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A close-up of Classic Spaghetti with Meat Sauce being served with a wooden spoon from a bowl.

Classic Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

This recipe for Classic Spaghetti with Meat Sauce is a comforting and traditional Italian-American dish. It's perfect for family dinners and can be easily adapted for gluten-free diets.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Simmer Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 303
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Meat Sauce
  • 1 pound ground beef or ½ lb ground Italian sausage and ½ lb ground beef
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 15 ounces tomato sauce
  • 6 ounces tomato paste
  • 0.5 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • crushed red pepper flakes to taste
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 cup water
Optional Additions
  • 0.25 cup fresh basil leaves optional
For Serving
  • spaghetti noodles

Equipment

  • Large skillet

Method
 

  1. Season ground beef with salt and pepper.
  2. In a large skillet, add the beef and chopped onion. Brown the beef and onion. Drain excess grease.
  3. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar to the skillet.
  4. Stir well to combine and bring to a boil. Add water and stir well.
  5. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add chopped basil before serving, if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 303kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 18gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 814mgPotassium: 948mgFiber: 3gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 885IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 4mg

Notes

This sauce tastes great in Spaghetti Pie, Million Dollar Spaghetti, Slow Cooker Lasagna, and Instant Pot Spaghetti. For gluten-free adaptations, use gluten-free Worcestershire sauce and gluten-free spaghetti noodles.

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