The best spaghetti recipe starts with an amazing homemade spaghetti sauce. This one has ground beef, sausage, and the perfect blend of seasonings.
Spaghetti is my 4-year-olds absolute favorite thing to eat. So I make it all the time. This has become my go-to recipe. The sauce is loaded with tons of meaty flavor and there is enough of it to generously coat a full pound of spaghetti pasta.
The leftovers are even better.
How To Make Spaghetti Sauce
*Note: The full printable recipe card is at the bottom of this post.
- Add ground beef, Italian sausage, chopped onion, and minced garlic to a skillet.
- Break the meat apart with a wooden spoon.
- Cook until the meat is browned.
- Drain off any excess grease.
- Add sugar, Italian seasoning, salt, basil, and pepper. Stir.
- Add tomato paste. Stir.
- Add tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, and water. Stir.
- Cover the skillet and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add fresh chopped parsley.
- Cook and drain the spaghetti.
- Pour the meat sauce over the spaghetti. Stir.
- Add grated parmesan cheese. Stir.
- Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Can This Be Made Ahead
Yes! You can make the spaghetti sauce. Then, store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When you are ready to eat, cook and drain the pasta. Return the drained pasta to the large pot and add the meat sauce. Warm it up on the stove top until the meat sauce is warmed through.
Reheating Leftovers
Place the leftovers in a large pot and place it over medium heat on the stovetop. Heat until it is warmed through, stirring often. This usually takes about 15 minutes.
Or, place the leftover spaghetti in a large casserole dish and cover it with foil. Place it in a 325 degree F oven until it is warmed through, around 20 minutes.
Can This Be Frozen
Yes! You can make the spaghetti sauce. Let it cool for about 20 minutes. Then, store it in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Transfer it to the refrigerator the day before you plan to eat it. When you are ready to eat, cook and drain the pasta. Return the drained pasta to the large pot and add the meat sauce. Warm it up on the stove top until the meat sauce is warmed through.
More Easy Dinner Recipes With Ground Beef
- Awesome Sloppy Joes
- Homemade Tacos
- Frito Pie Casserole from Balancing Motherhood
- Korean Ground Beef from I Wash You Dry
Watch The Step By Step Recipe Video For Spaghetti Below
The Best Spaghetti Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. 80% lean ground beef
- 1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage
- 1 medium onion -chopped
- 2 garlic cloves -minced
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
- 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
- 1 (15 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 Tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 lb. dried spaghetti pasta
- 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Make the meat sauce. Add the beef and sausage to a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon. Add the onion and garlic. Cook until meat is browned, about 6-8 minutes. Drain the fat from the meat.
- Add the sugar, Italian seasoning, salt, basil, and black pepper to the skillet with the cooked meat. Stir well.
- Add the tomato paste. Stir until no large clumps of tomato paste remain.
- Add the tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, and water. Stir until well combined. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer the sauce for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the minced parsley.
- As the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta al dente according to its package directions. Drain the pasta well, and return it to the large pot used for boiling.
- Pour the meat sauce over the pasta. Stir well. Add the parmesan cheese to the pasta. Stir well. Let the spaghetti rest in the meat sauce for 5 minutes before serving to let the pasta absorb some of the sauce.
Nutrition
Try all of my great ground beef recipes.
Sydnie says
What a delicious classic recipe! I love love love this!
Samantha Danw says
The addition of Italian Sausage is not to be missed in this yummy spaghetti recipe!
Karens says
Now we can cook really spaghetti at home. I also need to prepare the spaghetti and ready serve. But I worry that after 3 months frozen can it still keep the quality?