Everyone needs an easy meat sauce recipe in their collection. I've tested out several over the years, but none quite hit the spot, so I decided it was time to create my own.
I wanted a homemade spaghetti sauce recipe that's bursting with flavor yet easy to whip up. Something fit for a dinner party and busy weeknights just like many of my other pasta recipes like Rigatoni Puttanesca and Creamy White Wine Pasta Sauce. After multiple rounds of testing, I have a foolproof recipe for a hearty meat sauce with big flavors and great texture, that's ready in under an hour.
Carrots and celery are non-negotiables but tediously chopping them into tiny pieces always frustrates me. I found shredding them in a food processor not only saves a ton of time, but also improves the taste and consistency of the sauce.
Now, let's talk about umami. Every mouthful of meat sauce and Traditional Italian meatballs should be packed with it. You'll find ground pork features in many traditional Italian Bolognese sauce recipes. I found that finely chopped bacon and Worcestshire sauce (also a key ingredient in my Tomato Orzo Soup with Chicken) are simple and effective flavor-boosters, along with a glug of red wine for extra depth and complexity.
The post contains additional information and helpful tips to ensure the recipe turns out great the first time. Please use the link above to jump to the recipe card at the end if you are in a hurry!
Jump to:
- What makes this homemade meat sauce different:
- 🛒 Key ingredients:
- Substitutions & variations:
- The perfect sofrito
- Short Recipe Video
- 🧑🍳 Recipe steps
- Serving meat sauce with spaghetti
- Expert Tips
- 🙋 Recipe FAQs
- 😋 More tomato-based pasta recipes
- 📖 Recipe
- Recipe Card
- Join my email list and get a free cookbook with twenty 20 minute recipes
What makes this homemade meat sauce different:
- Onions, celery, and carrots are chopped in a food processor. This boosts flavor, improves consistency, and saves a lot of time.
- Super umami with bacon and Worcestershire sauce.
- Weeknight friendly. Made with simple ingredients and ready in under 1 hour.
- Learn how to combine the sauce with spaghetti to get an authentic Italian Bolognese experience.
🛒 Key ingredients:
- Bacon is finely chopped and fried until crispy to boost the umami flavor in the sauce.
- Ground beef. Opt for one with at least 15% fat. It will give you a more flavorful sauce than a lean ground beef.
- Carrot, celery and onion are finely chopped using a food processor and gently fried in butter or olive oil to form the base of the sauce, also known as a soffrito or mirepoix.
- Red wine adds depth and complexity. Choose a full-bodied type like Merlot Chianti, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Sangiovese.
- Canned crushed tomatoes are finer than diced tomatoes but still add subtle texture. They're also a key ingredient in my Homemade Marinara Sauce.
- Beef broth (stock). Store-bought powdered varieties are fine. Feel free to use homemade if you have it on hand.
- Tomato paste (puree): For extra tomato flavor.
- Worcestershire sauce for more umami.
- Dried oregano. x3 the amount if you want to use fresh. You can also use Italian seasoning instead.
Substitutions & variations:
Note that the recipe has not been tested with all the substitutions and variations below, so the results cannot be guaranteed.
- Swap the bacon for finely chopped mushrooms or Italian sausage.
- Switch the red wine for beef stock and a little red wine vinegar or balsamic for acidity.
- Make your own crushed tomato sauce by blitzing whole tomatoes in a food processor until finely chopped.
- Add red pepper flakes for a spicy kick.
The perfect sofrito
A sofrito is a finely chopped or minced mixture of onion, carrot, and celery sauteed in butter or oil. It's used as a base in many Italian recipes to add flavor, complexity, and a thick and cohesive texture. The onion and carrot also add a subtle sweetness that balances the acidity of the tomatoes.
Many recipes suggest finely dicing these veggies with a knife. I tested this method against shredding in a food processor. The shredded version was a sure winner. A less chunky sauce allowed the flavors to meld together. Plus it saved a lot of chopping time. Win!
Don't have a food processor? You can get the same shredded texture using a cheese grater.
Short Recipe Video
🧑🍳 Recipe steps
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions! *
Step 1: Use a food processor to finely chop the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic.
Step 2: Fry the onion, carrots, celery and garlic in butter or olive oil over medium heat until softened. Then remove from the pan and set aside.
Step 3: Fry the bacon over a medium heat until crispy.
Step 4: Add the ground beef and brown it over a high heat.
Step 5: Pour in the red wine and let it simmer for a few minutes until reduced by half.
Step 6: Add the cooked sofrito, crushed tomatoes, beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and dried oregano. Simmer for 30 minutes until the sauce thickens and starts to look glossy.
