Spaghetti with meat sauce is a classic, hearty recipe that never goes out of style. The combination of tender noodles, savory tomato sauce, and flavorful ground beef makes a satisfying one-pot meal for the whole family. While you can always use jarred pasta sauce for convenience, preparing your own sauce from scratch is worth the extra effort. The result is a richer, deeper flavor that you just can’t get from a jar.
Here, I’ll walk you through how to make the best spaghetti with ground beef and ragu sauce. With just 20 minutes of active cooking time, this simple recipe easily comes together on a busy weeknight. Let’s get started!
Overview of the Ingredients
To make this spaghetti dinner, you’ll need:
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Spaghetti noodles: Thin spaghetti works best, but any long pasta like vermicelli or angel hair can be substituted.
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Ground beef 85% or 90% lean ground beef provides the best flavor
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Onion and garlic An onion and two cloves of garlic provide aromatic flavor
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Tomato sauce: A 24-28 oz. jar of your favorite tomato-basil pasta sauce, like Ragu.
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Dried herbs: Dried basil, oregano, parsley add an authentic Italian taste.
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Olive oil: For sauteing the aromatics and beef.
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Parmesan cheese: Grated parmesan adds a nice creamy, salty flavor.
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Salt and pepper: For seasoning the beef and sauce.
That’s all you need for the basic recipe! Let’s get cooking.
Step 1 – Cook the Pasta
First up, cook your spaghetti noodles so they’ll be ready when it’s time to assemble the dish.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the dry spaghetti and cook according to package directions, about 9-12 minutes until al dente.
Drain the noodles well and set them aside in the pot so they stay hot and don’t stick together.
Step 2 – Brown the Ground Beef
While your noodles are cooking, start on the sauce.
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it browns.
Cook until no longer pink, about 6-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3 – Saute the Onion and Garlic
Add the chopped onion and garlic to the pan. Saute for 2 minutes until the onion is translucent.
This helps soften the flavors and add an aromatic base to the sauce.
Step 4 – Add Tomato Sauce and Simmer
Next, pour the jar of tomato sauce into the skillet and stir to combine with the beef mixture.
Add any additional seasonings you like, such as dried basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, etc. Simmer the sauce lightly for 5 minutes to meld the flavors.
Step 5 – Finish and Serve
Turn off the heat and stir in a handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese until melted. This adds a nice creaminess and saltiness.
Add the hot cooked pasta noodles to the sauce. Toss everything together until the noodles are fully coated.
Serve the saucy spaghetti into bowls and garnish with more parmesan cheese. Enjoy this hearty, homemade meal!
Tips for the Best Ground Beef Ragu
Follow these tips for making the tastiest ragu with ground beef:
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Don’t overcook the beef – You want it browned but not dried out. Cook just until it loses its raw pink color.
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Drain excess fat – Pour off excess grease after browning the beef so the sauce isn’t greasy.
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Saute aromatics – Lightly cook the onion and garlic to mellow their harshness.
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Simmer the sauce – Let it bubble gently to blend flavors, reduce excess liquid.
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Season generously – Flavor the sauce well with salt, pepper and Italian herbs.
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Use high quality ingredients – Splurge on good olive oil, parmesan, and pasta for the best flavor.
Customize the Sauce
Once you’ve mastered the basics, try mixing up the recipe with simple add-ins:
- Sautéed bell peppers and mushrooms
- Chopped olives or sun-dried tomatoes
- Frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- Crumbled Italian sausage or meatballs
- A splash of red wine or balsamic vinegar
The possibilities are endless for making this classic recipe your own!
What to Serve with Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
While the saucy spaghetti is satisfying on its own, here are some tasty sides to make it a complete Italian-inspired meal:
Salad: A fresh green salad or Caprese salad with tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella.
Garlic bread: Buttery garlic bread is the perfect accompaniment.
Steamed broccoli: Lightly steamed broccoli florets add some veggie balance.
Wine: A nice Chianti or Cabernet pairs well with the hearty flavors.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Like many pasta dishes, spaghetti with meat sauce tastes even better the next day!
Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. The noodles will soak up extra moisture as it sits.
Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium heat, adding a splash of water or sauce to loosen it up.
The sauce also freezes well for longer term storage. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
With this easy recipe, you’ll always have a quick and tasty meal ready to go that even picky eaters will love. The homemade ragu sauce makes all the difference in creating a truly crave-worthy spaghetti dinner.
How to make Sausage Ragu
No different to making your favourite Bolognese – just a little extra time for slow cooking!
- Soffrito – Cook the onion, garlic, celery and carrot in a large heavy based pot over medium heat for 8 minutes, or until the carrot is soft and sweet. Don’t let the vegetables go golden! This step is key for a really beautiful flavour base for the sauce so don’t rush it.
- Cook sausage – Remove the sausage meat from the casings (you literally just squeeze it out) then cook it like you would mince (ground meat). Break it up as you go but don’t get caught up in a frenzy on this step because sausage meat is “stickier” so it won’t crumble as well. We will break it up finer later partway through cooking.
- Ragu sauce – Next, cook the tomato paste for 1 minute to remove the raw sour flavour. Then reduce the wine by half to cook out the winey flavour which only takes a couple of minutes. And finally, add the remaining ingredients: canned tomato, chicken stock, bay leaves, thyme, salt, pepper and chilli flakes if using (I always do).
