read more »
Re. the homemade Italian spaghetti sauce recipe, and it being a favorite “dump-recipe”:
How do the directions change when using the crockpot, as opposed to in the pan ,(which is how the website instructions read,)?
Also, what meats (hamburger and/or sausage ? Pre-cooked or raw? Are ground chicken or turkey or turkey sausages possibilities ? ) and meat quantities are used for a batch of this size ?
Thx.
In a crackpot recipe, you lightly brown the hamburger and sausage mix (with the Italian herbs in it) in a 2 -3 quart pan leave it partially red from cooking the lump of meat mix and break it up at at the bottom of the crackpot and then dump the rest of the sauce ingredients in and set the crokpot to go and over that time the meat will cook with the sauce. You brown it to envelope the flavors together and cook the meat a bit. It all finishes in the crockpot with the addition of other flavors and… Read more »
Becoming a vegan at 64 years of age is a bit tough. But what is great is I found this wonderful simple sauce! I’m making it again for the third time. The only thing I add is majoram and when the pan is very hot while sauteing the onions and garlic, I add a little red wine. Thank you for the sauce recipe. I love it because I can adapt it to my palate!
Happy New Year!
The recipe is at the bottom of the post Dave.
Same question I had
Delicious! I added 1 large sweet onion whole and a pack of boneless ribs and about 3/4 lb of ground beef. I cooked it in the slow cooker from 9-3, then transferred it to the pot to cook down and threw in a little tomato paste. The onion falls apart as it cooks. At 3, I took it out and chopped it tiny and put it back in. If you add in the whole onion and ribs, it gets this sweet taste like it has seafood in it. After I transferred it to the pot, I tasted it. It was… Read more »
Baking soda???
Baking soda takes the acid out of the tomato’s. So if you know someone that gets heartburn after eating a tomato based meal try baking soda.
So will a little lemon juice.
If you plan on canning your sauce you must add lemon juice or citric acid. To increase the acidity. And if you want to can your sauce never put Sodium Bicarbonate ( baking soda ) in it. You can kill people that way.
lemon juice is acid so it won’t take acid out, baking soda has base ph so it will neutralize acid. if you want to add a bit of sweetness without the sugar, place a whole peeled carrot in the pot, not only will it balance the acid in the tomatoes, but it will remove the canned taste if you are using tomatoes in a can.
I grate a medium carrot which sweetens the sauce without the cloying sweetness of added sugar.
I do that as well and, the carrots really make a difference.
Kim
I didn’t remove the seeds and regretted it. Looks like salsa. Lol. Next time I will remove the seeds. I also added tomato paste to help thicken the sauce.
[…] Pasta sauce. You will never go back. Even though there are only two of us, I make a huge batch of this stuff and we eat like kings. Tastes amazing, costs very little, and you can doctor the recipe according to your tastes and nutritional preferences. I prefer mine meaty, but you could easily adapt this to vegetarian tastes. Try this recipe–I like to add about a quarter-pound of Italian sausage to it for even more meaty zest. […]
Can you please mention, quantity of beef and when to incorporate it in the recipe?
I would like to know as well
Me too
I have had no problems freezing sauce with ground meat. I have also defrosted first as well as heat from frozen. Both methods work.
[…] 5.) Canned Tomatoes – A FANTASTIC deal! One huge can of canned tomatoes and you can make two batches of my homemade spaghetti sauce. […]
Lauren i am really excited to try this recipe. Any canning suggestions or have you tried canning this?
Wassa matta you! Itsa not called spaghetti sauce, itsa called gravy!
No, what’s matter you! Gravy is what you put on mashed potatoes or turkey! What you put on spaghetti is called “SAUCE “
If your Italian some call sauce gravy!!!
You are both wrong..
Any sauce which contains meat, is called and referred to as “gravy”. If your sauce doesn’t contain any meat, then its called sauce – hence marinara sauce.
You are correct Sir
I believe it is called gravy on the East Coast. The rest of the country calls in spaghetti sauce.
I’m from South Carolina and we all call it sauce for spaghetti
John Greyson My Nonna from northern Italy called it spaghetti sauce..not gravy. I think only those in organized crime called it gravy. LOL!! Goodfellas!!
What tomatoes do you recommend? My garden was quite the jungle this year and I have about a bushel of San Marzano tomatoes and then a much smaller amount of beefsteak and heirloom.
Omg! San Mariano … makes the best everything!!!
