This spaghetti with meat sauce recipe has been passed down to me from my mom, and it’s the only spaghetti sauce I ever make! It’s a simple scratch sauce that takes just a few minutes to prep, and a low simmer on the stove gives it an intensely rich, meaty flavor.
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This Spaghetti Sauce Uses 1 Secret Ingredient That Makes It “The Best”
When I finished college and moved into my first apartment, I wrote down my mom’s recipe for our favorite family dinner and plopped it into my tattered recipe binder. But it never tasted quite as good as my mom’s.
My sister texted me a picture of her copy of my mom’s spaghetti recipe, as seen below. I then realized I was missing one crucial ingredient that makes this spaghetti and meat sauce recipe better than all the rest: dried cloves!
Cloves aren’t typically found in homemade meat sauce but they add so much flavor and shouldn’t be skipped.
This is the ultimate Sunday, long-simmer dinner that you can easily have at the ready thanks to a simply stocked pantry and a few foundation refrigerator ingredients I can always find at my local Smith’s Marketplace / Kroger store.
I promise you it’s worth the wait!
Enjoy!
My Mom’s Secrets to REALLY Good Spaghetti Sauce
Salt your pasta water generously. You want your pasta to have flavor on its own, so don’t be shy — salt that water like the sea!
While the spaghetti sauce cooks low and slow for 3 hours, stir it occasionally. You don’t want anything sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning, adding a bitter flavor to the meat sauce.
Serve this meat sauce with regular spaghetti noodles. It would be just as good served with any other twirly pasta, tortellini, ravioli, or even as a filler for lasagna.
The Main Ingredients (+ Notes)
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Ground Beef. I use 85% lean ground angus beef for my sauce so it still has flavor but not a lot of fat. You could also use ground turkey.
- Canned tomato products. Mom has always used a blend of diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato sauce for a nuanced tomato flavor and perfect texture. Since canned tomatoes are the star ingredient in this spaghetti sauce, make sure to buy from a quality brand or else your sauce could wind up tasting overly acidic or weirdly metallic.
- Beef broth. Adds another layer of meatiness.
- Canned mushrooms. Typically I use fresh mushrooms in recipes, but this is one where I never, ever, ever do.
- Onion, celery, and fresh garlic. They’re always lolling around the refrigerator crisper waiting to be used.
- A splash of wine. Mom says to use the empty mushroom can as your measurement guide. Purchase a variety that is of the same quality you’re willing to drink. I usually use a good boxed blend or Pinot noir in this recipe.
- Spices. Mom’s recipe calls for a blend of dried basil and oregano, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a pinch of sugar for sweetness. Don’t skip out on the bay leaves, they make a huge difference!
- 🤫The secret ingredient — dried whole cloves! My mom learned this trick from her friend Virginia, and adding a few whole cloves is her secret ingredient. She uses 5-6 cloves but my husband prefers 4. The cloves give it an earthy, spiced flavor that’s not often easy to place.
Heidi’s Tip: If you’re out of wine or are opposed to using it, you can add ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar instead to add a little acid and umami.
How to Make Spaghetti with Meat Sauce From Scratch (+ Tips)
- Brown the beef. Ground beef can be fairly fatty, so you’ll want to drain off any excess fat before adding the aromatics to prevent your meat sauce from tasting greasy.
- Cook the aromatics until soft. Add the chopped celery, onion, and garlic to the ground beef and cook for just a few minutes until softened. Try not to let the onion and garlic develop too much color otherwise your sauce might taste bitter.
- Bring to a boil … Dump the rest of the spaghetti sauce ingredients into the pot and bring the mixture to a boil.
- … Then simmer low and slow. Once boiling, reduce the heat and let it simmer on the stove for 3 hours. 3 hours sounds like forever, but that’s how long it takes to make a rich, flavorful meat sauce. Just do what the Italians do, and fuhgetaboutit.
- Cook your spaghetti. Once the sauce has had time to simmer, all that’s left to do is boil the spaghetti noodles according to package instructions and dish it up!
Heidi’s Tip: You can ditch the spaghetti noodles altogether and use the meat sauce to make lasagna, stuffed shells, and so much more.
