Quick Weeknight Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Who knew that you could make a rich and hearty spaghetti sauce in 20 minutes? Simple and flavorful, this quick homemade spaghetti sauce is perfect.
If you love homemade spaghetti like I love homemade spaghetti, you are going to fall head over heels for this recipe.
So simple, this 20-minute quick homemade spaghetti sauce is the answer when you want rich and hearty, flavorful spaghetti sauce without having to plan hours (or days) in advance…or without opening a jar.
Perfect for Crazy Weeknights
We all know there’s no shame in popping open a jar of store bought spaghetti sauce, but if you get excited about from-scratch versions that are almost as easy as prepackaged, this recipe is for you. And me.
Not only is this quick, homemade spaghetti sauce amazingly delicious, it is also a fabulous dinner solution for a crazy weeknight when you just need a healthy, tasty, filling dinner on the table fast.
Two Secret Ingredients
Rich and hearty, there are a few key ingredients in this simple, weeknight spaghetti sauce that help replicate the flavor of a low and slow, long-simmered sauce.
First, tomato paste! The concentrated flavor of tomato paste adds a depth of flavor quickly without the need for special ingredients or longer cooking time.
Second, soy sauce.
You don’t need a lot – just a tablespoon, but that little dash of complexity does wonders for the overall flavor of this quick homemade spaghetti sauce.
The real test of success for this sauce was when I made it a while ago but didn’t tell anyone in my family it was the fast and furious version instead of our longtime favorite homemade version.
While eating, one of the boys said: “I love mom’s spaghetti sauce” and Brian said “yep, there’s nothing that can beat it.”
I almost didn’t have the heart to tell everyone that I had kind of tricked them – subbing in this quick homemade spaghetti sauce for our beloved go-to spaghetti sauce.
There’s nothing like good ol’ classic spaghetti for dinner, and this quick weeknight version is on repeat constantly at our house! Fast and flavorful! Can’t top that.
What to Serve With This
- Hot, cooked spaghetti noodles
- Divine breadsticks or this Asiago pull-apart bread
- Thrown together green salad
Quick Weeknight Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef, ground turkey, or ground pork (or a combination)
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon coarse, kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 28- ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 8- ounce can tomato sauce
- 1-2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- Hot, cooked noodles, for serving
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground meat, onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper, breaking the meat into small pieces as it cooks, until the meat is not longer pink.
- Drain any excess grease.
- Stir in the tomato paste, basil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, for about a minute, until the mixture smells fragrant.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, brown sugar and soy sauce. Stir to combine.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes (or as long as you like/need).
- Serve over hot, cooked noodles.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
I made your sauce the other night, with a few tweaks, and it was really good. I’m not a big fan of tomato sauce in general and can’t stand the jarred/canned varieties so I’m glad I came across your recipe for when I’m in the mood for a tomato based pasta sauce.
The tweaks I made are: I don’t like onion, thyme, or oregano and don’t keep them on hand so I omitted them but I did add some red pepper flakes cause I like a spicy red sauce. I can’t have soy so I used Trader Joe’s coconut aminos as well as a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. I just tossed out my brown sugar the other day bc the little bit I had left was hard so I used some local raw honey instead. Not too many tweaks but I wish I would have had a bell pepper, carrots, and zucchini to saute with the meat for some added veggies.
I ended up using the sauce for a ravioli bake for lunches to take to work this week and it was great. I layered some sauce in the bottom of a glass baking dish and laid down a layer of frozen cheese ravioli then another layer of sauce then some mozzarella cheese and repeated the layers one more time and covered it all with some more mozzarella cheese as well as some grated parmesan and baked it for about 40 minutes til it was nice and bubbly hot. Very hearty lunches that get me through my long at work days til I can get home and eat supper. Thanks again!
