Spaghetti Sauce with Ground Beef

This recipe was very easy and tasty. It's a really hearty sauce and next time I'll add sauteed mushrooms. I'll certainly make it again!!

We used this recipe for a benefit where we fed over 400 people, everyone enjoyed it. We increased the ingredients by 500, did the math, added a little more beef than what it called for, but it turned out great and was fairly easy to do. If I am crazy enough to do another benefit, we will use this recipe.

Great basic recipe. I also add a bay leaf, and 1/8 to 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese. An old italian woman taught my mom to add the grated parmesan, it really adds flavor, depth, richness and thickens it.

Five stars for a quick, easy, delicious recipe! I DID use 1 1/2 lbs beef and a large can (29oz) of diced tomatoes (I wanted a little extra sauce), but those were the only changes. Thanks to Hank's mom!

I absolutely loved this spaghetti sauce and so did my father and brother. I used "Italian Seasoning", but other than that, I didn't have to substitute anything.

Yes, this recipe is typical straight forward tomato sauce.But if you want it to JUMP OFF THE PLATE, consider these ingredients. 1) Anchovies! Saute with garlic and onion, drain, set aside. Then saute the beef, drain, return garlic/achhovies/onion to pot, add remaiming ingredients. 2) Splash of red wine vinegar (or more!), soy sauce, lots of fresh ground pepper, chili flakes(YES!). 3) And when you think the sauce is right, now comes the magic ingredient. Julia Child (God trest her soul) added BUTTER(4 tbls. plus) to it! Let's face it, butter is the answer to anything. If it's good enough for Julia, it's good enough for me! 4) Last but not least: a good Italian Barbaresco/Borolo/Amarone!

This would be a great recipe if you left the peppers out. Otherwise it is perfect

I fixed this for supper tonight and it went over wonderful. Wife even went back for a second helping even though she doesn’t like tomatoes. The best spaghetti sauce I have ever eaten. I began by browning the ground beef, onion, garlic, and green pepper in a sauce pan. While the meat and vegetables where browning, I combined the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste in the crock pot. Once the meat and vegetables where brown, I added the oregano, basil, salt, and pepper and let that simmer for a short time. I then combined all the ingredients in the crock pot and let it simmer for four hours.

I followed the recipe as is and my husband and I loved it! I usually use a seasoning packet and we always hate it :) I don't know why I didn't try this earlier!

The wine!! The italians add wine to their sauce. When the ground beef is cooked, I put half a bottle of red wine an let it reduce by half. Then I add the tomatoes and let it cook. You don't taste the alcool, it just gives more depth to the sauce. I also substitute the bell peppers for mushrooms.

i also omit the peppers. i also add one bay leaf. its a very good sauce.

Oh my God that was good thank you. Next time I will add another half pound of meat and some mushrooms

this is basically the recipe i have used for years. secret is the tomato paste. to make life easier--i add to slow cooker and cook on low for several hours. great to cook all day while at work. that makes the sauce richer and not have the sweet taste you get when cooking for shorter periods of time. you will love it cooked in slow cooker. italian seasoning works also. i leave off the bell pepper. i increase amounts because i cook for large group.

This is really an old recipe as I have making it like this for 50+ years and I also use mushrooms in it. Iuse it as the sauce for my lasagna, my baked spagetti and baked ziti. It freezes well, so makae up a large batch and freeze part of it for a future meal.

This is a really good basic sauce. Not a special sauce. A good basic sauce. It came out a little too thick and chunky for me so next time I would probably omit the can of tomato paste or add some of the pasta water to thin it out. Like a lot of other reviewers I added about a tsp. of sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes and that definitely improved the sauce. I think next time I would jazz it up with some red wine, black olives, mushrooms, fresh basil or etc. Oh, and for the people who don't like green peppers....why make this recipe in the first place? The green peppers are what make this sauce as good as it is.

Yummy. I couldn't help myself and had to have seconds. The only thing I did a tiny bit different was add about 2 teaspoons of sugar. Very easy, very quick-- and well liked by my family.

I have four kidlets so I puree the onion & pepper & add 1 cup of pureed carrots. Easy! Delish! XOXO to the author!

My whole family loved this sauce! My husband said this was one of my better meals, and my 2-year-old couldn't get enough of it! I did make a couple of minor changes due to personal preferences. One, I didn't use green peppers, though I'm sure they work nicely in such a sauce. Also, I used ground seitan instead of beef since my family is vegetarian. The seitan worked very nicely in the sauce and I was pretty much able to follow the directions with little changes (had to add oil because I wasn't using beef).

