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Home » Recipe Index » Mains

Easy Spaghetti Meat Sauce

Published: Mar 31, 2016 · Modified: Jan 20, 2025 by Fida | Sweet and Savoury Pursuits · This post may contain affiliate links · 26 Comments

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Use your favorite jar sauce to quickly make an Easy Spaghetti Meat Sauce. Two ingredients in the spice blend of this recipe make it stand out from the rest and will have your guests asking for more.

Bowl of spaghetti topped with meat sauce.

This Easy Spaghetti Meat Sauce is loaded with fresh vegetables, ground beef, tomato sauce and spices. But so are almost all of the meat sauce recipes out there, so you might be wondering what's so special about this recipe? Well I believe it's a couple of the spices that I include when seasoning the sauce.

Close-up of spaghetti and meat sauce twirled around a fork. Garlic bread in background.
Jump to:
  • Making Meat Sauce with Jar Sauce
  • How to Make it
  • Steps Overview
  • Serving Suggestions
  • More Pasta Recipes
  • Easy Spaghetti Meat Sauce Recipe

Making Meat Sauce with Jar Sauce

Using a really good quality jarred tomato pasta sauce is a practical short cut that shortens the time needed for a delicious tasting sauce. I use a ready-made organic tomato and basil pasta sauce instead of a plain tomato sauce or canned crushed tomatoes to make my meat sauce.

When choosing your jarred sauce make sure to check the amount of sodium and sugar, it can vary greatly from one brand to another. It's completely up to you to use the sauce that you prefer. You could also use plain tomato sauce, but you'll have to add extra seasoning.

When adding the spices to my meat sauce, I include the usual oregano, basil and bay leaves, but I also include ground cumin and coriander (the dried seed of cilantro). These spices make the sauce super flavourful and really make it stand out from the rest.

What I love about sauces like this one, is that after you've made the sauce once, you can adjust it to your liking by playing around with the spices, adding more or less, or omitting one altogether.

How to Make it

I like to fill my meat sauce up with aromatic vegetables like garlic, onion, carrot and celery. I also add sweet peppers and mushrooms.

Steps Overview

To start the sauce, prep all of your vegetables. Using your food processor, chop them up to the desired consistency. Do this in batches so you don't overload your food processor. You can chop them up really finely if you've got picky eaters in your household.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the veggies to the pan and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the ground beef. Cook the ground beef until it is no longer pink.

Add the tomato sauce and all the seasonings, reduce the heat, stir and let simmer for approximately 30 minutes.

After the sauce has simmered for 30 minutes or so, taste and adjust the seasonings. If you're in a hurry, the sauce can be used at this point but if you have time you can reduce the heat to very low and continue to simmer the sauce for up to two hours.

If you do, don't forget to stir the sauce occasionally. If too much liquid has evaporated you can add more tomato juice or water. Just make sure to adjust the seasonings one more time before serving the sauce.

Bowl of spaghetti topped with meat sauce.

This recipe makes a large pot of sauce, I like to make a large batch that I can then portion and freeze, it makes life easier on busy weeknights.

But if you prefer a smaller batch you can easily cut this recipe in half.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the meat sauce over the pasta of your choice, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley (or basil) and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

More Pasta Recipes

  • Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta
  • Shrimp Spinach Goat Cheese Penne
  • Sundried Tomato Pesto Pasta
  • Mediterranean Pasta Salad
  • Tomato Orzo Soup
Bowl of spaghetti topped with meat sauce.

Easy Spaghetti Meat Sauce Recipe

Author: Fida | Sweet and Savoury Pursuits
Use your favourite jar sauce to quickly make an Easy Spaghetti Meat Sauce. Two ingredients in the spice blend of this delicious sauce recipe make it stand out from the rest and will have your guests asking for more.
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Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 2 hours hrs
Total Time 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 16 -20 sevings
Calories 130 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion large
  • 3 garlic cloves large
  • 2 carrots
  • 3 celery stalks
  • 1 sweet pepper red or green
  • 227 grams fresh mushrooms one package
  • 2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 6 cups pre made pasta sauce your favourtie brand
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon hot pepper flakes more to taste

Instructions
 

  • Wash vegetables and peel garlic, onions and carrots.
  • Cut all vegetables into chunks for your food processor.
  • Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
  • Start by adding the onion and garlic to the food processor, when vegetables are chopped to your liking, add them to the saucepan and give them a quick stir.
  • Continue to process the rest of the vegetables and add them to the pan as you go. Stir and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.
  • Raise the heat to medium high and add the ground beef, sauté and break up the large chunks of meat. Cook until the ground beef is no longer pink, about 10 min.
  • Add the tomato sauce and all the seasonings, reduce heat, stir and let simmer.
  • After the sauce has simmered for approximately 30 min, taste and adjust the seasonings.
  • Reduce heat to low, and let simmer for up to two hours, stirring occasionally and adding tomato juice or water if too much liquid has evaporated.
  • When ready to serve, taste sauce one more time and adjust seasonings, remove bay leaves.
  • Serve over the pasta of your choice, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley (or basil) and freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional).

