Homemade spaghetti sauce is the perfect addition to your next plate of pasta. This from-scratch sauce recipe is made in a single stock pot and is filled with tomatoes, ground beef, onions, garlic, and bell pepper.

A serving spoon of spaghetti sauce in a stock pot.

Making your own homemade spaghetti sauce is a must if you enjoy cooking at home. This spaghetti sauce is more flavorful than a store bought sauce, and easy to customize to suit your tastes.

This sauce is assembled in a single pot, then cooked down on the stovetop over several hours. The flavors develop and deepen the longer you let your sauce simmer, so it's worth the wait.

This sauce is filled with onion, garlic, and bell pepper. It's also lightly seasoned with basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Best of all, it's freezer friendly and will keep for up to three months.

Don't forget to complete your meal with some freezer garlic bread or garlic bread cheese balls. Garlic bread is the perfect addition to a plate of spaghetti.

Ingredients and substitutions

ingredients to make a homemade spaghetti sauce.

Ground beef - I prefer the added flavor beef brings to this spaghetti sauce. Ground pork is a great substitute. You can also lighten up this recipe by using ground turkey or ground chicken.
Olive oil - Can be substituted with any neutral flavored cooking oil you have on hand.
Garlic - Adds depth of flavor to your sauce. I recommend mincing fresh garlic for this recipe for best flavor.
Granulated sugar - A small amount of granulated sugar is added to this tomato sauce to balance the acidity of the tomatoes, as well as enhance the natural sweetness of the tomatoes. Your sauce will not taste sweet.
Seasoning - Salt, pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes add depth of flavor to your sauce. Oregano can be substituted with an Italian seasoning blend if you have it on hand.
Onion - Adds flavor to your sauce.
Bell pepper - Adds flavor and flecks of color to your sauce. Can me omitted if desired - or minced smaller to make it less noticeable (for picky eaters).
Crushed tomatoes with basil - If you can't find crushed tomatoes with basil, substitute with plain crushed tomatoes and a tablespoon of dried basil.

Cooking ground beef and vegetables in a pan, then adding crushed tomatoes.

How to make spaghetti sauce

First, you'll brown your ground beef, then your bell peppers, onions, and garlic. Last, you'll add your remaining ingredients to the pot, bring it to a simmer, and cover.

Your sauce will simmer for two and a half hours over low heat. During this time the tomatoes will cook down with the other ingredients and form a rich, flavorful spaghetti sauce.

I do not recommend trying to speed up this process. The low and slow method will give your vegetables time to cook down and flavors time to deepen.

Ways to use spaghetti sauce

Aside from topping a pile of spaghetti, I also like to use this spaghetti sauce to make lasagna or baked ziti. Simply replace the spaghetti sauce called for in any recipe with this sauce instead.

Freezing spaghetti sauce

If you're planning on freezing some or all of your sauce, allow it to come to room temperature first. Then, transfer to another container for freezing.

I like to store two portions in quart size freezer bags, or four to six portions in a gallon sized bag.

Transfer your frozen spaghetti sauce from the freezer to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.

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