Rich and Meaty Spaghetti Sauce
This rich and meaty spaghetti sauce is simple to make, and full of delicious flavors!
I’ve heard lots of times that three kids is the hardest number of kids to have, and I’m not entirely sure whether that’s true, but this transition from two to three kids has definitely been a challenge for me. Maybe it’s because my older kids are 9 and 13, and it has been quite a while since I had a baby in the house. Maybe it’s because I’m a bit older now than I was when I had my last baby, and my tiredness catches up with me faster. Whatever the reason, I’ve been a little shocked by how hard it is to accomplish even basic tasks during the day. It seems like someone needs something constantly all throughout the day, and by the time I go to bed, I can’t remember if I accomplished anything at all. I’m hoping things will be better when my older kids can return to in-person school (if that day ever comes!) but until then I’m just going to give myself lots of grace and try not to worry so much about everything that gets left undone.
Part of that plan is to cook really easy meals, preferable those without a lots of hands on time. This spaghetti sauce is one of our favorites! It makes a huge batch (enough for four meals for my family), and I love putting the extra in the freezer to pull out for another day. I also love that once the meat is browned, you just throw in the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer until all of the flavors blend beautifully. I can start the sauce simmering, feed the baby, and have dinner ready by the time I’m done!
If you’re a little weirded out by the thought of adding sugar to the sauce, don’t leave it out! It helps to neutralize some of the acid in the tomatoes, so you get a lot of great tomato flavor without it being overly acidic. I like to use fresh minced garlic, but if you don’t have any on hand, garlic powder will do as well. You’ll want to simmer the sauce until it’s thick and some of the liquid has evaporated. You’ll end up with 7-8 cups of sauce, which is enough to mix with two pounds of spaghetti. I usually freeze half of the sauce in a quart zipper bag, and toss the rest with a pound of cooked spaghetti. As with most Italian food, the leftovers taste even better the next day. My family absolutely loves this spaghetti sauce!
Rich and Meaty Spaghetti Sauce
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef and Italian sausage in a large heavy pot or dutch oven over medium heat, breaking them into smaller pieces as they cook. When all of the meat is browned, add the garlic to the pot and cook until fragrant. Add the beef broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt, basil, and Worcestershire sauce to the pot, and stir well to combine. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the sauce is thickened.