I would suggest sweet anise if you want to up it another notch
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[…] the meatballs in the sauce and simmer for at least a half […]
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I learned a similar recipe from my mother. Some things to try: My mother taught me to add three primary ingredients (holy trinity) chopped/minced garlic, chopped onion, and chopped pepper.) I wonder if the onion is a Scottish thing (mom was born and raised in Glasgow, but worked for five years for an Italian family restaurant). Like the recipe says, the key is creating a base by sauteing the first ingredients at a low to medium heat in olive oil. I use only San Marzano canned tomatoes from Italy… I was told by an Italian friend that they are less… Read more »
That is not the “Holy Trinity”. Carrots, celery, and onion is the “Holy Trinity” of Italian cooking.
No. That is called “mirepoix” and it is French.
That “holy trinity” is used in many cultures for a base for many sauces, soups & stews. Try watching real cooks on some cooking shows. That’s how I start all of mine, been
Cooking for 60 years now, & still love getting new ideas from the pro’s.
PS: also get a kick out of the ” Snotty ” remarks from some of you self righteous
people out there, LOL!, K
Do you have a recipe for a much smaller batch? I do not have freezer space or equipment to store the sauce in jars.
Use half of everything. 😉
You were very kind with your REPLY
When my husband and I visited Italy a few years back, we had the privilege of eating spaghetti cooked by our Italian chef friend that was out of this world delicious and was the exact recipe that Lauren’s grandmother passed down to her. It is not the thick pasty tomatoey glob that overpowers American spaghetti so you can’t taste anything else. You can call it gravy or whatever you please…I call it fantastic and tasteful. I am so glad Lauren shared her culinary treasure!!! Love, Love, Love it!!!!
I agree with you,call it what you wish so I will be making this gravy because I want to try something different.I will be serving it to my trashy husband who will call it good I am sure.
I have to agree .I love it too .Simple and clean tasting. I haven’t made sauce in a long time and actually forgot how much I put of what. It used to come naturally of knowing how much. I Just for forgot however I didn’t forget how to make my meatballs TG.Now that I’m older I was looking for something with less spices and fresher tasting. This fit the bill.
Thank you for this incredible recipe! I made this sauce for a spaghetti night with friends, and than used the remainder for a large batch of lasagna. Everyone raved about the flavor, and asked for the recipe. It’s incredibly delicious, and so easy to make. This URL is being bookmarked for eternity! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
I am making this recipe right now! No salt?
This is great! I will be trying it Thursday! Thanks for posting!
Is this sauce something you can also can,and if so how long will it keep
You don’t need to can it, but you can if you want to (no pun intended). You can keep it in the freezer in a container for awhile and by awhile I mean like a year. You’ll probably use it up by then. I’m half Italian and my mom (full Italian, R.I.P.) did this every week or two for a good 60 years or so, no problems whatsoever. Also I think it tastes better once it is frozen and thawed, believe it or not. Good luck!
My wife and I are proficient “canners”. When we “can” we do at least 40 cans of various tomato sauces, salsa or other vegetables. We do not can spaghetti sauce every season. But our batch of sauce is fine after sitting on a dark shelf in the cool basement for over a year. Same with our salsa or any of our pickled beets, corn relish, pickled mushrooms etc.
I tried this sauce last week. My family loved it, so easy to make. Thank you for sharing it.
Can you add meat to it?
NO: you CANNOT can this recipe. If you want to safely can any sauce or soup, look for FDA approved recipes, and know, that tomato SAUCE has to be canned in a pressure canner. It is not safe in a water bath canner.
Just made your sauce for my wife’s work pot luck tomorrow. So good so easy.. thank you… I added some wine.. to deepen the flavor. It’s going to be a hit with the Italian sausages and pasta.. thank you..
What type of onion?
Could you use diced tomatoes for this recipe?
absolutely
I just followed this recipe perfectly. I’m very disappointed in this sauce. It does not stick to the noodles at all. I used fresh tomatoes and everything else exactly. I’m confused how anyone would consider this to be a good pasta sauce. I was so looking forward to trying this but unfortunately not very impressed.
Just goes to show you that jerks lurk in all places. I have made this sauce, and think it is excellent. No processed foods, salts, preservatives added, 100% healthy
I’m guessing he didn’t get “GOOD” Tomatoes. In the winter, Roma’s suck and heirlooms are expensive a.f. I honestly got 2 cans, one tomato sauce, and a 6oz tomato paste, used the equivalence of the 3-28oz cans in cherry tomatoes and roasted them with the onions and garlic peeled the lil skins …best sauce ever following the rest of the recipe.which is exactly what my mom’s (rip mommy) recipe was. Delectable and delicious. ::Chef’s kiss:: Magnifique
That’s more like a marinara sauce and we never use sugar in any tomato sauce.
