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This classic Italian-American Meat Sauce can easily be made at home and ready within an hour! Thick and rich, this sauce can be paired with any pasta shape you desire! It has the best blend of classic Italian flavors and comes together quickly. It’s also perfect in baked pasta!
You can never go wrong with this pasta sauce. It’s commonly made at pizzerias and in almost every American home. It’s cost-efficient, simple to make, and so flavorful. You can use any pasta shape or even meat-filled pasta such as meat ravioli or tortellini for a full meat lover’s experience.
Now I’ve never been one to use a jarred sauce to make my meat sauces. I don’t mean to sound like a kitchen know-it-all, but meat sauce tastes 10 times better when you make the sauce yourself and let the meat simmer in it. Trust me, there’s nothing wrong with using jarred sauce! I just think it tastes much better if you make it homemade; it doesn’t mean it has to be difficult either. It’s super easy to throw together. The major work is browning the meat and cooking the onions and garlic. The rest is adding in the remainder of the ingredients and letting it simmer for an hour.
How to make Homemade Meat Sauce
There’s not much work that goes into this other than browning the meat and cooking the onions and garlic. It’s super flavorful and makes a lot of sauce, so you can easily freeze the rest for later use! You can also make this in the slow cooker! (Full ingredient amounts and complete instructions are available in the recipe card down below).
- Ground Beef & Ground Sausage: For the ground beef, I had used 80-20 lean since it will work best. I had used sweet ground sausage, but feel free to use hot if you like a little spice!
- Onions & Garlic
- Tomato Puree, Crushed Tomatoes, and Tomato Paste: Used for the sauce. This helps create a thick and rich sauce.
- Red Wine: My secret weapon to a perfect meat sauce. I love the flavor it gives. You can also use beef broth if you don’t keep/want to use wine. I used cabernet sauvignon, but you can use whichever red wine you have. Just make sure it’s not sweet!
- Dried Italian Seasoning, Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Fresh Basil, Fresh Parsley
- Worcestershire Sauce: Used in the ground meat! Feel free to omit. I like using this when browning ground beef.
- Sugar: This helps cut the acidity in the tomato sauce. It doesn’t make it sweet at all!
- Grated Parmesan Cheese: It adds flavor to any pasta sauce!
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
In a large saucepot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the ground meat then drain. Return the meat to the pot then add in the onions and garlic. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Pour in the Worcestershire sauce and red wine. Allow reduction until it’s mostly absorbed in the meat. Pour in the tomato puree, and crushed tomatoes, then add in the tomato paste. Stir in the fresh basil, fresh parsley, parmesan cheese, and sugar. Reduce the heat to low, cover, then allow to simmer for 1-2 hours. Season as it simmers if it needs more seasoning!
Tips & FAQs
- Storage: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Allow the sauce to cool completely. Transfer the sauce to a freezer-safe container or ziploc bag, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then heat it up using a saucepot or a microwave.
- Variations:
- You can use ground pork instead of sausage, or even ground veal. Otherwise, you can use 2 pounds of ground beef, 2 pounds of ground sausage, or 2 pounds of meatloaf mix, which contains ground beef, ground pork, and ground veal.
- Add in some veggies such as green bell peppers or mushrooms. You can also wilt down some spinach during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- Substitute the crushed tomatoes with fire-roasted crushed tomatoes.
- Add 3/4 to 1 cup of heavy cream or 4 oz of cream cheese to make a creamy meat sauce.
- Can I make this in the Instant Pot? I haven’t tested this yet, but I know you can make meat sauce in the Instant Pot! I will update the recipe once I have tested it for myself so I don’t mislead anybody.
Want the recipe? Click print below! Let me know how it came out for you by tagging me on Instagram (@missravenskitchen) and using #missravenskitchen! Follow my Facebook page for updates as well! Let me know if I need to tweak anything.
Homemade Meat Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef, 80-20 fat
- 1 lb ground sausage, hot or sweet
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup red wine
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- 28 oz can tomato puree
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
- 15 basil leaves, chopped
Instructions
- In a large saucepot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the ground meat and brown until no longer pink, about 10-15 minutes. Drain the meat, then return to the pot.
- Add in the onions and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour in the Worcestershire sauce and red wine. Allow the wine to reduce until about 1/4 cup remains, about 3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
- Add in the tomato puree, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste. Stir in the parmesan, basil, and parsley. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cover and simmer for 1 to 2 hours or until the sauce has thickened.
- Toss in your favorite pasta and serve with extra parsley and parmesan cheese.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the ground meat and brown until no longer pink, about 10-15 minutes. Drain the meat, then return to the skillet.
- Add in the onions and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour in the Worcestershire sauce and red wine. Allow the wine to reduce until about 1/4 cup remains, about 3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
- Transfer to the slow cooker, then stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover with the lid then cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 3-4 hours.
Notes
Storage: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Allow the sauce to cool completely. Transfer the sauce to a freezer-safe container or ziploc bag, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then heat it up using a saucepot or a microwave.
Variations:
- You can use ground pork instead of sausage, or even ground veal. Otherwise, you can use 2 pounds of ground beef, 2 pounds of ground sausage, or 2 pounds of meatloaf mix, which contains ground beef, ground pork, and ground veal.
- Add in some veggies such as green bell peppers or mushrooms. You can also wilt down some spinach during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- Substitute the crushed tomatoes with fire-roasted crushed tomatoes.
- Add 3/4 to 1 cup of heavy cream or 4 oz of cream cheese to make a creamy meat sauce.
Can I make this in the Instant Pot? I haven’t tested this yet, but I know you can make meat sauce in the Instant Pot! I will update the recipe once I have tested it for myself so I don’t mislead anybody.
Red Wine: My secret weapon to a perfect meat sauce. I love the flavor it gives. You can also use beef broth if you don’t keep/want to use wine. I used cabernet sauvignon, but you can use whichever red wine you have. Just make sure it’s not sweet!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
231.14Fat (grams)
16.12 gSat. Fat (grams)
5.42 gCarbs (grams)
9.25 gFiber (grams)
2.17 gSugar (grams)
4.84 gProtein (grams)
11.91 gSodium (milligrams)
412.07 mgCholesterol (grams)
43.26 mgThe nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and the brands of ingredients used.
Miss Raven's Kitchen 
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