You’ve mentioned Cook’s Country magazine before and I wanted to let you know I made the Drop Meatballs from the Feb/Mar ’18 issue. I changed the sauce a bit – using an adaptation of this quick weeknight sauce recipe. Easy and delicious. I also tried the Easy Ground Beef Chili from that issue and it was yummy, too. Thanks for all your work – I appreciate you.
I’ve had my eye on that recipe!
I also tried the easy ground beef chili, as well as the one-bowl brownie recipe from that issue. Both hits! I’m eager to try the Hoosier pie, shrimp tacos, and beef and broccoli. So many good ones in that issue!
I made this sauce tonight, as I was looking for a quick spaghetti sauce to go with my chicken cutlet parmesean. Wow. The sauce was fabulous and my family loved it. I will defiantly make this again. I didn’t know you could add soy sauce to sauce…life always amazes me. Thanks.
I made it a few weeks ago and loved it. My boyfriend loves spaghetti and other pastas, but since I recall having spaghetti constantly when I was little with canned sauce like Hunts, I now don’t eat pasta at all. I am making it again tonight and with leftover noodles, I will be making my white sauce tomorrow.
We love this sauce. It is my “go-to” recipe for spaghetti. No more jarred sauce in our house.
I made this for dinner tonight. After one bite, my son gave me a thumbs up. Our family of 4 loved it! Thank you helping me get a yummy dinner on the table tonight! I’ve followed your blog and recipes for years. I will not be able to eat jar spaghetti sauces ever again…that’s a good thing.
Thanks, Neena!
I just made this sauce last Sunday and it truly is quick and delicious! What is also great is that I started with frozen ground beef and was able to have it thawed out in two minutes so I could brown it for this recipe.
Any tips for making this in the Instant Pot??
I haven’t tried it since it is so fast on the stovetop!
Hi, can we also use the recipe with ground lamb? Thanks in advance.
I don’t see why not!
Keeper!
Easy, fast and delicious! Thanks for another wonderful recipe Mel.
This was such an easy and savory recipe. I made it exactly except substituted ground turkey for the ground beef. It was so flavorful it tasted almost like sausage even though I knew it was turkey. I think that tiny bit of lite soy sauce enhances the flavor. Don’t worry if youre not a soy sauce fan. My husband doesn’t like soy sauce and he had no idea it was there.
Great sauce! Dinner was on the table in 30 minutes.
Made it, love it and my family loved it. They said it was just as good as Grandmas spaghetti which is really hard to beat. I like to cut out as many carbs as I can so I substituted the regular noodles for my zucchini noodles. Of course I made regular noodles for the rest of my fam. Thank you again for another great recipe Mel!!!
I want to make this but only have diced tomatoes. Should I run them through the blender?
Sure, you could definitely try that.
This sauce is a game changer for me! I recently went back to work, and we’ve been missing good pasta sauce. Thank you!
This was delicious! Almost as good as your other recipe that takes all day. My 6 boys loved it too! And I added a tablespoon of the Trader Joe’s Unami paste to it for another layer of flavor.
Hi Mel,
This recipe for the homemade spaghetti sauce sounds really interesting and I’m wanting to try it tonight, however my only obstacle would be the 28.oz can of crushed tomatoes. Unfortunately for me my wife does not, will not eat tomatoes, crushed, diced, sliced or any other form other than sauce. Would you have an alternative for me?
You could try using tomato sauce, if she’ll eat that. Otherwise, I’d suggest looking for a non-tomato based pasta sauce. 🙂
I use my immersion blender to purée any and all tomatoes for my picky husband and the recipes – especially this one – turn out great every time. Mel, this is on regular rotation at my house. We love this sauce!
So wonderful! Just made this and my two year old LOVES!!! “Mo mo pasta, Mama please”. Thanks for helping satisfy my toddler! We love it too. Definitely making again.
Hi Mel, I made this last week and my whole family loved it. In fact, it is the only meat sauce my 12 year old will eat, but she sure gave it the evil eye before she tasted it. The next day, I asked my 15 year old what he’d like for dinner and he said he wanted spaghetti. When I remarked that we had it for dinner last night, he replied, “I know, it was awesome!” That is some pretty high praise from my 2 picky eaters. I just wanted to say thanks for another great recipe.