My Nonna from Italy & my mom..never used sugar in their spaghetti sauce. They sweetened their sauce with carrots. I throw about 10 (whole) baby carrots into my sauce and cook them until soft. The carrots serve 2 purposes: 1. The carrots help to sweeten the sauce and 2. The carrots draw any of the tartness out of the tomatoes. My Nonna used to remove the carrots & use them later for soup. But..my mom and I always LOVED eating the carrots in the spaghetti sauce. That’s my method for sweetening the sauce.
Thank you so much, I don’t eat sugar and I have been looking for a recipe for awhile, I will be trying this weekend
There must be 80 million grandmothers that live in Sicily. When it comes time to cook pasta and sauce, everyone has a family recipe handed down from there grandma, lol…
What type of meat flavoring to you use?
I’m Italian. My grandmother (Nonna) grew up in Northern Italy..and I agree with Rich. He did not sound angry to me..just truthful. I make my Nonna’s spaghetti sauce recipe. It takes me 2 days to make my homemade spaghetti sauce. And..I could definitely open an Italian restaurant with my sauce. I cannot give away all of my secrets but I will give away a few. I slow roast green & red peppers over an open flame..before they go in my sauce. I never use sugar..only a certain red wine for sweetening. And, if the tomatoes are tart..adding 2 fresh carrots… Read more »
BUT….most of us don’t have 2 day to make sauce. This is a quick and easy alternative to store bought sauce and with a little love turns out amazing! And rich is a dick…this sauce is 1000 times better than anything you can buy in a store! Paired with my meatballs I could sale this anywhere!! And by the “the love” i added 4 extra cloves of garlic in the sauce ( not cooked with the onion ) and an extra heaping table spoon of sugar. Sweet is sweet it doesn’t matter if you get it from a sweet red… Read more »
If you think your sauce is superior why don’t you have your own blog?
Thank you Sandyjeanie! Sounds so good I am going to steal your recipe and make it my own family tradition. Since you left some mystery in seasoning – I wondered if you ever use saffron?
what the name of the red wine you used? is it lambruso red ty I had a friend from the early 1970 and they put a sweet red wine in the sauce but i cannot remember maybe if you can help i would appericate it ty rose
I agree with Sandy and her sauce is the closest to my grandparents recipes. My dad is full blooded italian and honestly Sandy is the 1st blog I came across where they actually brown the tomato paste. My grandma always said that was they key to a good sauce. Also, both sides of my dads family cook their sauce slightly different. One side added sugar and the other didn’t, but their sauce was more spicy. Now I do not cook my sauce for 2 days, but it does cook all day.
My Nana grew up in Northern Italy too and were not taught that a simple sauce is best. In fact…reading how you make your sauce, you weren’t either! So how did you come to the conclusion that Rich was right when you you wrote a paragraph rebuking everything he said? I don’t know about your Nonna…but my Nana would throw the pan of sauce out in the sink if I made it “simple” with Rich’s ingredients!
using a red wine means you dont get to share it with your family right? kids involved…
Doesn’t sound like Italian sauce to me.
You know, any good cook knows that making a good sauce means less than an hr of cooking time because it gets acid and will taste bitter. A great sauce is made with at least 15 ingredients and let sit over night to mature. This is just another “me too” sauce that will be bland and eat your stomach out.
that’s why you add a bit of sugar to combat that acidicness to it
Billieg My sauce would be acidic & bitter if it cooked for less than an hour. All day cooking sweetens my sauce. The more you cook it..the sweeter the sauce becomes.
There are as many tomato sauces as there are hairs on your head.,the quick sauce , just olive oil garlic and tomatoes simmers in 30 minutes to the Sunday Gravy which has pigs feet, , ribs, braciole, sausage and meatballs and cooks three hours. It would be good to share some techniques we have learned to help novice cooks. My mom used whole onions in all her soups and sauces. She didn’t like bits and pieces of onion floating in the sauce.It requires the longer cooking sauces . In her easy quick sauces she sauteed the garlic whole or chopped… Read more »
your comment on how you made your meatballs is funny to me because my mother was North Italian she made a stuffing for Thanksgiving or Christmas when we had turkey and it always had soaked bread ground beef onions garlic celery salt pepper oregano Italian seasonings and she’s sweet and with soaked white raisins then she would fry it up in a big pot and stuff the turkey with it it was always amazing
Sugar bro? Stick to your store bought Ragu crap then. Some people actually know what they’re doing.
Ragu is the worst sauce I’ve ever had in my life and I am 72 years old
I have to agree.
