• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Cupboard Collective - Chez Nous
  • Home
  • About Chez Nous
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Baking & Desserts
    • Breakfast
    • Canning and Preserving
    • Casseroles
    • Homemade Staples
    • Meat
    • Poultry
    • Salads
    • Sauces
    • Seafood
    • Skillet Dinners
    • Soups and Stews
    • Vegetables
  • Local Producers
  • Retail Therapy
    • Cookbooks I Love
    • Kitchen Appliances
    • Kitchen Tools
    • Kitchen Linens
    • Thrive Market
  • Contact Page
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Retail Therapy
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Retail Therapy
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Pasta & Rice

    Mama C's Spaghetti & Meat Sauce

    Published: Sep 10, 2020 · Modified: Feb 14, 2024 by Tammy Circeo · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Yum
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Vertical image of Spaghetti & Meat Sauce

    If there is one single meal that defines our family, it's Spaghetti & Meat Sauce! If we needed a quick dinner after baseball on a weeknight, this was simmering in the slow cooker. To feed a big crowd of people, this was easily scaled to accommodate. When my kids went off to college, they knew how to make Mama C's Spaghetti & Meat Sauce. And I considered my job done! 🙂

    I've never written down a recipe for Meat Sauce because I just make it the way I make it. However, I've been asked so many times that I decided to dig deep and figure out more exact quantities for those that want them. And this is what I'm giving you today. You can change it up if you want ... my son does! But just know that if you make changes, you aren't making Mama C's Spaghetti & Meat Sauce!! And I'm totally fine with that ... you should make your own sauce and own it!

    What kind of meat do you put in your meat sauce?


    Meat Sauce really benefits from more than one type of meat. Ground beef is fine, but you up the ante just a bit when you add hot Italian sausage. You can add mild if you are insistent, but it's just not the same. And the sauce is not spicy just because you use hot sausage! It's the blend and quantity of the two that makes the best flavor. For that reason, I use a 2:1 ratio of beef to sausage.

    Ground beef and hot Italian sausage on a platter
    Browned ground beef and Italian sausage in the pot

    I always start Mama C's Spaghetti & Meat Sauce by browning the meats first. The reason is so that the fats can then cook the onions and garlic without adding any other fat. It keeps the flavor more pure.

    When browning, be sure to stir often and break up the meats evenly so that you don't have huge chunks of beef OR sausage. Remember, it's the blend of the two that we're after.

    Platter with chopped onions and garlic
    Onions and garlic added to the browned beef and sausage

    Canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, or passata?

    Always passata! Canned tomatoes and tomato puree are too watery or too overcooked. This could be a whole post on its own!

    What is passata, you ask? It is a fresh tomato sauce from Italy made from a blend of raw tomatoes that have been PASSED (hence the name) through a sieve removing the seeds and skins. Unlike our American tomato sauce, it is canned raw and processed minimally resulting in a wonderfully fresh tasting tomato sauce. It is usually sold in glass bottles so there's no "canned taste" messing up your sauce either. The brands I have found here in the US are Mutti and BioNaturae.

    Spices added to the sauce

    How do you season Mama C's Spaghetti & Meat Sauce?

    Simple ... plenty of salt, then only oregano and basil. I also put in a bay leaf and if I have one hanging out in the freezer (I usually do!), I put in a rind of Parmiggiano-Reggiano.

    Secret ingredients: bay leaf and parmesan rind

    Is long simmering required?

    Not at all. Thirty minutes to an hour, uncovered, is a good amount. You want all of the flavors to marry well and the onions to be cooked through. If you simmer longer, cover it so that it doesn't evaporate too much, then about 30 minutes before serving, remove the lid and make sure the texture isn't watery.

    Mangia!

    Serve it up with plenty of good spaghetti (we usually make gluten-free pasta because we have some sensitivities in our family) and lots of freshly grated Parmiggiano-reggiano cheese! And there ya have it ... Mama C's Spaghetti & Meat Sauce. Pull up a chair and tuck in a napkin because you're gonna enjoy this!

    Plate of spaghetti with meat sauce

    Recipe

    Featured Image - Spaghetti & Meat Sauce

    Spaghetti & Meat Sauce

    Tammy Circeo
    If there is one meal that defines our family, it's got to be Spaghetti & Meat Sauce. It's a huge crowdpleaser and it's easy to make!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 6 servings

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 pound ground beef
    • ½ pound hot Italian sausage
    • 1 medium onion chopped
    • 4-6 cloves garlic (or 10!) chopped small
    • 1 bottle Italian passata about 3 cups
    • 2 teaspoons basil
    • 2 teaspoons oregano
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 1 Parmiggiano-reggiano rind optional
    • 1 pound spaghetti
    • fresh Parmiggiano-reggiano to grate

    Instructions
     

    • In a large Dutch oven, brown the ground beef and hot Italian sausage.
    • Add the chopped onions and garlic, and cook till the onion is translucent.
    • Pour in the passata and stir to combine. Add the basil and oregano. Stir to combine.
    • Tuck the bay leaf and Parmiggiano-reggiano rind into the sauce. Turn the heat to medium low and simmer 30 minutes to an hour, uncovered. If simmering longer, cover to cook, then take the lid off about 30 minutes before serving so that the water can evaporate.
    • Cook the spaghetti according to package directions.
    • Serve with plenty of freshly grated cheese.
    Keyword meat sauce, pasta, spaghetti, spaghetti and meat sauce
    Yum

    More Pasta & Rice

    • Skillet with Buttermilk Mac 'n Cheese and a serving beside
      Baked Buttermilk Mac n' Cheese
    • Platter of chicken strips with mushrooms on pasta
      Chicken & Mushrooms w/Goat Cheese Pasta
    • The pasta added to the sauce and served up
      Pasta Puttanesca
    • Cast iron skillet with Chipotle Chicken and rice in it, garnished with radishes, onions, and limes
      Chipotle Chicken & Rice Skillet

    About Tammy Circeo

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    No Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    logo
    Food Advertisements by
    Headshot of Tammy.

    I have always loved nurturing and feeding people. My cooking style is influenced by my Southern parents, time living in Europe, and the foods available in the Pacific Northwest, where I lived for over 20 years. I cook from scratch and strongly support local farms and producers, believing that food plays a pivotal role in our quality of life.

    More about me →

    logo
    Food Advertisements by

    Popular Recipes

    • Chicken with Tomato Tarragon Sauce in a braising pan.
      Chicken with Tomato Tarragon Sauce
    • Cantaloupe Salad with Prosciutto & Mozzarella on a white French platter with a vintage silver serving spoon.
      Cantaloupe Salad with Prosciutto & Mozzarella
    • A white platter full of Basil Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
      Basil Parmesan Potatoes & Garlic Aioli
    • Serve Saltimbocca alla Romana on a beautiful platter with fried sage leaves to garnish
      Saltimbocca alla Romana
    logo
    Food Advertisements by

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Photos & Recipe Sharing
    • Commenting Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2023 Tammy Circeo