My family loves it when we make homemade spaghetti sauce. Whenever we make it, it’s always a huge double or triple batch to easily freeze the leftovers. Spaghetti and meatballs is such a family favorite, we almost always have frozen spaghetti sauce and meatballs in the freezer. It makes for a quick and easy weeknight meal, and it’s pretty amazing.
For more homemade sauce recipes, try our Fire Roasted Spaghetti Sauce From Scratch.
Why My Recipe
- A spaghetti sauce that people absolutely rave about!
- Easy to follow steps and slow cooker instructions, plus make a large batch and freeze for later.
- Add ground beef or sausage to it later or enjoy the tomatoey goodness all by itself.
Making homemade spaghetti sauce is easier than you think! You don’t have to use fresh tomatoes (although you totally can and we give you tips below), and the fresh herbs make all the difference. You can adjust the seasoning and sugar to your preference, and even add some red pepper flakes if you want a little kick of heat.
Ingredient Notes
- Olive Oil: Substitute with any neutral cooking oil, such as avocado or vegetable oil.
- White Onion: Has a mild and sweet flavor, but you can substitute with yellow onion if that’s what you have on hand.
- Garlic: Freshly minced garlic provides the best flavor, but jarred minced garlic works in a pinch.
- Chicken Broth: Choose a good-quality, low-sodium broth to better control the flavor. It’s a great chef tip!
- Tomato Paste: Open both ends of the can and push from one side to easily remove all of the tomato paste from the can.
- Crushed Tomatoes and Tomato Sauce: If you prefer a smoother sauce, you can use all tomato sauce or blend the crushed tomatoes before adding them.
- Granulated Sugar: A small amount balances the acidity and enhances the overall flavor.
- Dried Oregano and Fennel Seeds: Essential for that classic Italian flavor.
- Fresh Basil and Parsley: Fresh herbs add so much flavor to any recipe. We strongly recommend using them if available.
Canned vs Fresh Tomatoes
Canned: The best spaghetti sauce is made using San Marzano tomatoes. San Marzano is a variety of plum tomatoes. These tomatoes have a stronger flavor and are sweeter and less acidic. You can find canned San Marzano tomatoes at your grocery store. The label should make it very obvious that the tomatoes are this variety.
Fresh: If you want to make spaghetti sauce completely from scratch using whole tomatoes rather than canned, you’ll need to peel your tomatoes and remove the stems. The easiest way to peel tomatoes is to blanch them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes and then immediately place them into an ice bath. The skins can then be easily removed. We also have a different recipe for Fire Roasted Spaghetti Sauce.
Slow Cooker Option
Simmering a spaghetti sauce for a long time allows it to develop a lot of flavor. This recipe calls for 1-4 hours of simmering. If you don’t feel comfortable leaving it on the stove, simply transfer it all to a slow cooker and let it do all the simmering. Place it on high for 4-5 hours, and you’ll have a well-developed spaghetti sauce.
Add Some Beef
We serve this spaghetti sauce up with Homemade Baked Meatballs. These meatballs are full of flavor and make the perfect companion to this sauce. They also freeze quite well so you can have a complete, from scratch homemade freezer meal waiting for those hectic nights.
You can also add ground beef to your pasta sauce, if you prefer. You will want to add it in with your onions and cook thoroughly, then drain off any excess grease, or cook it separately and then add to the sauce before serving.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 7-10 days.
Freeze in quart-sized freezer bags for up to 3 months. Lay the bags flat in the freezer until frozen solid. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheat portions in the microwave on high in 30-second increments, stirring in between for even heating.
More classic pasta recipes…
Great sauce recipe! I doubled the recipe and it filled 4 quart jars for the freezer! Thank you so much!
– Mary
If you like a little back heat. Add some Mina Harissa Hot Sauce, Gourmet Moroccan Heat, Homestyle Spicy Red Chili Harissa Paste with Tangy Twist. From Amazon, I thought it was amazing!
oooo, that’s quite the twist! I bet it was amazing!
Hands down the most delicious sauce 💕 my family loves it and I’ll never buy store sauce again 😂 It freezes and reheats very well but I am going to try canning it into jars, why do you add lemon juice and how much would you recommend?
Thank you!!
So glad you love it. Homemade really is the best! I’m not an expert in canning, but the general rule of thumb is to add 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice per quart (or 1 tablespoon per pint) to ensure safe acidity levels. Just be sure to follow trusted canning guidelines. Happy cooking and preserving!
I have a question can add ground chuck to the recipe using salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and chili powder
Yes, you can add ground meat to this recipe after the sauce has finished.
Delicious marinara!! I crave this recipe! Thank you for sharing it, Rachel!! We always pair it with your meatball recipe and it is now my son’s favorite dinner! Thank you so much!!!
We just had it for dinner last night too! Always a hit.
I made this with ground turkey for spaghetti sauce. I forgot the chicken broth, so I used all dried herbs since I did not have fresh. I chopped a 28-oz can of whole tomatoes in my blender, tomato paste, and a cup of water. I did not have tomato sauce, so I left it out. I used the seasonings listed and added a handful of Italian seasoning. This was excellent, really good. Better than RAO.
I’m going to make this. The only thing I’m not sure of is the fennel. Does it change the taste like cinnamon does in chili.?
Adding fennel to spaghetti sauce gives it a warm, slightly sweet flavor with a hint of licorice. It’s a classic ingredient in Italian sausage, so it brings that familiar, savory depth to the sauce. Even just a little bit can really round out the flavor and make it feel richer and more aromatic.
I need to make this recipe without onions because of a food allergy of one of my guests. What would you suggest instead? Onion powder? If so, how much do you think?
Just omit the onions all together. If they have an allergy to onions, onion powder will not work for their needs.
Can this be done in a crockpot?
Yes, you can transfer everything to a slow cooker to simmer.