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 the perfect meat sauce because it is loaded with flavor from the ground beef, onions, garlic and good quality tomatoes and so easy to make. This delicious sauce is quick to make and ready in just 30 minutes. It is one of our favorite meals to make for dinner because it is so easy to make.
About this Italian Meat Sauce Recipe
To me, this is the BEST Italian meat sauce. This sauce is full of flavor, easy to make and goes well with pasta, lasagna, creamy Italian polenta or our pizza gnocchi.
This style of Italian meat sauce is definitely an Italian-American recipe because it is made with fewer 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 and my family's tried and true recipe we have been making for years.
This is one of those recipes that I have always made so it seems so simple and intuitive to me but my friends and husband's family are always asking about how to make it so I thought I would share that here too. You can use this Italian meat sauce on pasta, baked polenta , baked rigatoni and even in lasagna al forno if I do not have time for a slow-cooked bolognese sauce or my slow cooker Sunday sauce.
If you are looking for the perfect Italian meat sauce to make on a busy night, then this is the recipe for you.
What You Will Need
- Ground Beef. I prefer a little fattier ground beef for this recipe to add flavor to the sauce. You can use leaner ground beef if you prefer.
- San Marzano Tomatoes. I like to buy them whole and crush the tomatoes myself by placing the tomatoes in a large bowl and crushing them with clean hands. I do this because I like to see the actual tomatoes before they are crushed to ensure they are fully ripe. If I find any yellow tips on the tomatoes, I can remove them. You can also buy the tomatoes already crushed.
- Fresh Garlic
- Onion: yellow onion but not sweet yellow onions.
- Kosher Salt
- Fresh Basil
- Dried Oregano
- Olive oil: Try to use extra virgin olive oil if you can.
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Pasta for serving.
Ingredient Notes
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 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. Just make sure to discard the grease in a sealed bag and place it in the garbage and not down the drain.
How to Make Italian Meat Sauce
- Cook down the onions and garlic: Using a heavy bottom pot (I prefer a heavy bottom enameled cast iron pot for better browning) saute the onions and garlic.
- Brown the meat: Push the onions and garlic to the side of the pot and add the beef and cook until brown.
- Add the canned tomatoes and seasonings: I like to use a potato masher to mash down the tomatoes in the pot to give them a head start on cooking down. You also add the oregano, basil and salt at this stage.
- Simmer: You only need about 15 minutes to simmer the sauce. If you have a little more time, 30 minutes is even better.
This meat sauce recipe 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. I told you this meat sauce was quick!
Recipe Tips
- If you have purchased 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.
- Choosing the best canned tomatoes: As I mentioned earlier, canned whole San Marzano tomatoes (the can should say D.O.P. on it to know it is real) work best. If you need an affordable option, San Merican (an American version of San Marzano tomatoes) work well too.
- The best pasta for meat sauce: My number one choice is spaghetti (this is my favorite spaghetti meat sauce) but any pasta shape works great with a meat sauce. Use bucatini, ziti, penne or your favorite pasta.
- Don't use tomato paste! You may have grown up thinking all Italian red sauces use tomato paste but this is not true. The only time you need this is if you are cooking an all day sauce with meat since the meat imparts so much fat during the slow cook and needs a thickening agent. This sauce does not need it.
How To Store And Freeze Spaghetti Meat Sauce
Pasta sauce is one of the best freezer-friendly meals whether it is made with meat like with this recipe or without meat. When you make this, double the recipe and freeze half for a later time. You can also store this in the fridge for up to 3 days if you want to make it ahead of time.
This meat sauce will last for 3 months in the freezer in an airtight container. When you are ready to use the reserved frozen portion, just let it sit in the fridge overnight to defrost. Gently reheat on low until hot.
Variations
I love this Italian American meat sauce just the way it is but you can switch things up as well. As always, here are my top suggestions!
- Add more meat! If you love a really meaty sauce, you can add in some oven baked Italian sausages (sweet and mild work best) or ground pork to the sauce.
- Adjust the herbs to your taste. Add a little more basil or oregano to suit your own taste.
- Lighten it up. You can use ground turkey to make a lighter version of this Italian sauce. If you do, I suggest adding a little more olive oil to balance the fats in the sauce.
- Make it vegetarian: You can swap out the meat and add mushrooms like with my mushroom bolognese for a meatless meal.
- Add red wine! Although not as traditional, a nice red wine tomato sauce is always so good. My favorite wine to use is Burgundy which produces a wonderful Burgundy wine meat sauce. Just add this after the onion cooks and then reduce it down.
Pairing Ideas
To really pull off the whole classic Italian meal, I love serving this meat sauce with:
- Ciabatta olive oil garlic bread to dip into the sauce!
- Make an Italian panna cotta for dessert for a classic way to end the meal.
- Any type of pasta! I really prefer serving this meat sauce over spaghetti or rigatoni but use any pasta shape.
- A classic simple Italian salad with oil and vinegar is a great light side.
- Serve this with Italian fried eggplant for the ultimate Italian meal.
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 says
This was delicious!
Meg says
This has become our new go to meat sauce. It is really good.
Jill says
Everyone devoured this😊 definitely making this again
Tanner says
This is a really delicious sauce
Dee says
This was so easy and delicious! Thank you
Jenna says
Made this last night and it was delicious!
kisitalian says
I am so glad to hear that!
Barb says
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 says
I'm so glad you are enjoying the recipe 🙂
Erika says
So easy to make and it was delicious. My husband had seconds.
kisitalian says
Thank you for sharing! So glad you both enjoyed it 🙂
Ally says
So delish!!
kisitalian says
Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Brian says
We really enjoyed this meat sauce! Very easy and lots of flavor
kisitalian says
So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Sophi says
Absolutely delicious! The entire family loved it
Denise says
Delicious sauce!
I also love how you put the ingredients with the instructions!
I didn’t have to keep flipping the page up and down while making the recipe!
kisitalian says
I am so glad you enjoyed it Denise 🙂