This was excellent. I have always made sauce from the packet not knowing any other way. I didn't have tomato paste but did everything else as listed in the recipe. I had some frozen green and red peppers and loved the flavor they added. Super yummy sauce that makes a lot.There is only two of us so i was able to freeze a whole quart of sauce for later.

This is a great basic start to spaghetti sauce and the one passed down through my family. The trick to a great sauce it to always let it simmer for at least an hour or more. Fresh herbs are a plus to sauce, but don't add them until the last twenty minutes, when I start my noodles is when I add them. Go ahead and add the dry spices at the beginning of cooking and add the fresh at the end. I always add about a 1/4 cup of red wine to my sauce, gives that little bit of sweetness. Top with some fresh cilantro and freshly grated Romano cheese.

I used a red bell pepper instead of green and I only used a pinch of salt. The canned ingredients I used were all organic. This seemed to be missing something that I couldn't put my finger on but I appreciated that it was simple and hearty and also budget-friendly, which I really appreciated.

nice recipe in new england area we mix elbow mac into it and it is referred to as american chop-suey don't ask why but this term goes back to the 50's here

I didn't have the green pepper and I did make a few changes according to the other comments. I added 1/4 cup of red wine, 1 bay leaf, about 3 tsp. of sugar, 1 tsp. red pepper flakes, 1 tsp. garlic powder, and probably doubled the oregano and basil. Will make again.

I just made this for 14 people at work. Everyone loved it. Thanks for the great recipe!

As others have said, this is an excellent basic recipe that can be customized to ones own taste. As a mother of 3 teenagers, I like to make this kind of sauce in bulk and freeze it for those days when I don't have the time or inclination to cook from scratch. I buy a pack of lean ground beef from Costco which is about 6lbs, brown that on its own, drain the fat. Then I saute the onions, bell peppers (anything but green - I find them bitter) and garlic, add that. Someone suggested adding red wine to the ground beef (after it's browned), tried a Cabernet today, that added a nice depth. I add the diced tomatoes but about half the recommended tomato sauce and paste, and no salt as all that canned tomato has lots of added salt. Today I used some crushed tomato as well. Totally depends on how chunky or smooth your family likes it. Also a good recipe to slip in some pureed veggies... More of an art than a science! When multiplying, definitely simmer for much longer - 2 to 3 hours. Dinner for five tonight, plus about 8 canning jars of sauce to freeze... just add noodles!

I made this tonight for dinner. It was so good, this is going to be my new sauce to make. I made as shown and it was perfect.

This is the same recipe that my mother passed along to me. It believe it been around since 1950 or earlier. Still a great recipe and so versital

Excellent sauce! This recipe is very close to the basic bolognese my mother made, and that I always go back to, especially when I need something reliable. I also leave out the peppers, and I add fresh sliced mushrooms which I saute with the other veggies (I always brown the meat and drain it before adding the veggies as well). One of my mother's special touches that I I never leave out: about 1 tsp of fennel seed, which I crush with a mortar and pestle. It gives some sweetness plus a hint of Italian sausage flavor to the sauce (fennel seed is a primary seasoning in Italian sausage). Other than that, this is one of those no-fail, always-a-hit recipes that become family traditions.

How strange to see the recipe I was handed by my mother in this collection. I've used this as a base for pasta sauces my entire adult life and its never let me down. It's very easy to tweak for different tastes and serves as a perfect base for more complex meals. Thank you for sharing.

Great basic recipe. Mushrooms, bay leaf, and Italian sausage instead of ground beef would be good additions.

I've been making my spaghetti like this for years. I do add a couple of splashes of red wine, mushrroms and lil sugar. PERFECT!

I've made this recipe quite a number of times and every single time the compliments I got were "This is the best pasta I've ever had" or once "We better get some good quality wine for this pasta, cause it deserves it". I actually use this recipe whenever I wanna impress someone cause its so delicious! I really do follow it step by step, the only thing I change is sometimes I add some extra herbs or some water while the sauce is sizzling so it doesn't stay too dense. :)

All I have to say this sauce is perfect is simple but very delitious and you can always add mashrooms if you want or black olives it gives you that choice without ruining the original. Thank you for this delicious sauce.

add a bay leaf, 1/4 cup of red wine, teaspoon of sugar, and use 'tomato paste with italian seasonings' and it the same to what I have been making for years i

This recipe is pretty good, but I also add either some sherry or red wine (2/3 of a cup) and some sautéed mushrooms, to me this makes all the difference. Please don't ever buy that stuff in a jar they call pasta sauce, this recipe is ten times better than anything you can buy off the shelf.

This was excellent!my kids loved it..they had seconds...a keeper...I also cooked it in a slow cooker which was nice...

