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A family recipe for an easy and delicious homemade spaghetti sauce with a unique southern twist. This is a kid favorite in our house!
My son requested spaghetti for dinner last week, it’s one of his favorite meals. I realized that I didn’t have a recipe for homemade spaghetti sauce on the blog. What?!! How can that be?!
We eat spaghetti pretty often, but I don’t always take the time to make the sauce from scratch. It takes some time and some days we are just really, really busy. I’ve posted a favorite Zucchini Spaghetti recipe for making healthier noodles out of squash and a recipe for the Best Marinara Sauce, but never my favorite spaghetti sauce.
It’s definitely time to share! This recipe was passed along to me by my mother-in-law years ago and it’s a keeper. Lauren says that it’s her absolute favorite sauce and she’s quite the spaghetti connoisseur. If you’re Italian, you know that this is not a traditional “gravy” sauce, but it’s a delicious twist worthy of trying.
How To Make Spaghetti Sauce From Scratch {with a southern twist!}
Here’s What You’ll Need For This Recipe:
2 lbs lean ground beef
extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion
1 green pepper
6 stalks of celery
3 cloves of fresh garlic
tomato paste-2 (6 oz) cans
tomato sauce- 2 (15 oz) cans
diced tomatoes 2 (15 oz) cans
1/4 cup sugar (sugar helps to cut the acidity of the sauce)
bay leaves
2 tbsp dried oregano
salt and fresh cracked pepper
Directions:
Heat olive oil in a dutch oven (or large sauté pan with a lid) over medium heat.
Add ground beef, onions, celery and garlic and cook until no longer pink, breaking up the chunks of meat and stirring occasionally.
Drain the fat and return the meat mixture to the pan.
Add remaining ingredients and return to a full boil on medium-high heat.
Reverse heat to a simmer for two hours on low heat and place the lid on the pot sideways to allow the sauce to vent and reduce a bit.
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 lbs lean ground beef I use 92% lean
- 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1 green pepper finely chopped
- 6 stalks celery finely sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 6 oz cans tomato paste
- 2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
- 2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp dried basil
- 1 tsp salt
- fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan or dutch oven on medium heat. Add ground beef, celery, peppers, onion and garlic and cook until meat is no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Drain fat and return beef mixture to pan. Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a full boil. Stir and reduce heat to low. Partially cover (I prop the lid on sideways to vent and simmer for at least two hours, stirring occasionally. The longer this simmers, the better. Serve with your favorite pasta, spaghetti squash or spiralized zucchini noodles.
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frances shays says
Can you do canning with this or does it have to be refrigerated?
Amee Livingston says
Hi Frances! I would freeze it or refrigerate it, unless you use a pressure canner. I just don’t have any personal experience with that method.
Karli says
There is nothing like a great spaghetti sauce. I am with Lauren–I love being a connoisseur. I even love it over spaghetti squash…a good sauce and you never know its not pasta!
Amee Livingston says
I agree, Karli! The sauce is always the star of the dish! 🙂
Liz says
This has become my go-to sauce! I’ve made it several times and it always disappear in no time. There are so many recipes out there that are more complex but none are better!! Thank you for sharing!
Amee Livingston says
Liz, thank you so much!! I’m so glad that you love the recipe and I really appreciate you taking the time to comment! 🙂
Alyssa says
Amee, thank you very much! I really liked the recipe, I took it to my recipe book)
Amee Livingston says
Thank you so much for the feedback Alyssa! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!!
Joy says
This sauce is the best I have tried. It is a keeper for me.
Amee Livingston says
Thank you so much Joy! So glad you loved the recipe!