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating
If you wind up with leftovers, you can easily reheat them the next day. I recommend reheating leftover spaghetti in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat. (You may need to add a splash of beef broth to loosen up the pasta.)
You can also freeze the sauce separately and then make fresh spaghetti noodles when you’re about to eat it. To reheat, first defrost the sauce in the refrigerator for 1 day, or, add to a large pot, cover, and heat on medium to medium-low until thawed.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
THE BEST Spaghetti and Meat Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound 85% lean ground beef
- 1 yellow onion , chopped
- 4 stalks celery , chopped
- 4 cloves garlic , minced or pressed
- 29 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 29 ounces tomato sauce
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 14 ounces canned sliced mushrooms (NOT fresh!)
- 1 cup red wine (I prefer Pinot Noir)
- 15 ounces can beef broth
- 4-6 whole cloves (we prefer 4)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley (or 4 teaspoons dried)
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound dried spaghetti noodles
- grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Brown the beef. In a large heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef until browned, about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the rendered fat and add the meat back to the pot.
- Cook the aromatics. Add the chopped onion, celery, and garlic and cook until the vegetables soften, about 5-7 more minutes.
- Simmer low and slow. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the spaghetti noodles and Parmesan), stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, stir and cover with a lid, and cook for at least 3 hours on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Cook the spaghetti. Follow the package directions and be sure to generously salt the water. Drain and then mix into the spaghetti sauce.
- Garnish and enjoy! Serve with grated or ground Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
What to Serve with Homemade Spaghetti
We always serve this with a super crunchy iceberg salad tossed with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes and dressed in my favorite red wine vinaigrette and a few slices of buttery garlic bread.
If you’re looking for a little bit more, here are a few side dish ideas to make your meal.
More Easy Spaghetti Recipes
- Pasta Pomodoro — the authentic sauce I learned how to make in Italy!
- Homemade Pesto Pasta
- Spaghetti Carbonara
- Spaghetti with Meatballs
- Crab Spaghetti with Lemon Gremolata
- Stanley Tucci’s Zucchini Pasta
- Pasta Puttanesca
- Mediterranean Tuna Pasta
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Gus Martinex
Hi. Made this sauce last night. Not only does it tastes great But also smells delicious. I made in in a Dutch oven and did the three hours. I did not add mushrooms, not my favorite. Unlike a lot of comments, I am not too crazy about the cloves. The smell and taste not quite the smells of Italian food (oregano, garlic, etc) but next time I am not leaving them out but will use maybe 4 instead of the six? And see how that works. Can’t imagine leaving them totally out. Anyways, thanks for sharing it, it is truly great. My wife and son loved it.
Heidi
So happy your family loved it Gus!
LyLy
I love this recipe! My boyfriend keep asking me to remake it! I had to leave a review!! Best Recipe ever!
Heidi
I’m glad you both enjoyed it!
Paulette
Tried this and it is awesome! Thank you so much because I would have never thought of using cloves
Lynne Denis
Fixed this for my hubby tonight. He said that the recipe was a keeper. Forgot the wine and will try it with wine next time. I am not a pasta or italian food eater but enjoy making it since it is my husbands favorite.
Thanks for the recipe. Looking forward to trying more recipes.
So glad you and your hubby enjoyed it Lynne!
Motherduck
I love a good spaghetti so this one I’ll make for sure. I’m going to tie the cloves up in a little cheesecloth pouch to keep from breaking a filling though
Vicki
This recipe looks soooo good, I can’t wait to try it! Can I use ground cloves, so I don’t have to “fish out” the whole cloves? If so, how much do you recommend?
Thanks!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Yes you definitely can! I would modify the amount to about 1/2
Sujoy Haldar
This looks so INVITING and DELICIOUS!! I am starving now! And the pictures are beautiful! Everything coated nicely, and the noodles so happy and twirly!
Cassondra
OMG! Your mother’s recipe is amazing! So I’ve been cooking spaghetti and every time I cook it it turns out worse than before This recipe makes spaghetti taste like it’s supposed to! Thank you for posting!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
I am so glad you love it! Thanks Cassondra!