Very good! We all loved it. I added a little sugar.

Really like this recipe. Did add 1/4 red wine, 1 bay leaf and 2 teaspoons of sugar to counter the acidity. This is a very good base and will work well with everyone personal tastes. Do try this recipe and do be creative.

Always thinking of ways to include vege so.... and reduce red meat quanity. Also freeze multiple meals. I addeded a good quantity very small pieces of chopped broccoli & zuccini with the tomatoes etc. I also added a can of mushroom bits and pieces. (although I would normally add fresh mushrooms if on hand) This enabled me to reduce the beef quantity, but retain the flavour I always make double plus quantities of recipe's that are ok for freezing so froze portions for future use. Whenever I cook pasta or rice i cook large amounts so i can freeze cooked portions in 100gr freezer bags. To use either micorwave or soak in hot water...

Well....used boneless chicken breasts instead of chopped meat, that was ok, but the herb ratios seemed a bit too much...it was good mind you but I'll need to tweak it a bit......it was my first homemade sauce, so it worked.

This is a fabulous recipe, I've made it several times and now I double or triple it and freeze the rest. I don't care for the green peppers so I leave those out of any sauce. The only other changes are that I use crushed tomatoes instead of diced and since those are a little thicker so you need to add a bit of water. I also add a tiny bit of sugar to cut the acid. To make this on a low salt diet use "no salt added" tomatoes and leave out the salt. It's better than any sauce you could buy!

It was okay, don't think I will make it again though. My husband didn't like it at all.

This is also my mom's recipe for spaghetti sauce - easy, tried and true!

This recipe was fantastic! I altered it by using crushed & peeled Rienzi tomatoes, Rienzi tomato paste, 1 tsp.sugar, and 3 tsps. italian seasoning instead of basil and oregano and it came out great. Very tasty recipe. This is a keeper.

This is the same meat sauce recipe I've been using for years minus the peppers. I often add sliced, sauteed mushrooms and use crushed tomatoes instead of diced since we prefer a less chunky sauce.

Needed something, but not sure what. Still, it was good. Not 5 star good, but decent enough for 4 stars.

Wonderful! I added canned mushrooms and used some Half and Half as someone else suggested to give it a creamier consistency.

Really liked this!

this was my first time making sauce. turned out amazing. i added 2 extra cloves of garlic. omitted the bell pepper and added mushrooms. also added a touch of italian seasoning. added about 1 teaspoon sugar. let it simmer for a while in the crock pot. it was delicious.

I love the recipe but I did add some water. Without water, it seemed that it was way too thick. I added enough to get to the consitency I like. Like the recipe.

I have no "star" ratings because I never have made "this" receipe, but it's just like the spaghetti sauce I make, except for the bell peppers - great sauce, it's the only way I make mine, (wonder if were related?? lol)

This is almost the same as ours except for a small can of water and my Aunt always grated the green pepper and onion so that as kids we would not see it and refuse to eat. Now, that I cook, I find grating it actually makes it taste even better. We also add 1 teaspoon of sugar to cut the acid of the tomatoes

This one's a keeper...only change is added 1/2 cup of water, tsp of sugar and bay leaf. Will definitely make again.

This was excellent spaghetti sauce tonight for dinner and made enough to last us at least one more night if not two. I did add a teaspoon of sugar but otherwise made it exactly as directed. It's going in my recipe box as my stand-by pasta sauce. Thanks for posting!

This is a tasty hearty sauce with no effort. I only had mexican tomato sauce and the tomato paste had roasted garlic. I used a yellow pepper and added a bit of sugar to cut the acid from the tomato. I simmered this covered for a couple of hours before serving. The sauce was tasty and tomatoey. I prefer more body in my sauce and no chunks, but the flavor was good. While this did not make my favorites, it is a good decent homemade sauce and we enjoyed our meal. Thanks!

I've made servings of 10 for this recipe within a single week... and that's for only 2 people! Haha! It's that good! I love it!

I made this and tripled everything given how many people I was cooking for. I used ground chicken instead of beef, but this was easily the best spaghetti I have ever made. I will definitely be making this again.

This is a good sauce. I did a couple things different, mainly because I didn't have the right size cans of sauce/diced tomatoes. I had canned fresh tomatoes (16 ounces) from the summer (first time tasting them-SO GOOD!) and then about 12 ounces of tomato sauce. It came out way too thick (the tomato paste) with these lesser amounts so I added a cup of water. I also did the marinated meat one reviewer talked about-2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tsp worcestershire, 1/4 tsp salt for 15 minutes. Lastly, I added about 4 tablespoons of fresh basil. Overall I think it turned out great, but I'll probably try the red wine method next time!

