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Learn how to make a super easy meat sauce! This recipe can be made in the instant pot or on the stove top. You can keep this easy meat sauce in the freezer and use it for stuffed shells, lasagna, or spaghetti night!
Easy meat sauce coming at you today.
Tuck this deliciousness away in the freezer for when you need to put together something quick for spaghetti night, use it over spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, in shells, my skillet lasagna and basically everything else that requires a Sunday meat sauce.
Today’s super easy meat sauce is rich, thick, and meaty.
The thing I detest about store-bought meat sauce and a lot of homemade spaghetti sauce recipes is that the ratio for meat and sauce is always a little off. My version has enough tomato base to coat the spaghetti yet sufficient amounts of meat to satisfy a grown adult.
Making meat sauce isn’t difficult. You can always brown some meat and toss in a couple of cans of store-bought tomato sauce and plop in a basket of noodles. But trust me when I say this, it won’t have any of the flavors this version does. All it requires is a little time or an instant pot. Lace your homemade meat sauce with layers of garlic, onions, herbs and of course, the best kind of canned tomatoes one can find.
It’s warm and cozy and the Italian tomatoes make the meat beautifully rich and tender.
It’s cozy and it’s the best kind of food there is.
Ingredients for meat sauce recipe
- Ground beef: I use leaner ground beef for this recipe. Feel free to use a higher fat content, but once the beef cooks, then drain the excess grease once the meat is browned.
- Garlic Cloves: you’ll need a boat load of garlic cloves to help give this mixture plenty of flavor!
- Onion: I use a large onion and mince finely
- Olive Oil: to help cook the aromatics
- Seasonings and spices: dried basil, nutmeg, fennelzeeds, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and sugar is what I use, but feel free to swap the dried basil for fresh herbs like fresh basil, Italian seasoning, or even a pinch of oregano
- Tomato Puree: or tomato passata, you don’t want chunks of tomato running through this, it’s not marinara sauce, so use a pureed tomato produce.
- Tomato paste: a squeeze of tomato gives this dish the depth of flavor that a goos meat sauce has
- Beef Stock: just a splash to add depth of flavor. My secret ingredient in my braised beef ragu is a splash of balsamic vinegar, and I don’t think it would hurt this recipe if you decided to try that here too!
Recipe Tips
- If you’re using this meat sauce in another recipe, prepare this at least one day in advance, place in an airtight container and pop it into the fridge. The flavors meld together overnight and give the final dish that much more flavor.
- Any cut of pasta works well, but I particularly like gemelli pasta here.
- Feel free to swap some of the ground beef for Italian sausage, but make sure to cut back on the kosher salt and sugar to accommodate
- All good meat sauce needs garlic bread, here’s my absolute favorite fresh garlic bread recipe
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
- Eggs in Purgatory
- Weeknight Pasta Puttanesca
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Best Ever Arrabbiata Sauce
- Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
My Favorite All Purpose Meat Sauce (Stove Top + Instant Pot)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 garlic cloves
- 2 lbs. ground beef preferably (93-95% lean)
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1½ tablespoons dried basil
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
- ⅛- 1½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 (28-ounce) tomato puree or tomato passata
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar optional
Instructions
- Optional (IP and stove top): Add the olive oil and the whole garlic cloves to a heavy bottom sauce pot or a dutch oven. Heat over low heat for 10 minutes and allow the garlic flavor to infuse into the oil, flipping as needed so the garlic doesn't brown. Remove and mince if you'd like to use it in the sauce or discard if you don't want the garlic flavor.
Stove Top:
- SAUTE: Add the ground beef to the pan and crumble and cook the beef over medium-high heat until it starts to brown. Remove all but a tablespoon of grease. Add the onions and cook until they start to soften, about 8-10 minutes. Add garlic, dried basil, nutmeg, fennel, and red pepper flakes during the last minute. Pour in the tomato puree, tomato paste, beef stock, and 1 cup water.
- SIMMER: Season with 2 teaspoons salt and the sugar if the sauce needs it. Bring the sauce to a simmer, lower the heat so it just barely bubbles and let cook for 3- 3½ hours stirring every now and then. You may need to add a splash more water if the sauce thickens too much. I needed another ¼ cup around the ½ way mark. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Instant Pot:
- SAUTE: the ground beef on the saute setting of the instant pot. Remove all but a tablespoon of grease. Remove all but a tablespoon of grease. Add the onions and cook until they start to soften, about 8-10 minutes. Add garlic, dried basil, nutmeg, fennel, and red pepper flakes during the last minute. Pour in the tomato puree, tomato paste, beef stock, 1/2 cup water, and stir to combine.
- PRESSURE COOK: Season with 2 teaspoons salt and the sugar. Cover the instant pot with the lid, make sure the vent is sealed. Cook the sauce on manual high pressure for 15 minutes. You can do either a quick release or a natural pressure release. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Notes
- The sauce tastes even better as it sits. Feel free to make this ahead of time! Prepared meat sauce can be refrigerated for 4 days or frozen for up to 4 months. Sauce works great for stuffed shells, lasagna, spaghetti, zucchini boats, and so much more!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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What kind of pasta is pictured?
How many canned tomatoes ?
Enjoyed it! I made this to use up some canned tomato sauce, and it was very tasty. I used the stovetop method and used slightly less water since I had tomato sauce instead of puree. I also added a bit of Italian seasoning and very finely chopped zucchini, again because I wanted to use it up. Thanks for the recipe.
I can’t find tomato puree anywhere in grocery stores. Is there a substitute I could use? Like tomato sauce?
You can use 2 (28 ounce) cans of whole or diced tomatoes and just blend them in a blender at home if you’d like. Sauce would also work here, I suggest using one that’s low in sodium or adjusting the seasoning as needed if you can’t find salt-free.
Thank you! I’m excited to try it
If using a slow cooker, how long would you guess it should cook?
Hmm.. my best guess would be 6-8 hours on the low setting so the flavors really have a chance to develop!
This looks sooo delicious! I can’t wait to try it. Hubby will love all the meat.
Hope you guys love this as much as we do! 🙂