To make spaghetti with meat sauce, follow these steps:
Ingredients
- Spaghetti pasta
- Ground meat (beef, Italian sausage, or a mix)
- Onion, chopped
- Garlic
- Tomato paste and crushed tomatoes (or jarred marinara sauce)
- Olive oil or cooking oil
- Seasonings: oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, basil (fresh or dried)
- Water or broth
- Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Cook the Meat Sauce:
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add ground meat and cook until browned, breaking it into small pieces.
- Add chopped onions and cook until softened.
- Stir in minced garlic, tomato paste, oregano, and red pepper flakes; cook for about 1 minute.
- Pour in water or broth, scraping up any browned bits from the pot.
- Add crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper.
- Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasoning as needed.
- Stir in fresh basil near the end of cooking
- Cook the Spaghetti:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (about 1 tablespoon salt per 4 quarts of water).
- Add spaghetti and cook according to package instructions (usually 8–12 minutes), stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Test for doneness starting at 8 minutes; pasta should be al dente.
- Drain the spaghetti but do not rinse it (to keep starch that helps sauce adhere)
- Combine and Serve:
- Toss the cooked spaghetti with the meat sauce and let it absorb the sauce for a minute.
- Serve hot with grated Parmesan cheese on top
This method yields a flavorful, classic spaghetti with meat sauce meal ready in about 30–40 minutes. For a simpler version, you can use jarred marinara sauce mixed with cooked ground meat
. Enjoy your homemade spaghetti!