Super easy, the next day we added beans and chili powder - awesome

This is an awesome recipe. I follow the recipe exactly. I always make big batch of this sauce and freeze it for those hectic weekdays. I use this mostly on spaghetti and serve it with gralic bread. I also used it in lasagna several times and it turned out great. Thank you for a great recipe.

Loved it! I did add fresh mushrooms, but just cause I like 'em. Thanks for such an easy recipe. Will use this again!!

I will never buy spaghetti sauce from the grocery store again! This sauce is great! I left out the bell peppers although I think it would be very tasty with them. The kids didn't want them though. I also took the advice of another reviewer and added a little sugar. This one is a definite keeper! Thanks!

Liked it! I kept the onions and peppers fairly large and used yellow peppers instead of green.

This was wonderful...I only tweaked it a tiny bit based upon the reviews of others. I added a few sliced button mushrooms, filled the tomato paste can with some cabernet (red wine) and added it, used Italian seasoning and also added a bay leaf. Simmered it slowly for well over an hour an mamma mia...this was good!

My family liked this sauce for spaghetti. It's so much quicker to make than our other favorite (which takes half a day to make). I usually omit the green pepper so that all of my kids will eat it. Also, cooking the ground beef with the onion in it makes the onion texture almost undetectable in the final sauce -great for kids who think they don't like onions. If we have mushrooms on hand, I'll mince those and throw them in as well... Just a good, simple recipe that does well with tweaking based on the ingredients we have on hand. I do add some brown sugar (to almost anything cooked with tomatoes)- the amount depends on your tomatoes. Most store-bought tomatoes are much less acidic than they used to be, so they don't need as much sugar. Our home-grown varieties tend to be much more acidic, and require a bit more sugar. Add the brown sugar a little at a time to keep from making a sweet sauce. I hate it when I do that!

This sauce was awesome!!! I made one other sauce on this site & didn't care for it. But this one was great & easy too!! I browned my meat & veggies in a skillet & then transferred everything into my slow cooker & let it simmer on low all day! My only change was I added 1/4 cup parm cheese & a bay leaf to it & boy was it delicious! I made enough for dinner & to freeze :-)

WAS AWESOME....BUT use FRESH BASIL AND FRESH MUSHROOMS (IF ADDING MUSHROOMS). I left out the green peppers too due to picky kids. I DID as others and added 1 tsp sugar. Added one more garlic clove, 1.5lb ground sirlion and one more 8oz tomatoe sauce.... I made a day in advance and sat in fridge till ready to reheat - was excellent!

Nothing special, I'll stick to the one from my husband's Italian grandmother. But, I couldn't believe that someone put ketchup in their sauce? In spaghetti sauce? Oh yuck. And I also can't believe how many people have completely changed the recipe and then rate it. When are people going to stop doing this? Never I guess. It's so irritating!

We really enjoyed this spaghetti sauce a lot! The flavors really melded together well after simmering for an hour or so, and when I ate some leftovers today for lunch it tasted even better than last night. Not counting the simmering time, this was easy and quick to make so it would be good for either weeknight or a weekend meal. The sauce was a little thick so next time I might add an extra half a can of tomato sauce, but it was still great. Thanks for the recipe!

yes I have tried , turned out really good , did add grated carrots and some brown sugar cuts the acid in the tomotoes ,,,will make double recipie next time and freeze some ,,,,

For an even better sauce add a few roasted pork neck bone to the sauce. I buy a large pkg of neck bones, roast them at 350 for 1 hour. put them in the freezer to have on hand. Before adding them to sauce wrap them in a piece of cheesecloth & just pull out when sauce is done. I was raised with Italians & learned this from them.

Easy and delicious. Personally, I use only 1/2 tsp. oregano, crushed tomatoes instead of diced, leave out the green pepper and add about 1 tsp. sugar as suggested by other reviewers. Excellent basic recipe.

Everyone at home was pleased with this meal. Not so difficult to make, not so expensive & very tasty. I added fresh mushrooms & fresh basil. I highly recommended.

I cooked this tonight for dinner. I tasted it before I served it and it was great. My family and I loved it. I did add 1/4 cup of sugar to cut down the acidity. I also used the tomato paste that has basil, oregano, and garlic already in it. It turned out awesome. I will definitely be making this again and again. I have added this to my recipe collection. Thanks, Hank's Mom.

this is the same recipe that I learned as a kid- only I add brown sugar and mushrooms. Everyone always raves about how hearty it is!

love this recipe for my spaghettis

This has to be byfar the best groundbeef I've had!! thank you for sharing...I didn't have tomato so I omit it, but aside from that I used everything else and it was delish definitely doing it again!

i followed recipe to a "T". Delicious!! The first time i made it i used "hunts fire roasted diced tomatoes" which gave it a kick and generic store brand for the other tomato products... The second time i made it my husband was unable to find the fire roasted, so we used "HUNTS diced with basil, garlic and oregeno" so it wasnt spicy and hunts products for the sauce and paste. YUMMMY!!! i like the fact that no sugar is needed.