I followed the directions 100% and was not impressed with the taste?
HI Rich,
So sorry to hear about your restaurant closing.
I’m making it now and so far I love it. Very fresh and clean tasting not over burdened with a lot of spices. Just what I was looking for . I can add my meats and meatballs if I want more flavor but I like starting with a good base that can stand alone if you don’t want to add meats.
This one is simple too and actually quite good!
I buy the 102 ounces of Italian tomatoes/ How much garlic , basil and onions would you put in that?
thank you
I love it!
I added seasoned hamburger and hot Italian Sauage and red and green bell peppers. YUM!!!!!
I know this sauce is delicious ! Because this is the same as I’ve made it for 40years. I make it adding ground chuck and I also like basil in the sauce!! But other than that it’s the same…
Will try! How do you store?
I store in a tupperware container and we either eat it that week, or I
freeze it in Ziploc bags.
The ! gallon freezer bags work great for me. I fill them each 1/3 to 1/2 full then fold out all of the extra air. Then I put them in a container after they cool off so they can freeze into thin bricks that stack nicely later. The thin configuration helps with faster defrosting later.
Mmm…that recipe sounds great! I bet that grated cheese really makes it. Hunts is one of my favorite brands and the only canned tomato sauce that I will use. I like to use it as a base for pizza sauce and enchilada sauce.
You are right!
if jen likes it- why comment, I’m curious-
i don’t like reading comments that make other people feel bad 🙁
I have to agree with you, Patrick!
you shouldn’t buy it then, but I luv luv luv it.
I agree with Patrick!
Yum! Love Hunts tomato sauce!
well then don’t eat it!!
How do you taste the metal can. Cans have a lining so the tomatos never come into contact with the metal in the can. If you have a metallic taste in your tomatoes it’s not the can. Just cheap processing.
The secret to a good sauce are Italian tomatoes.
Sounds great gonna try it Sunday My Sunday wouldent be complete without spaghetti dinner. But always used jar sauce So I want something more tastier How much ground beef or Italian sausage do you recommend for this recipe? One other thing is I read some negative posts about the recipe. That wasn’t nice when you took the time to share a family recipe Thank you.
Thanks for sharing! It’s somewhat similar to my grandmother’s sauce however with a few American twists, as she called it. She and my grandfather moved to the Brooklyn from Southern Italy in the 1950’s. The American twists in her sauce being oregano and onions, which she had added to her mother’s recipe.
My napoletan grandma added onion to the gravy my Sicilian grandma never did. I prefer without the onion never peppers. The basic recipe is the same brown the garlic in olive oil , add crushed tomatoes I like Cento , or tuttorosa or any imported from Italy they seem less watery, of course you can crush regular whole tomatoes as well. If you want meat sauce I add a few Italian and hot sausage, meatballs and porky ribs , sometimes a piece of steak, first add the tomatoes I use 4 or 5 cans to the lightly browned garlic stir… Read more »
Can’t wait to try. Am going to make a day ahead. and I will be adding meatballs towards the end. Been craving this!!
its called sauce everywhere but down south there its called gravy they put on everything
I have a quick question, how much green pepper should be added? Also, should it be added in the 2nd step along with all the other ingredients? Thank you very much in advance for your help!
Hi Linda. When I use green pepper, I use probably about 1/3 of a green pepper and dice it into very small pieces. Then I saute it with the onion. Hope that helps!
What is the best peppers to use?
Hi Lauren,
I found your recipe on the Internet back in August of 2015 and have been using it ever since, best Spaghetti sauce recipe I’ve ever made or tasted. Of course I doctor it up but the base is your recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Craig 🙂
Can you cook the pasta in the sauce, or do you have to boil it?
Cook the pasta in water.
As an Italian restaurant owner for 50 years, spaghetti sauce is called sugo. Your receipt is pretty close to mine…simple and rich. The secret is in the humidity for the day. Longer if damp, but shorter and lower temp when dry, you can not rush flavor! Also sugo is better when it sets for a least 5 days (use stainless steel or glass). Freezing make is thick and rich.
Thanks for the insight….very good advice.
How do you let it set? In the freezer immediately after cooking?
Made this last night. Made a few changes (extra basil, sugar, onions, green pepper, mushrooms, chicken, and a little tomato paste to thicken). I love this recipe! Definitely my new go to recipe. Fed my husband and my neighbor. Both loved it.
