If you’re looking for a simple, classic meat sauce, this is the one I make on busy weeknights. It’s rich, hearty, and comes together with pantry staples you likely already have at home.
This sauce is perfect over spaghetti, layered into lasagna, spooned onto garlic bread, or even tucked into stuffed peppers. It simmers just long enough to develop deep flavor, but it’s still quick enough for a weeknight dinner.
And the best part? It’s kid-approved, freezer-friendly, and incredibly versatile.
Why You’ll Love This Meat Sauce
- Simple ingredients you probably already have
- Ready in about 35 minutes
- Great for batch cooking and freezing
- Perfect for spaghetti, lasagna, or baked ziti
- A comforting classic the whole family will eat
Tips for the Best Meat Sauce
Let it simmer. Even 15 minutes of simmering deepens the flavor.
Add grated carrot. If you want a naturally sweeter sauce without sugar, grate in half a carrot while cooking the onions.
Use a mix of meats. Half beef and half Italian sausage makes the sauce extra flavorful.
Make it ahead. Meat sauce actually tastes better the next day.
How to Store and Freeze
Refrigerator:
Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freezer:
Let the sauce cool completely, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently on the stove.
What to Serve with Meat Sauce
- Spaghetti or linguine
- Garlic bread
- Baked ziti
- Lasagna
- Stuffed shells
It’s one of those simple, reliable recipes that always comes in handy.
If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment below or tag @withdeemarie if you share it.
Simple Meat Sauce
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs ground beef
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 carrots finely diced
- 2 stalks celery finely diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 28oz cans whole tomatoes with juices
- 1 15oz can can tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- ½-1 cup beef broth or better than bouillon
- ½ tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced onion, chili flakes, celery and carrots and cook for about 3–4 minutes, until softened.
- Add the ground beef and garlic to the pan. Cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned and cooked through. Drain any excess grease if needed.
- Stir in the tomatoes (see note 2 below if short on time), tomato paste, and beef broth. Add the remaining seasonings, as well as the bay leaves.
- Reduce heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally. This helps the flavors come together and thickens the sauce slightly. if you have time, simmer for a couple of hours to really develop the flavours, adding pasta water or additional beef broth as needed.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve over your favorite pasta and top with fresh basil or parsley.
Notes
- Meat: this is best made with a true Bolognese sauce, so substituting in half pork or sausage mince will add a great depth of flavour.
- Tomato sauce: if you don’t have much time to simmer the sauce, use a pair of scissors to chop up the tomatoes while still in the can, so that you don’t need to wait for them to break down while cooking.
- Sauce: feel free to sub 1 jar of marinara/pasta sauce in place of the canned tomatoes and tomato paste to make this even more simple.
- Additional Nutrition: add 1 cup finely chopped spinach into the sauce (at the very end of cooking).
Leave a Reply