This is the exact recipe I've made for years except I always add a 1/4 teaspoon or so of cayenne pepper and a teaspoon of sugar. Sometimes I throw in a few dried pepper flakes if I want a little more zing. I also bag any leftovers and freeze it for quick meals.

I am Ialian and my spaghetti sauce is almost identical to this except I also add a tablespoon of capers, fresh basil & parsely with some organo & a tsp. of sugar.

We really enjoyed this recipe with pasta or as a filling for stuffed peppers. When I made this a added a little thyme (don't add a lot), marjoram, basil and oregano. I have also made without onion, garlic or peppers and it's still delicious. This recipe works well with stuffed peppers too - I microwave the peppers till fork tender, boil and add 1 package of Success brown rice to the meat mix and fill peppers, with leftover sauce surrounding the peppers and bake in 350 oven about 12 to 15 minutes, just till cheddar cheese on top melts, as everything is very hot when I assemble the stuffed peppers. Too make it healthier I use salt free tomato products.

This was nothing special at all. I just cannot figure out the 5½ stars!

I prefer a sweeter spaghetti sauce. This just didn't do it for me.

Excellent recipe and easy to add other veggies such as mushrooms and or celery. I switched the green pepper for red as they are sweeter. Also, added the herbs only during the last 15 minutes of cooking as basil loses its flavour fast if cooked longer.

This recipe was SO easy and it tasted SO good! I did't have any green pepper on hand but it certainly didn't seem to matter.

Good starter.

all i can say is delicious!!!! im having it 3 days later and it still tastes soooo good. i dont think ill make spaghetti any other way......=) the only changes i made were to throw in 2 jars of sliced mushrooms (drained) and a good amount of red pepper flakes.... thank u hank's mom

i loved this recipe!!! it was my first time making my own spaghetti sauce and i was very pleased!! i added about 1/2 teaspoon of cumin and i threw in some mushrooms..i also added about 1 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar.. it was delicious!! i took the advice of another review and added the vegetables after i browned and drained the meat..thanks for this great recipe!

This is almost the same recipe I have been making for 40 plus yrs.. The difference is I don't put diced tomatoes or tomato paste. I only use tomato sauce and I add canned mushrooms (buttons). Also use 2 llbs ground chuck. As far as the spices go I only use oregano, but that is because we don't care for basil. This is a basic recipe that is easy to make your own.

Been making this for years using fresh herbs grown outdoors and never on spaghetti but with either elbow macaroni, rigatoni or rigate pasta's, throw in some sliced or quartered mushrooms and a splash of chianti or cabernet sauvignon. Feel free to eliminate the paste and use tomato puree.

Great easy spaghetti sauce recipe. My wife and I alternate cooking every other day, so on my day I gave this a try and we weren't disappointed. I did add fresh chopped mushrooms to it.

Made this tonight...it was delicious!! I also omitted the peppers and used meatloaf mix (beef, veal and pork) instead of just ground beef.

Awesome recipe! Very easy and fairly quick! The aroma of spices filled my apartment and even stunk up the hallway of our apartment building... Very good! The only thing I did differently; I used half ground turkey, half ground beef, added an 8oz can of mushroom heads/stems (thanks to suggestions from other reviewers), and when the sauce was finished cooking, i sprinkled a small amount of chopped basil and parmesan. Simply fabulous!

I added 2 extra cloves of garlic and changed the peppers to a pepper blend of black pepper and dehydrated sweet peppers. My husband tasted this and said I finally made some great pasta sauce. My poor attempts at sauce making are legendary with my family. LOL This recipe has ended my lousy record!

Very good recipe. If you add a packet of chili seasoning it will give this sauce a little extra flavor. That's how I've been doing it and I LOVE it.

very easy to make and yummy. I did add mushrooms and about 1/2 tablespoon of sugar.

Other than replacing beef with ground turkey I followed the recipe exactly. It is a keeper.

I can't RAVE about this, but it's pretty good. I think I would use this recipe whenever I want spaghetti, just to be able to control the salt and preservatives that usually come in jarred spaghetti sauce. I did add a teaspoon of sugar and quite a bit more oregano and basil than called for.