This was EXCELLENT! I REALLY don’t like using jarred pasta sauce, but tasty homemade has always been so time consuming. No more! We all loved this. So great to have a recipe where I likely already have all of the ingredients in the house, as well. Thank you!
I finally made this sauce–delicious! If anyone is skeptical about the soy sauce, DO NOT TASTE SAUCE IMMEDIATELY AFTER ADDING IT! After 15 minutes of simmering, however, the flavor mellows and you’re left with a great tasting spaghetti sauce.
I love spaghetti and could eat it almost every day so I had to try this one and it may now be my favorite. I made it as written except I used a pound of mild Italian sausage. It made the sauce spicier, but it was delicious. This sauce has the perfect consistency to be thick and satisfying while still spreading out over the noodles enough. Thank you for sharing!!
This sauce was fantastic! It tasted similar to my mom’s recipe that took all day to make! Great recipe for a busy weeknight. Filling too! I’ve made probably close to 50 of your recipes and have not been disappointed once. I also have not ever had a problem reading or understanding the recipe!
Thanks so much, Christine!
This was great; rich and just salty enough. This will definitely be our go-to in the seemingly never ending quest to find a spaghetti sauce the entire family likes. We are having a Mel’s Kitchen week at our house: this spaghetti, beef stroganoff, meatloaf, and the chicken/quinoa/butternut squash stew for lunches (which is so, so good). Thanks for all of your great recipes!
Thanks, Marisa! 🙂
I come from an Italian/Sicilian family and am the first generation to call it “sauce”, not “gravy” (weird, right?). My mom taught me to make sauce in a huge pot and freeze portions because it takes all day to cook down. UMMMM…no it doesn’t!! This recipe, while my grandma might just be rolling in her grave that I sought a recipe from a blogger in Idaho, is perfect. Quick enough that I don’t need to make a day of it (mine was done in 20 easily), and better because my thawed sauce was always on the watery side. I love it I love it I love it! And my husband and kids do too. Thanks so much, Mel. You are (and always will be) my cooking hero.
You made my day, Michelle! Thank you so much for your comment. I’m so happy you loved this quicker (totally not authentic, apologies to your grandma) sauce. 🙂
Mel, this sauce was just fantastic. I blended up the tomatoes to ensure a smooth base, which is what we all prefer. It had such a richness to it. I added tamari, which is what I keep on hand and it was perfect. I simmered mine for about 40 minutes though. I like a more “cooked” sauce. Still, much quicker than most sauces with a simmered all day taste. We really loved it.
I’m happy tamari worked out just as well; thanks for the comment, Teresa! So happy you loved it.
Who’da thunk to add soy sauce! Perfect! Now I must try your favourite if it’s better than this! This really hit the spot today with several hangry kids, though mine was not ready in 20 minutes! Not even close! Maybe if I had it prepped like a tv show! Lol . But thanks for another keeper!
Haha, that’s good feedback on the 20-minute thing. I actually hate estimating the time for recipes but most recipe formats require it now. I’ll make a mental note to slow down the timing. 🙂
Could be because I have a bunch of kids seeking my attention! Maybe others get it done in that time! I’m making it again right now. Can’t wait. Nursing a baby while the sauce simmers, so definitely held up by kids again! Lol!
Ok so I love your first spaghetti sauce recipe…..have made it for a few years now. This one tops it for my family, simply has a great flavor, a nice texture between meat and sauce. It is a winner in my house!!! And the asiago bread as a side, sooooo yummy!
That’s high praise; thanks, Becky!
Have you ever measured how many tablespoons of tomato paste is in a can of tomato paste? I started buying tomato paste in tubes, but still come across recipes that call for a 6, 8, or 12 oz can of tomato paste. I absolutely love, love, love your blog. Thanks!
