There is nothing more comforting than a delicious Italian meat sauce that is served over pasta and topped with fresh Parmesan cheese. This Italian American meat sauce is loaded with flavor from the ground beef, onions, garlic and good quality tomatoes. It is one of our favorite meals to make for dinner and it couldn't be any easier.
About this Italian Meat Sauce Recipe:
This style of Italian meat sauce is definitely an Italian American recipe because it is made with less ingredients and less cooking time than a traditional Italian bolognese. It is delicious and what most people think of when they think of Italian meat sauce for pasta.
I also like using this Italian meat sauce to make my lasagna al forno if I do not have time for a slow cooked bolognese. Serve this with garlic ciabatta bread for the ultimate Italian meal.
Ingredients You Will Need For This Meat Sauce:
- Ground Beef. I prefer a little fattier ground beef for this recipe to add flavor to the sauce. You can use a leaner ground beef if you prefer.
- San Marzano Tomatoes
- Garlic
- Onion
- Kosher Salt
- Fresh Basil
- Dried Oregano
- Olive oil
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Pasta for serving.
About the Ingredients:
My family has been making our meat sauce this way for as long as I can remember and it always comes out delicious. As I mentioned in the ingredients list, we use a slightly fattier ground beef (85% lean) because we like the addition of some fat in the sauce for flavor.
If you are looking to cut out some fat from the recipe, you can either use the fattier ground beef and skim some of the fat out after cooking the meat or just use a leaner ground beef recipe like a 90% lean version.
How to Make Italian Meat Sauce:
This meat sauce comes together very quickly. Once you add everything to the pot, you only need to let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes and then dinner is ready.
PRO-TIP:
Double the recipe and freeze half for a later time. When you are ready to use the reserved frozen portion, just let it sit in the fridge over night to defrost. Gently re-heat on low until hot.
Pro-Tip
If you have purchase fresh basil for this recipe or grow your own, you will want to check out my freezing basil in olive oil which shows you how to preserve it.
More Easy Italian Recipes You May Like
- Angel Hair Pasta With Tomatoes and Herbs
- Penne Alla Vodka
- Italian Zucchini Soup
- Italian Pork Chops
- Chicken Piccata
- Easy Ravioli Sauce
Perfect Italian Meat Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground beef I prefer 85% lean ground beef.
- 28 ounces San Marzano tomatoes crushed
- ½ medium yellow onion diced very fine
- 2 cloves garlic diced very fine
- 1 ½ tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 fresh basil leaves
- ⅛ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- sugar optional: a pinch at a time if your sauce tastes too acidic
Instructions
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat.
- Add your olive oil.1 ½ tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Now add your red pepper flakes, onion and a pinch of salt and cook until the onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes.½ medium yellow onion diced very fine, ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Remove onions from pot on to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pot, add your ground beef and brown on all sides making sure to break up the meat as much as possible while it cooks (about 5 minutes).1 lb Ground beef
- Add the onions back to the pot and mix in to the ground beef.
- Now add your garlic and cook for one more minute.2 cloves garlic diced very fine
- Add your tomatoes to the pot.28 ounces San Marzano tomatoes crushed
- Add your salt, oregano and basil and stir.2 fresh basil leaves, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ⅛ teaspoon dried oregano
- Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low and let simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Taste the sauce for any additional salt.
- Serve with your favorite pasta and enjoy!
Sammy
This was delicious!
Meg
This has become our new go to meat sauce. It is really good.
Jill
Everyone devoured this😊 definitely making this again
Tanner
This is a really delicious sauce
Dee
This was so easy and delicious! Thank you
Jenna
Made this last night and it was delicious!
kisitalian
I am so glad to hear that!
Barb
I've made this twice and it's a huge hit with my family. I do modify the recipe to more garlic, a whole onion and I also added fresh mushrooms that I slice thin and yellow, orange or red bell peppers, I prefer those to green due to the sweetness and they also add a little color. The recipe is fantastic if left as is, however, I've always added mushrooms and peppers to my sauce and continued with my usual practice. Thanks for this recipe, it's very easy and fairly quick so it's perfect for a busy cook
kisitalian
I'm so glad you are enjoying the recipe 🙂
Erika
So easy to make and it was delicious. My husband had seconds.
kisitalian
Thank you for sharing! So glad you both enjoyed it 🙂
Ally
So delish!!
kisitalian
Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Brian
We really enjoyed this meat sauce! Very easy and lots of flavor
kisitalian
So glad you enjoyed it 🙂