Thanks, everybody — I always use ground beef (part sirloin) in spaghetti sauce. I brown it in a large pan and thereafter add everything else that’s going in the sauce. I don’t use onions, but just onion powder. (Somebody in my house doesn’t like “real” onions.) I generally use Tuttaroso canned sauce, but any other will do fine. Use lots of spices — your
choice — and cook slowly, for at least an hour to blend everything. Delicious!
How/what can I do to the ground beef as sometimes it has no or little taste (especially when I make chili)???
verlyn dittman To flavor the ground beef..I add a packet of Brown Gravy Mix (the powdered one) to the meat while browning it. Do not add water..just pour the packet straight into the ground beef and mix well. I do this when making chili, shepherd’s pie, american chop suey & spaghetti sauce. It gives the beef a great flavor..plus it’s not so dry. Hope you like it!!
Absolutely delicious. My grandmother as well, was born in Sicily.
This is a finger licking recipe. Thank u
Very similar to recipe my Italian friends mother gave me years ago. She adds a splash of burgundy or other red wine. Adds Wow factor! I never use canned/jarred sauce. When hubby 1st tasted my home-made sauce he thought he had died and gone to Heaven! His mother, like mine, used a BOX mix! Ugh Ugh!! Always swore I would never use it, only home-made.
Similar to my family’s recipe (came from italy in 1900) – but is that a metal pot? Never use any reactive pan w/ anything w/ tomatoes (you will get a metallic taste!). Don’t cover w/ foil unless you make sure the foil does not touch the tomatoes or sauce (you will end up w/ foil melted into your recipe). Thanks for sharing the recipe!
This is how I make mine and it keeps very well in the freezer. This gives me something to do with all my tomatoes from my garden and all the oregano and basil I have. I just stew them down all day and add everything else a couple hours before I think it is ‘saucy’ enough. …. and yes i cut my tomatoes in half and squeeze the seeds out.
my daughter and I made this and it was awful. it was watery though we followed your recipe to the letter. (we used tomatoes) we were hoping for a richer sauce with flavor, not so runny. we were very disappointed. Very.
Did you use your own crushed tomatoes or store bought?
If you follow the recipe with fresh tomatoes it does get really runny and watery. I figured out to add a can of tomato paste to it when you start it in the crock pot in the morning or when you add the tomatoes to the pot if you are cooking on the stove.
If you are using fresh tomatoes yuo have to use a very meaty tomato such as a Roma, seed and squeeze most of the juice out. Same if you are makng salsa or ketchup. Tomatoes are so full of water that you can’t use a regular canning tomato or garden tomatoefor a rich sauce. Don’t give up, this is really a very good recipe and I am very picky about my pasta sauce reccomendations
Mine was watery and the rich flavor was not there
Cornstarch may also work but I don’t know if it will change the flavor or not.
I have been making Italian sauces fior many years. Most of my recipes were learned from the mother of a dear friend while I was on an extended visit to Italia. This recipe reminds me so much of one herss and it was always one of my favorites. I did use a cup of dry red wine, fresh basil and fresh oregano. I use raw honey instead of sugar. I made this exactly by your recipe for my first batch and everyone thought it was great. I made the few changes just because it was what I was used to.… Read more »
Just made your sauce tonight! So delicious!!!! Exactly what I was looking for. Simplicity at it’s best! My husband who is not a big fan of Spaghetti absolutely loved it!
Trying to copy the recipe but something is preventing me from doing it. If you had an email version you could send would be great, thank you.
There is a little envelope at bottom right of the page.This will allow you to send the recipe to yourself.
What?
I made this with Romano tomatoes from the garden. I blended them in my Vitamix, no need to peel. I also added a can of tomatoes paste to thicken it up. It turned out great!
Did you leave the seeds in when using fresh tomatoes? I did and am worried I ruined it! Thanks!
The sauce ended up being more pale, and not as rich, what did I do wrong?
I like the sounds of your recipe all the way through and I’m going to give it a try today the only thing I would add is it after the tomatoes are cooled before you peel off the skin hold them over the sink and give them one quick firm squeeze this shoots out all the extra water and 95% of the seeds.
3-4 cans at 28 oz. per can, correct?
Correct
HELP!!! I’m making the sauce now and I to find it rather water/runny. I realize I should have used roma (?) tomatoes? so… now that I’m almost through cooking the sauce – what can I do to rectify the runny/watery issue? I’m not a cook at all.. .I eat, believe me, but rushing home to turn on the stove has just never been my passion. I retired a week ago and my first task was to make home made spaghetti sauce… recipe looks great and I’m sure it will taste great but… what do I do now???? help. thank you… Read more »
I would turn the temperature up and try to boil some of the water off. Watch it close and stir frequently so that you don’t burn it.