Jodi
It’s been a long time since I measured, but I remember it being right around 6 tablespoons or so.
Mel,
I will make this soon. I plan on replacing the meat with Morningstar sausage patties or crumbles since we aren’t big meat eaters, but I wanted a homemade sauce so thank you for sharing.
So, so good Mel!! I’ll admit I’ve still been buying jars of Prego for spaghetti, holy cow, not ever after this!! I’ve been wanting to try your fave homemade version and just hadn’t gotten around to it, I decided to give this a go tonight and I’m never going back! Thank you, first of all for making a post happen on spring break! And thank you, thank you for this awesome recipe! My family loved it so much!
Thanks, Josie!!
This was absolutely delicious!
Can’t wait to try this! Have been wondering if your perfect spaghetti sauce could be adapted for the Instant Pot as it is so, so good! This quick version probably makes that unnecessary.
Mel, thank you! You’ve done it agaIn! This looks SO GOOD!!! I absolutely LOVE your other spaghetti sauce but this will be nice to have in a pinch. Any thoughts on sub for brown sugar, please? Trying to avoid it right now… Thank you!!
What about just a drizzle of honey? You just need a tiny bit of sweetness to counteract the acidity.
a few pinches of baking soda while the sauce is bubbling also counteracts the acidity without added sugar.
I added a tsp or so of coconut sugar and the finished product was delicious. Honey and/or baking soda would work too (I’ve used those in the past with a different recipe). Happily, brown sugar isn’t necessary!
This sounds perfect! I recently had to change things up in the kitchen due to my husband being diagnosed with celiac disease & La Choy soy sauce is actually gluten free! Also, I appreciate your GF & GF adaptable recipe section. It saved me so much in that first month when cooking anything felt daunting. I find myself falling in love with your site more with each recipe, & I’ve already loved it for years,… & I say that in the least creepy way possible 😉
Haha, not creepy at all, Amanda! I can’t remember if you already mentioned in a comment about your husband being diagnosed with Celiac disease. I’m glad you’ve been able to find some ways to make cooking gluten-free less daunting as you start out. Do you know Nicole’s blog: glutenfreeonashoestring.com? I’ve made several of her gluten-free baked goods for friends that eat gluten-free. She has a huge archive of gluten-free recipes.
This sauce is so easy and so delicious!!! I made it exactly as written except I increased everything by 2 1/2 times the recipe (because I have a very big family) and it was the perfect amount to go with the 3 lbs. of spaghetti I cooked to go with it. It was met with rave reviews and every plate was cleaned with gusto tonight. An absolute winner! I even called my Mom after supper to tell her she absolutely has to make this now 🙂 This is my new favorite sauce, so so good (next to your Classic Marinara, oh how I love that one!). Thank you!!!
Thanks for your review, Heather! I love that classic marinara sauce, too (the flavor!) – I’m so happy you liked this quick weeknight version!
I totally need to make this! I need a go-to sauce recipe!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
I made this today after seeing it here and wow!! Everyone declared it delicious!!! Thanks for the fabulous recipe!!
Happy you made it so fast AND that everyone loved it. Thanks, Amy!
Hey Mel! I am excited to try this as Spaghetti is one of my favorite comfort foods! And a quick version would do wonders for my heart! Anyway, One thing I use for tomatoe paste is the Thrive tomatoe powder! You probably already know/use it but I thought I would throw this out there just in case
Yum, I love that stuff! I never thought to sub it for tomato paste, though, thanks for the recommendation!
Can’t wait to try the soy sauce twist! I’d love to have your instant pot brussels sprouts recipe!
It’s so easy – saute bacon (optional) in IP (I use turkey bacon, maybe 4 strips), add 2 pounds brussels sprouts, 1 cup broth, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. High pressure 2 minutes, quick release. SO tasty! It’s adapted from Bob Warden’s book: Great Food Fast.
