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Home > Recipes > Gluten-Free

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Published: December 27, 2021 • Updated: Mar 10, 2023 • This post may contain affiliate links.

gluten-free

This flavorful Homemade Spaghetti Sauce is a classic red sauce loaded with onions, garlic, and large chunks of beef and is free of added sugar. This sauce can be ready in as little as 20 minutes!

Homemade spaghetti sauce shown in dutch oven with a ladle. Tomatoes and garlic in foreground.
Jump to:
  • Why you'll love this recipe
  • Sauce vs. marinara
  • Uses
  • Ingredients
  • Step-by-step instructions
  • Add-ins
  • Tips & tricks
  • Storing and reheating
  • More easy sauces
  • Recipe

Why you'll love this recipe

I love red pasta sauce- my husband, not so much. I tried for years to find a sauce that he would like. The jarred sauces were just too sweet and too acidic.

Fast forward to a couple of months ago. I made some spaghetti from a few ingredients I had laying around in the pantry. He asked for a bite, and to my surprise, he finished it off! I finally found a sauce he likes! Cue the happy dance!

This quick and easy red sauce tastes better than what you can buy in the store with the added benefit of customizing it to your own taste. This easy homemade red sauce is great because most of the ingredients can already be found in your pantry! This sauce is low sodium, free of added sugars, and can be made without onions or garlic. The choice is yours!

This recipe makes about 5 ½ cups of Homemade Spaghetti Sauce.

Sauce vs. marinara

The ingredients for both spaghetti sauce and marinara are relatively the same. The biggest difference is that spaghetti sauce often uses some type of meat. It also often takes more time to make, because the meat needs to be cooked and the sauce needs time to simmer. Marinara makes a great replacement if you're short on ingredients or time!

Additionally, you could leave out the meat (and onions and garlic if you want), and voila, you have marinara!

Uses

This meaty red sauce can be used for a variety of dishes, such as:

  • Spaghetti with zoodles, of course!
  • Eggplant parmesan
  • Zucchini lasagna
  • Zucchini boats
  • Leave out the ground hamburger meat and use it as a chunky marinara sauce for Baked Zucchini Bites

Ingredients

This recipe only uses 9 ingredients, and that's including the spices! Here's what you'll need:

  • Ground hamburger meat
  • Crushed tomatoes, I use "no salt added"
  • Tomato sauce
  • Yellow onion
  • Garlic
  • Italian seasoning
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Oil
Ingredients needed for homemade pasta sauce: beef, onion, garlic, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, seasonings.

Step-by-step instructions

Start this recipe by heating up some olive oil in a stockpot (I love using my Dutch oven!) and brown the ground beef. Drain the beef if necessary, but leave a couple of tablespoons of the fat in the beef.

Next, stir in the diced onion and minced garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes.

Beef, onions, and garlic cooking in a dutch oven with a wooden spatula.

Add in the seasonings, crushed tomatoes, and tomato sauce.

Note: If you’re using salted crushed tomatoes, taste the sauce before adding salt to see if you need additional salt.

Finally, heat the sauce until it simmers. For the best taste, I recommend letting it simmer for at least 30 minutes so the flavors have time to meld together.

Don't want to wait? That's okay, serve it up when the sauce is hot and bubbly!

Add-ins

Take this easy homemade pasta sauce up a notch! Throw in:

  • 8-ounces of sliced mushrooms (mini portobellas are our favorite!)
  • One diced bell pepper (red bell peppers make a great addition!)
  • One or two tablespoons of heavy whipping cream for a creamier version (or if the sauce is too acidic)
  • Red pepper flakes to give it a kick!

Tips & tricks

Drain the beef. For this recipe, I use a 90/10 ground hamburger. If you use higher fat hamburger meat, you might want to drain some of the fat off. I use 90/10 because it isn’t overly greasy, so I don’t have to drain it and it gives this sauce a little extra flavor!

Sodium content. If no additional salt is added, this will make for a great low-sodium spaghetti sauce. This recipe uses “No Salt Added” crushed tomatoes so the salt content may need to be adjusted. If you choose to use a full-flavor can of crushed tomatoes, be sure to taste the sauce before adding the additional salt.

Sauce simmering in dutch oven with a wooden spatula.

Storing and reheating

Refrigerator: You can store this sauce in an airtight container for up to five days.

Freezer: This sauce can be stored for up to three months.

Thaw: Thaw frozen spaghetti sauce in the refrigerator, place it in cold water, or defrost in the microwave.

Reheat: Reheat this sauce on the stovetop or in the microwave.

More easy sauces

  • Homemade Garlic Alfredo Sauce
  • Buttery Buffalo Sauce
  • Homemade Hot Honey

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Recipe

Easy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
This flavorful Homemade Spaghetti Sauce is a classic red sauce loaded with onions, garlic, and large chunks of beef and is free of added sugar. This sauce can be ready in as little as 20 minutes!
5 from 4 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Cook Time 15 mins
Simmer 30 mins
Total Time 45 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 5 ½ cups
Calories 306 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 28 oz can crushed tomatoes I use "no salt added"
  • 15 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon oil

Instructions
 

  • Heat oil in a stockpot and brown ground beef.
  • Add in diced onion and minced garlic and cook for about 5 minutes.
  • Add in the seasonings, crushed tomatoes, and tomato sauce.
  • Bring the sauce to a simmer. Sauce and be served immediately OR for best taste, reduce heat and let simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Notes

If no additional salt is added, this will make for a great low-sodium spaghetti sauce. This recipe uses “No Salt Added” crushed tomatoes so the salt content may need to be adjusted. If you choose to use a full-flavor can of crushed tomatoes, be sure to taste the sauce before adding the additional salt.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 306kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 22.2gFat: 11.6g
Nutritional Disclaimer

The nutritional information provided is only an estimate. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.

Keyword easy homemade spaghetti sauce, red pasta sauce
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Hi, I'm Ashleigh and I'm passionate about creating healthy, flavorful dishes using fresh, seasonal ingredients.

As a recipe developer, food blogger, and avid cook, my goal is to inspire you to cook wholesome meals that are both simple and vibrant. Our recipes are designed to be accessible to all levels of home cooks and are so delicious that you'll want to make them again and again.

As an Iowa native, I love to incorporate local, in-season ingredients into my gluten-free recipes. So come join me on a culinary journey that celebrates the joys of food and a healthier lifestyle!

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