Meat Sauce/Spaghetti Sauce/Pasta Sauce Recipe

  • Serves 4+

  • Leftovers

  • Meal Prep

  • Total time <1 hour

  • Versatile

  • Simple

  • Kid approved

Plate of spaghetti with red meat sauce and grated cheese, accompanied by copper fork and spoon, yellow flowers in foreground.

    1. Tomato Sauce

    2. Tomato Paste

    3. Worcestershire Sauce

    4. Garlic Powder

    5. Sugar

    6. Italian Seasoning

    7. Parsley

    8. Salt & Pepper

    9. Ground Turkey (or meat of choice, or skip this if you’d like no meat

    1. Can Opener (possibly, depending on your tomato paste and sauce source)

    2. Large Pot for sauce (minimum 5qt. recommended)

    3. Matching Lid/well fitted lid (this is important for the simmer stage)

    4. Frying Pan (if you are cooking ground meat for recipe, disregard if skipping this step)

    5. Measuring cup for water

    6. Tablespoon

    7. Teaspoon

    8. Stove Top

    1. 30oz Tomato Sauce (I do 2 cans of 15oz tomato sauce)

    2. 12oz of Tomato Paste

    3. OPTIONAL: 1 pound Ground Turkey (or meat of choice)

    4. 2 TBSP (30ml) white granulated sugar

    5. 2 TBSP (30ml)) Dry Parsley

    6. 2 TBSP (30ml) Worcestershire sauce (I use additional splashes when browning the meant as well)

    7. 2 TSP (10ml) garlic powder

    8. 1 TSP (5ml) Dried Italian seasoning.

    9. 2 Cups (16oz) Water

    10. Salt & Pepper

    Link for a great measurement blog here.

  • If you are not using meat for this recipe you can skip ahead to step 2.

    1. Brown ground turkey in frying pan until fully cooked, drain and add to pot.

      I like to add some minced garlic (the jarred in water) as well as a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce along with salt and pepper for additional flavor but this is totally optional, it still takes great without these additions.

    2. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, parsley, sugar, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and Worcestershire sauce into pot. Add salt and pepper to personal taste.

    3. Mix well in pot and bring to a boil.

      Keep lid off for this step and only let it come to a boil before next step.

    4. Now add the water to the sauce, mix well again. Be careful, the sauce tends to boil up and spit at your arm during this step. Rude.

    5. Cover with lid and lower heat source to allow sauce to simmer. I suggest low on an electric cook top.

    6. Turn on timer for 30 minutes and let simmer. I do suggest stirring at least once halfway through cooking. Be careful when lifting lid, the sauce gets feisty during this stage and can attack.

    7. After timer goes off, remove from heat, stir and either serve or let cool and put away.

  • This recipe has been a go to, staple for my family for a decade now. It is very simple and kid friendly as a basic sauce but it has so much potential to add in additional ingredients to your liking.

    I personally cannot stand onions, so you will never find a single onion ingredient in any of my recipes, however, I know they add tons of flavor and many people enjoy them, so those would be a great addition, especially sautéed with the meat.

    Green bell peppers and sautéed mushrooms are ingredients I’ll add when I’m feeling a little “white girl spicy” and want to pretend I’m a Michelin star chef.

    I use this sauce recipe as my basic spaghetti sauce, I use it in my baked penne, Lasagna, etc. My kids even prefer it over store bought versions.

    The cost is honestly unbeatable, as most of us have the basic ingredients already on hand and the recipe only calls for a small amount.

    Here is a breakdown of the average cost I came up with on the main page of $16.30.

    These are based off the prices I found for a whole container of each item at my local Walmart, online. Prices will be different based on a variety of things but this is how I came up with this cost.

    2 cans of 15 oz Great Value tomato sauce: $1.92 ($0.96 per can)

    2 cans of 6oz Great Value Tomato paste: $1.72 ($0.86 per can)

    Great Value Dried Parsley Flakes: $1.24 (This is for the entire jar, so the price would be less per recipe)

    Great Value Dried Italian seasoning: $1.24 (This is for the entire jar, so the price would be less per recipe)

    Great Value Garlic Powder: $1.24 (This is for the entire jar, so the price would be less per recipe)

    Great Value Pure Granulated Sugar: $3.46 (This is for a 4lb bag, so the price would be much less per recipe)

    Great Value Worcestershire Sauce: $1.12 (This is for an entire 10oz bottle, so the price would be less per recipe)

    1 pound Jennie O Ground Turkey: $4.36 (This will be the biggest price difference based on what protein you choose or if you choose to skip this step all together. This is also just based on what I’ll get from if I am in a pinch. I prefer other cheaper brand options from other stores, but this was the easiest to pull a link for.)

    Water- $0 (Depends on where you live or your current situation while making this recipe, I’m able to use my own water for free so this is not an additional cost for me, but may be for you.)

    Enjoy.

Wooden spoons with various spices on dark background.
Glass jar of tomato sauce with herbs, two ripe tomatoes, and scattered dried spices on a dark surface.
Close-up of a Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce bottle and two lemons on a table.
Compact multitool with various implements on dark surface
Overhead view of a group of people sharing a meal at a wooden dining table in a rustic setting, with plates of food and drinks.
Copper measuring cups and spoons next to a blank open book on a white surface.
A glass hourglass with sand flowing from the top to the bottom section against a dark background.
Flat lay of cooking ingredients and utensils on blue background, including a frying pan, tomatoes, garlic, basil leaves, spaghetti, salt, pepper, and a pot.