Noel Parsons
Cloves in spaghetti sauce wasn’t really a secret in our family. My Italian g/mother taught Mama how to make spaghetti sauce from scratch and I was always the only child peeking over Mama’s shoulder when she cooked. When I invited Mama for a visit (when I was 24 yo) and had homemade spaghetti sauce, she tasted it and looked surprised. She asked me how I knew she put cloves in the sauce, so I told her. ;)
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
That is so sweet! I love food related memories like this! Thanks for sharing.
ViviLynn Heath
Cloves, yes! I learned many years ago that cloves enhance any beef dish. They are great in pot roasts, beef stews, stroganofs, anything beef!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
I love cloves too!
Mary A
Very similar to mine. Replacing the ground beef with a mixture of ground sweet and mild or medium Italian sausage is another version. My husband taught me this
Great idea Mary. Sausage adds a bit more savory to the sauce. You could also do half sausage and half ground beef.
Jeff
Love this recipe. I had friends for dinner tonight and everyone agreed best they had ever had. Had to use ground clove as I did not have whole on hand and turned out fantastic. Probably abou 1/2 teaspoon. Thanks so much for sharing.
Dinner at Ginny’s
This recipe is absolutely delicious and I LOVE that it makes a ton! Was able to feed my family and send some up to my mom who broke her arm so that she can enjoy!
Yay! I hope it becomes a family staple in your house like it is in ours.
Mary
I would suggest putting the cloves in a small piece of cheesecloth tied then will be easy to find. That is what I plan on doing because the recipe sounds fantastic
Penny
I have made this twice. The first time I forgot the salt!!!! So it wasn’t as good.
But this time I added everything except the wine and mushrooms. It was very good!!! But darn, finding those cloves at the end is HARD.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Yes it is haha! I am so glad you love this one!
Andrea Scott
I found this recipe last year on your web site and was so excited! Been craving my moms sauce recipe too! She made this almost exactly with a few changes: chopped garlic, chopped carrots (instead of sugar), chicken broth (but I’m trying beef next time as I’m positive it will leave a much richer flavor), lots of Italian seasoning and cooked it for a long time to make it more like a “gravy”. I always make large batches and freeze. Thanks so much for this! Yummy!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
That sounds amazing. I like the idea of freezing too. ENjoy!
Lisa
Can I use ground cloves?
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
You bet!
No Lisa, stick with the whole cloves. The flavor isn’t as heavy that way, and you can fish them out at the end of cooking.
Summer
This is quite similar to my moms recipe. The difference is she uses cream of mushroom and adds table spoon of flour. She still adds the can mushrooms and juice no red wine. Delicious! Trying your moms recipe tonight!
Oh wow Summer. Adding cream of mushroom sounds like it would make a creamy version, maybe more like a stroganoff.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
So yummy! Thanks for giving this one a shot. How did it turn out?
Di
I love this recipe… make as described except use fresh mushrooms not canned … have cooked 5 times now and double recipe so have plenty to freeze … really delicious thank you!!
So glad you like it Di, and yes, you can definitely use fresh mushrooms if you like.
David
Almost a replica of my mom’s. We add an extra onion, few pinches of sweet basil, a can (or two) of rotel spices it up real good. We use a large pot for 2 lbs of hamburger, a package of Johnsonville sweet Italian sausage, four 16 oz. cans of tomato sauce, four 8 oz cans of tomato paste and fill each of the tomato sauce cans halfway with water. We need the water because we go 5 to 6 hours. Yes, the celery is a must. So good who needs to add noodles.
Marie
I use three ground meats, veal, beef and pork. Never canned mushrooms. Fresh are much better and simple. No need for broth.
The Toscanna
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Thanks for sharing, Marie!
Alan Weiss
I love mine with extra meat, so I add a pound of Jimmy Deans hot sausage, also would suggest using diced San Marzano Style Plum Tomatoes.
Sara Irie
Hello! Do you drain the canned mushrooms, or just add the mushroom juice?
Marie
No, don’t drain the juice….just add it in with the mushrooms
Sara, I drain the juice but if you didn’t it wouldn’t hurt anything.
Ed
Wow… An excellent recipe! I did add peppers.Though I was hesitant about adding the gloves, I did. They are the magic ingredient, in my opinion. Thank you!
Nice Ed! Peppers would be tasty!
Marci
I’m making. It now smells yummy
Nothing like a simmering sauce to make the house smell awesome.