Serving meat sauce with spaghetti
You'll often see spaghetti plated first with the meat sauce in the middle. I served it this way for years until I discovered the Italian way on a short trip to Venice.
Instead of being separate the spaghetti and meat sauce were combined. This was such a game-changer with every strand of spaghetti infused with all the delicious flavors in the meat sauce.
All you need to do is toss the pasta in the sauce over a low heat and add a little reserved pasta water to bring the sauce to the right consistency. If you haven't served meat sauce this way before, you should try it. I never went back.
Expert Tips
- Make a big batch. Meat sauce tastes great the next day and freezes well.
- Use a food processor to shred the sofrito: It improves the texture of the sauce, allows the flavors to meld, and saves a lot of time chopping.
- Remove the sofrito from the pan before cooking the ground beef. It makes for a better browning process and texture.
- Add red wine. It's a game-changer for adding depth and complexity.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. The amount needed will vary depending on how salty your stock is.
- Toss the pasta in the sauce before serving. To ensure each piece of spaghetti is infused with umami deliciousness.
🙋 Recipe FAQs
Cooked meat sauce can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days and reheated on the stove or microwave. You'll probably find the sauce tastes even better the next day. A little time in the fridge lets the flavors meld and intensify.
Cooked meat sauce is perfect for batch cooking because it can be frozen for up to 3 months. Simply allow it to cool, put it into a freezer-safe container or freezer bags, and store it in the freezer. Then allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Grated Parmesan is a must and I love to pair it with a full-bodied red wine like Merlot, Chianti, or Malbec. A simple green salad will balance out the richness of the sauce. Plus, garlic bread is also a great side if you're feeling very hungry.
Meat sauce and Bolognese can be very similar and overlap. Italian bolognese is a slow-cooked traditional spaghetti sauce typically made with ground meats, tomatoes, wine, and milk. Meat sauce refers to various sauces featuring meat. Italian American meat sauces, are similar to Bolognese sauce but often have simpler ingredients and are quicker to prepare.
Did you try this recipe?
It would be really great if you could leave a comment and a star rating ⭐️. I would love to receive your feedback and know that other readers find it helpful too.
Don't forget to tag #knifeandsoulrecipes on Instagram or @knifeandsoul on Pinterest!
📖 Recipe
Recipe Card
Ground Beef and Red Wine Spaghetti Meat Sauce (Bolognese)
Equipment
- frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 large onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 sticks celery
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 oz bacon finely chopped
- 1 lb ground beef (Note 1)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil or butter
- ¾ cup red wine (Note 2)
- 1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes (Note 3)
- 2 cups beef broth (stock) (Note 4)
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste (puree)
- 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (Note 5)
- salt and black pepper (to taste)
To serve (optional)
- 14 oz long pasta (spaghetti, linguine, tagliatelle or parpadelle)
- grated Parmesan cheese
- finely chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Use a food processor to finely chop the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. (Note 6)
- Place a large skillet or saucepan on a medium-low heat. Add the butter or olive oil and cook the finely chopped onion, carrots, celery, and garlic until softened. Then remove from the pan and set aside.
- Place a large skillet or saucepan on a medium-high heat and fry the bacon until it gets crispy.
- Add the ground beef and brown it over a high heat. Break it apart with a wooden spoon as it cooks, but not too much so it browns properly.
- Pour in the red wine and let it simmer for a few minutes until reduced by half.
- Add the cooked carrot, celery and onion mixture, crushed tomatoes, beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and dried oregano. Simmer for 30 minutes until the sauce thickens and starts to look a little glossy.
- Lower the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Combining the sauce with the pasta (optional)
- Cook the pasta until al dente in a large pot of generously salted boiling water.
- Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the meat together with a couple of tablespoons of the reserved pasta water.
- Toss the sauce and pasta together on a low heat for a couple of minutes, adding a little more pasta water if the sauce needs extra moisture.
- Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan and finely chopped basil.
Video
Notes
- Ground beef: Opt for one with at least 15% fat. It will give you a more flavorful sauce than a lean ground beef.
- Red wine: Choose a full-bodied type like Merlot Chianti, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Sangiovese. For an alcohol-free alternative substitute with beef stock and a little red wine vinegar or balsamic for acidity.
- Crushed tomatoes: Use store-bought or make your own crushed tomato sauce by blitzing whole tomatoes in a food processor until finely chopped.
- Beef broth: Store-bought powdered varieties are fine. Feel free to use homemade if you have it on hand.
- Dried oregano: x3 the amount if you want to use fresh. You can also use Italian seasoning instead.
- Shredding the veggies. You can use a grater if you don't have a food processor.
Leave a Reply