Simple, delicious and super easy to make, this meat sauce will be sure to impress at dinner tonight. It takes less than 20 mins to prep and is the ultimate comfort food!
Have you ever had one of those secret family dishes that’s so good, everyone is always clamoring to get the recipe? You know what I’m talking about…the one your sweet Great-Aunt Mabel always makes for family gatherings but somehow manages to remain tight-lipped about the exact particulars of how to make it. She’d say something like, “Oh sweetie, it’s just a pinch of this, a dash of that, and then stirred with love. I really don’t know what all the fuss is about.”
When the recipe was finally handed down to the next generation, it was usually met with disbelief that it was so simple to make. Surely this couldn’t possibly be the recipe that inspired a feud between families for generations? It had to of been made with gold…or unicorn tears!
Okay, well…maybe not all family recipes are that dramatic but then why all the secrecy? Personally I’m not one to keep something so delicious hidden away so that people can’t make it for themselves. I love sharing recipes, especially ones that are so simple to make but taste like you spent years perfecting it. And that’s what I’m going to share with you today; our family recipe for Spaghetti with Meat Sauce that really is, impossibly easy to make.
This recipe actually comes from my husband’s side of the family. When he and I were first dating, he invited me over one night and said he was going to cook dinner for me. But not just any dinner, he was going to make his Ma’s spaghetti. I’m pretty sure I knew right that second he was a keeper (not just because he was cooking dinner for me but the fact he was making pasta…which I could eat every, single day.)
And his Ma’s spaghetti with meat sauce did not disappoint. It was rich, perfectly delicious in its simplicity and he served it with a caesar salad, garlic bread and red wine. It was amazing! He told me that his Grandma (a.k.a “Ma”) passed down the recipe to only his Mom and two aunts who apparently remained tight-lipped about it for years. I’m not sure how he actually convinced one of them to give him the recipe but needless to say, I’m happy to be sharing it with you.
I must have raved about the spaghetti so much that night because before I left for the evening, he decided to share the recipe with me. As he went through the ingredients, I distinctly remember thinking he was trying to pull one over on me (and wanted to keep the recipe all to himself) because there was no way it was so simple. Spaghetti that tasted this good had to have something more to it. I just knew it.
But guess what?!? It doesn’t have more to it. It really is simple! And I hope you’ll enjoy making this as much as I do. We usually have it on the dinner rotation quite a bit during the colder months. There’s nothing better than coming home to the smell of this meat sauce simmering away. It instantly warms you right up.
Enjoy!
Easy Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 6 oz can tomato paste
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 3/4 lb spaghetti noodles
Instructions
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In a 3 quart saucepan or dutch oven, add add the ground beef and minced garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until the ground beef is cooked through, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.
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Reduce heat to low and add the remaining ingredients (through garlic salt); stir to combine.
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Cover and simmer for at least 1 hour but anywhere up to 3 hours, stirring occasionally and seasoning with garlic salt to taste.
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Cook pasta according according to package directions.
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Top with meat sauce and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
This recipe can also be made in the slow cooker. Follow the recipe as instructed but after browning the ground beef and garlic, add all the ingredients (through garlic salt) to the slow cooker. Set to LOW and cook for 4 hours. Cook pasta according to package directions and top with meat sauce.