Notes

  1. Depending on what tomato sauce you use, whether it's a ready made store bought pasta sauce, crushed tomatoes, or plain tomato sauce you will have to adjust the seasonings to your liking, adding a little at a time and tasting often is the trick to a great tasting sauce!
  2. If you prefer, you could use plain tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes with purée*, make sure to season sauce with oregano, basil, salt and pepper.

Nutrition

Calories: 130kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 14gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 532mgPotassium: 623mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1950IUVitamin C: 17.6mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 2.7mg
Keyword Bolognese, Easy Spaghetti Meat Sauce, Meat Sauce, Spaghetti Sauce
Tried this recipe? Have any questions, comments or suggestions? Leave a comment below!Mention @sweetandsavourypursuits or tag #sweetandsavourypursuits!

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  1. Andrea Broom says

    January 14, 2017 at 10:39 am

    This looks so good! Can't wait to try this recipe.

    Reply
    • Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says

      January 15, 2017 at 7:59 am

      Thanks Andrea, it's my favourite pasta sauce, I hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  2. Karen says

    April 27, 2016 at 4:15 pm

    I can't wait to try your meat sauce recipe as your spices are some of my favorites…very creative.

    Reply
    • Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says

      April 27, 2016 at 6:34 pm

      Thanks so much Karen, I hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  3. Nancy says

    April 21, 2016 at 9:34 am

    No culinary infractions committed here, Fida. Now if you simply opened the jar of sauce, at left it at that, it wouldn't be much of a recipe then. 😉 However, you've taken a humble, basic sauce and turned it into something fabulous! If it's even half delicious as it looks...you've created a masterpiece!

    Reply
    • Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says

      April 30, 2016 at 10:19 pm

      Thanks so much Nancy, I'm so glad others feel the same way 🙂

      Reply
  4. Lucy @ Globe Scoffers says

    April 08, 2016 at 7:47 am

    This is so easy to make which is great for a mid week dinner and it looks incredibly delicious! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says

      April 08, 2016 at 3:49 pm

      That's one of the things I love so much about this sauce, thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment!

      Reply
  5. Louise Crosby says

    April 06, 2016 at 11:09 am

    Fida, I love the idea of adding cumin, coriander and even cinnamon to meatballs and meat sauces. It makes the flavours more complex. So I will definitely give this recipe a try. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says

      April 08, 2016 at 3:47 pm

      Thanks so much Louise, I agree I find myself using those particular three spices so much. Take care 🙂

      Reply
  6. nagimaehashi says

    April 05, 2016 at 9:20 pm

    I adore your photos!!! You honestly had me believing for a second that I could grab that fork loaded with pasta!!! 🙂 Love the addition of cumin and coriander too, I get what you mean. My secret ingredient is soy sauce!!

    Reply
    • Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says

      April 06, 2016 at 9:20 pm

      Thanks so much Nagi! Soy sauce, really? Now I'm curious, I'll have to try it next time I make my sauce!

      Reply
  7. Alex says

    April 05, 2016 at 1:17 pm

    Tried this the other day, great meat sauce and so easy to make.

    Reply
    • Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says

      April 05, 2016 at 9:23 pm

      Hi Alex, so happy to hear you gave this a try already and liked it!

      Reply
  8. HapaNomNom says

    April 05, 2016 at 1:23 am

    Spaghetti with meat sauce is a childhood favorite. In fact, when I visit my parents I put in a special request 🙂 This looks like such an amazing and incredible bowl of comfort!

    Reply
    • Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says

      April 05, 2016 at 9:21 pm

      I know it's such a good comfort food, definitely one of my favourites and now my kids love it too.

      Reply
  9. Amanda | Yum In Your Tum says

    April 04, 2016 at 2:39 pm

    This spaghetti looks amazing! I have been craving spaghetti lately so I am literally drooling over the screen right now. I love that you added mushrooms. This is a must try! 🙂

    Reply
    • Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says

      April 05, 2016 at 9:17 pm

      Thanks Amanda, I love mushrooms in my spaghetti sauce. Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  10. nancyc says

    April 03, 2016 at 1:22 pm

    This meat sauce sounds so good–I love all the spices you used in this!

    Reply
    • Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says

      April 03, 2016 at 10:07 pm

      Thanks Nancy, the spices really make the sauce!

      Reply
  11. C. M. says

    April 01, 2016 at 10:15 am

    Looks great, will definitely give this recipe a try!

    Reply
    • Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says

      April 01, 2016 at 10:20 am

      Thanks so much, hope you enjoy it 🙂

      Reply
  12. Lynz Real Cooking says

    March 31, 2016 at 10:06 pm

    Looks wonderful!

    Reply
    • Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says

      April 01, 2016 at 9:53 am

      Thanks so much Lynz, have a great weekend!

      Reply
      • Lynz Real Cooking says

        April 01, 2016 at 10:02 am

        you too!

        Reply
        • Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says

          April 01, 2016 at 10:18 am

          Thanks 🙂

          Reply
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