- Slow cook #1 (1 hour) – Pop the lid on and put it in the oven for 1 hour at 180°C/350°F (160°C). I always feel like this sounds high for a slow cook but actually, this is the oven equivalent temperature of a very small stove burner on low. Why oven instead of stove? Just easier because it’s entirely hands off, just stick it in the oven and leave it. No need to worry about the base catching. This sauce is quite thick so if you do use the stove instead, you’ll need to stir quite regularly.
- Crush meat – Take the pot out of the oven then use a potato masher to crush the meat into finer pieces. (See step 2 notes about how sausage meat doesn’t crumble as well as mince/ground beef). The meat is tender at this point so it doesn’t take much effort. I usually do about 8 to 10 mashing motions around the pot.
- Slow cook #2 (45 minutes) – Then return the pot into the oven for a further 45 minutes to finish slow cooking. Once done, the sauce will be quite thick, like pictured above, with quite intense flavour. This is what we want because a) the thickness will be loosened up when tossed with pasta; and b) the sauce gets dispersed through pasta so the flavour gets diluted. So the sauce flavour should be intense in the pot so it’s the right level of flavoursome once tossed through the pasta!
Ingredients in Sausage Ragu
Here’s what you need to make this Sausage Ragu. No fancy ingredients!
- Beef + pork – I like to use a combination of both pork and beef sausages for the perfect balance of flavour and soft texture. Beef sausages provide the flavour whereas the pork provides the tenderness. Pork is a much softer meat than beef! You can use just either beef or pork. If you use only beef, the meat in the sauce will not be as tender. If you use only pork, the meat flavour is more mild. However, to be clear, if I only had one of these sausages, I would not hesitate to make this recipe!:)
- Sausage quality – Whichever you use, make sure you use good sausages made with more meat and less fillers. Either look at the ingredients list (I aim for 85%+ meat) or look at the sausage – fat specks means better meat, uniform pink colour indicates lots of fillers like the sausages used for fundraiser sausage sizzles (“BBQ sausages”). They can be as low as 55% meat (the rest is flour, maize and non meat things), and often a mix of beef and chicken.Generally speaking, your friendly local butcher is probably the best source. And he can tell you exactly what goes in his sausages!
- Sausage not in casings – In the US it is common to find sausage meat sold like mince/ground beef, not inside the sausage casings. Lucky you! For the rest of us, just squeeze the meat out. It is not hard.
Here are the other ingredients for the ragu sauce:
- Onion, garlic, carrot and celery – These are the vegetables for the soffrito which is cooked over low heat to make them soften and sweeten which then forms the flavour base for the sauce. This is a classic cooking technique used in cuisines all over the world, from Italian to Mediterranean to Cajun to South American!
- Fennel seeds *Secret ingredient!* – Sautéed in the soffrito, it adds a little je ne sais quoi into the sauce. Only those with a very, very refined palette can pick that it’s in there!
- Wine – Red wine adds depth of flavour to the sauce and is also what we use to deglaze the pot. this refers to the method of using a liquid to dissolve gold bits stuck on the base of a cooking vessel (in this case, the sausage meat) into a sauce. Those “gold bits” is called “fond” and it’s free flavour! This is a standard cooking technique you’ll see I use regularly for sauces and stews.Substitute with 0% alcohol wine or more chicken stock.
- Chicken stock, low sodium – This with canned tomato makes up the bulk of the liquid for the sauce. I use chicken rather than beef stock because it’s a milder flavour so you can taste the meat flavour better. I always used low sodium stock so I don’t have to worry about sauces being too salty.
- Tomato paste – Just a smidge to boost the tomato flavour and help thicken the sauce.
- Thyme and bay leaves – The herbs for this pasta sauce. Fresh is best but dried is fine too.
- Chilli flakes (red pepper flakes) – Optional, for a touch of warmth.
I like to serve this sausage ragu with pappardelle pasta, the wide thick pasta that is sold coiled up, like pictured. The surface is slightly rough so it’s ideal for tossing with thick hearty sauces like this sausage ragu, shredded beef ragu and chicken ragu which clings to the pasta well.
Having said that though, I’d happily serve sausage ragu with any pasta – short or long!
How to Make Spaghetti Sauce with Ground Beef | Allrecipes
FAQ
Do you cook ground beef before putting it in sauce?
It is usually better to cook the ground beef first, then add the sauce. To that end you can use the same pan. Just brown the beef until it is, well, brown. Time depends on the quantity of meat and the size of the pan. But really you just need it brown, with little to no pink remaining.
What seasoning should I put on ground beef for spaghetti?
Season with oregano, basil, salt, and pepper.
What can I add to ragù spaghetti sauce to make it taste better?
Stir in some freshness.
Obviously, basil is classic, but thyme, rosemary, sage, marjoram, and oregano are all great in pasta sauce. Fresh parsley also makes anything sing, as do chives.
Is ragu sauce good for spaghetti?
WHAT ABOUT THE PASTA? My Easy Ragu Sauce is good over any kind of pasta you’ve got on hand — spaghetti, fettucine, or even macaroni. It would also be a great sauce to use if you’re making lasagna. However, my new favorite way to serve Easy Ragu Sauce is over a plate of pre-made cheese ravioli.