Mel, I make a quick sauce as well, but use balsamic vinegar, instead of soy sauce. Have you ever tried that? Delicious!
I use balsamic in my other homemade spaghetti sauce – I agree, it’s delicious!
Hi Mel, I normally don’t take the time to comment (mom to four littles so…. you know 🙂 ) but I have been wanting to tell you that after trying numerous recipes from other blogs, I’ve found myself coming back to your recipes over and over again. They do not disappoint! Thank you so much!!! The spaghetti sauce and asiago bread are going on my menu. Enjoy the rest of spring break!
That means so much, JoAnn! Thank you!
Perfect!! I love your other recipe too… but this new spaghetti sauce take is so practical for most days of my life. I’m excited to try it. Also on an unrelated note, I just made Yumm sauce and yum yum bowls (cooked a big batch of quinoa in chicken broth in the Instant Pot –life/game changing for my quinoa loving soul). Thanks for convincing me a year ago that I needed an Instant Pot in my life. Yum Yum bowls have become one of my favorite lunch options. I make up a bunch of the veggies and sauce and quinoa and then I eat it for days….. I know this had nothing to do with this post, but It seemed like a good time to tell you! Happy Spring Break!!
Thanks, Helen! I’m so glad you love those Yum yum bowls. 🙂
I have a very similar recipe I’ve used for years. It doesn’t have the soy sauce in it but does have a glass of red or white wine (whichever I’m drinking). I’ll have to try the soy sauce (or maybe even Worcestershire) next time!
Ok, having each of your boys take a turn preparing dinner 1 night during spring break week…this is genius. And their future wives will bow and worship at your feet.
Haha, hopefully, unless the only thing they ever master is mac and cheese (a distinct possibility at the rate things are going…)
This looks perfect! Also, I want to know how to make brussels sprouts in the instant pot…
Oh, they are our favorite: It’s so easy – saute bacon (optional) in IP (I use turkey bacon, maybe 4 strips), add 2 pounds brussels sprouts, 1 cup broth, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. High pressure 2 minutes, quick release. SO tasty! It’s adapted from Bob Warden’s book: Great Food Fast.
I want to thank you for posting even with all of your kids home for spring break! You are a great example to me in managing time! Also, I am excited to try this quick spaghetti sauce version. My kids beg to have spaghetti Every. Single. Week. I don’t always have time to make your other recipe and there is no going back to jarred sauce, so this looks like a great medium ground. Thanks again! I can’t wait to try it.
Well, you are sweet, Bridget. Rest assured that my time management is not as great as it appears to be. 🙂
If you think the tubes are life changing…
http://www.hunts.com/tomato-paste/hunts-recipe-ready-tomato-paste-pouch
Thank you for the recipe, I love your perfected sauce so much, but will give this a go for sure.
I am just as excited to discover this as I am about making Mel’s quick spaghetti sauce! Thanks for posting the link!
The best. Oh but maybe these beat it…
http://www.mydorot.com/project/garlic/
So perfect. I love freshly minced garlic but never have it. This has come in handy so many times. I cannot stand the jarred stuff…so chunky
Oh, yes, Bryn! I keep these stocked in my freezer. I get them at Trader Joe’s and LOVE them, because they taste so fresh and are SO convenient. I rarely buy garlic cloves any more.
I’ve seen those but never bought them, Bryn! Thanks for sharing the link.
My sons are spaghetti sauce snobs and we do bust out the bottled spaghetti sauce (no shame here) but I’m thinking of trying years. Prob will have to blend the diced tomatoes but I can handle that. Thanks! Also, love the hashtag. Carbs for life
Big fan here mel 🙂 thank you for sharing your recipes, especially the cheesecakes. I followed every steps in your recipe and booom! Perfect
Thank you!
These are crushed tomatoes, not diced! Which is perfect for me because I hate chunks of tomatoes. 🙂
That’s why my chunky tomato hating son loves this sauce. 🙂