Italian Meat Sauce
This Italian meat sauce is a family favorite that can easily be made in under 15 minutes. This classic comfort food is hearty and satisfying with robust tomato and basil flavor. Serve with your favorite pasta for an easy Italian-style dinner.
What we love about this Italian meat sauce
- Nothing says family dinner more than spaghetti with meat sauce. This recipe has everything your family needs. Its hearty, healthy and budget friendly.
- This meat sauce freezes well, so feel free to make a double batch. It’s great to have a container in the freezer if you need a last minute dinner or if you want to save some time when making a homemade lasagna.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it
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- Ground beef – We like to use a leaner cut of beef, typically 90/10. If your meat isn’t as lean, make sure to drain some of the excess grease before adding tomatoes.
- Crushed tomatoes
- Onion
- Garlic
- Dried basil
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
How to make this Italian meat sauce
Brown the beef. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the beef, breaking the meat up as it cooks. Continue cooking until beef is no longer pink.
If your beef has a higher fat content, you may want to drain the fat once the beef is cooked through.
Add the aromatics. Stir the minced garlic and diced onions into the beef. Continue to sauté until onions are translucent, stirring as needed to ensure even an even cook.
Simmer the tomatoes. Add the crushed tomatoes, basil, parsley and salt to the pot. Then, let the sauce simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
This allows the flavors to fully develop. If you’re in a time crunch, you can simmer for less time.
Garnish and serve. Stir in fresh parsley (if you’re using it), and serve over your favorite pasta with fresh grated cheese.
Everything you need to know about this meat sauce recipe
That will depend on the fat content of your ground beef. If you opt for a lower fat content such as a 93-7, you likely won’t need to drain it. Where as ground beef with a 80-20 content you may want to drain some of the excess fat before adding the tomatoes.
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Italian Meat Sauce
This Italian meat sauce is a family favorite that can easily be made in under 15 minutes. This classic comfort food is hearty and satisfying with robust tomato and basil flavor. Serve with your favorite pasta for an easy Italian-style dinner.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ cup diced onions
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (1 tbsp pre-minced)
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- ½ tbsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp coarse salt
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown the beef.
- Once the beef is cooked through, stir in garlic and onions. Cook until onions are translucent, stirring as needed.
- Add crushed tomatoes, basil, parsley and salt. Simmer for 10-15 minutes to allow flavors to fully develop.
- Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 137
- Sugar: 4.8 g
- Sodium: 368.4 mg
- Fat: 5.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 8.7 g
- Fiber: 2.2 g
- Protein: 14.3 g
- Cholesterol: 33.9 mg
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