Go Back
+ servings
close-up of a shallow bowl with homemade spaghetti sauce over top of spaghetti
Print Recipe
5 from 6 votes

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

This homemade spaghetti sauce recipe is incredibly flavorful and comforting. It makes a huge batch that's ideal for freezing so your family can grab a cozy meal anytime!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian American
Keyword: best spaghetti sauce, homemade spaghetti sauce recipe, ragu bolognese, spaghetti meat sauce
Servings: 12
Author: Natasha Bull

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 4 sticks celery chopped small
  • 3 medium-to-large carrots peeled & chopped small
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 16 ounces mushrooms (I used cremini) chopped small
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard optional
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 (28 fluid ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
  • 1 (14 fluid ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 cup dry white wine or red wine
  • 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream or more, to taste (optional but recommended)
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • Serve with: spaghetti, freshly grated parmesan cheese, and chopped fresh parsley and/or basil (optional)

Instructions

  • Add the oil, onion, celery, and carrots to a large pot over medium-high heat. Sauté for about 10 minutes.
  • Stir in the garlic and mushrooms, and continue sautéing for another 5-7 minutes or until the mushrooms release their water and cook down a bit.
  • Add in the beef and pork and break the meats up with your spoon. Continue cooking, stirring fairly often, until the meats change color (about 10 minutes).
  • Stir in the Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, and oregano.
  • Stir in the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, and wine.
  • Increase the heat to high and bring the sauce to a gentle boil. Give it a good stir, then reduce the heat and simmer (you want a steady bubble but not a furious boil) for 45 minutes, pot covered with the lid slightly ajar. I recommend checking on it periodically. This sauce should cook fairly slowly so the flavors infuse, but you don't want the liquid to get too low. Add a splash more beef broth or wine if this happens.
  • Stir in the cream and give the sauce a taste and season with salt & pepper as needed.
  • Serve over spaghetti and then top with parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil and/or parsley.

Notes

  • This sauce is quite forgiving, so don't worry about exact measurements, and feel free to play with it a bit. Blog post contains more info on substitutions.
  • Makes around 10-12+ portions, but depending on portion size this can vary. This sauce freezes well.
  • As with any recipe, cooking times are a guideline and pots and stoves vary. You can definitely simmer the sauce for longer than 45 minutes to develop even more flavor or to reduce the liquid a bit longer if needed. I don't recommend going too much under that suggested cooking time, however.
  • This sauce is inspired by my mom's recipe that I grew up with.
  • Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
     

Nutrition

Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 449mg | Potassium: 739mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2971IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 3mg