On busy weeknights when you need to get dinner on the table lightning fast, this 7-ingredient meat sauce with a short 30-minute simmer is a serious time saver.
Skip the Jarred Meat Sauce and Make Your Own in Under an Hour
My mom’s homemade meat sauce was a fixture on our dinner table growing up, and it’s the same recipe I brought up my Smudge on (pasta with sauce is always a winner with kids!).
But as much as I crave the slow-simmered sauce of my childhood studded with bits of carrot, celery, and mushroom and reduced with red wine, it’s usually a weekend project I look forward to when I’ve got 3+ hours to spare.
On busy weeknights or when I just don’t want to spend a lot of time, I’ve been turning to this super simple meat sauce made with 7 basic ingredients. It simmers for just 30 minutes, swaps the medley of fresh aromatics for garlic-infused olive oil, and relies more on technique than time to deliver a rich, meaty flavor and velvety texture.
If a super simple weeknight dinner that will please the whole family and takes minimal effort to prepare sounds good to you, this is the one.
Enjoy!
Grab These 7 Ingredients
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Ground beef + pork — Pairing 85% lean ground beef with ground pork gives this sauce a richer flavor despite its short ingredient list and 30-minute simmer time.
- Canned tomatoes — Since this is such a simple sauce, you want to use high quality canned tomatoes (I’ve been a lover of DeLallo’s tomatoes for years!). Opt for whole tomatoes rather than chopped; think of this as being the tomato equivalent of ground beef vs filet mignon.
- Olive oil — We’re infusing the olive oil with garlic before simmering the sauce for maximum flavor. Choose a good quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
- Butter — A few pats of butter balance out the acidic tomatoes and create a velvety texture without having to bust out the heavy cream.
- Sugar — So many people skip the sugar when making tomato-based sauces, but it’s essential for taming the acidity. Your meat sauce won’t taste sweet, promise.
- Salt — This is the only seasoning we’re using, so don’t be shy when salting the sauce.
How to Make Your Own Meat Sauce (+ Recipe Tips)
- Puree the tomatoes. You can do this using an immersion blender (I stick it right into the can), a food processor, or a traditional blender. You want the tomatoes to be mostly smooth, but not fully liquefied.
- Brown the meat. Time is the secret ingredient here that makes the sauce so dang good. Instead of breaking up the meat with your spatula as soon as it hits the hot pan, let it cook undisturbed for a few minutes so it has time to develop a golden crust. This is the first step in building the flavor foundation of the meat sauce. Once fully cooked, remove the beef and pork to a plate.
- Infuse the olive oil. To the now-empty pot, add the olive oil and minced garlic. It’ll only take a minute or so to flavor the oil.
Heidi’s Tip: Remove the garlic-infused olive oil from the heat to prevent the garlic from burning (which makes the sauce bitter). You can return the pot to the heat after the tomatoes are stirred in.
- Add the remaining ingredients and simmer. Return the meat to the pot, stir in the tomatoes and butter, and season with sugar and salt. The meat sauce needs to simmer for at least 30 minutes with the lid off to thicken it up.
Serving Suggestions
Pair your homemade meat sauce with spaghetti or another favorite pasta, use in lasagna, or serve with juicy meatballs. As far as sides go, we like:
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
7 Ingredient Meat Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 28- ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
- 8 ounces 85% lean ground beef
- 8 ounces ground pork
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Pulse to purée the whole tomatoes. Add 28- ounce can whole peeled tomatoes and their juice to a food processor (or use an immersion blender) and pulse 3-4 times until mostly smooth. Set aside.
- Brown and flavor the ground beef. Place 8 ounces 85% lean ground beef and 8 ounces ground pork in a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high. Cook the meat undisturbed for a few minutes, then break up into smaller pieces and cook just until gently browned. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Flavor the olive oil. To the same skillet over medium, add ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil and 4 garlic cloves,. Cook while stirring for 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from the heat. Don’t let it brown too much or it will become bitter.
- Cook the sauce. Carefully add the tomatoes to the oil (watch for splatters) and return to medium-high. Add the cooked meat, 3 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar and ¾ teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes up to 1 ½ hours. The longer it cooks, the deeper the flavor.
- Serve over cooked pasta or with meatballs.
Notes
Nutrition
More Easy Pasta Sauce Recipes
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