Spaghetti Sauce with Meat

Master the art of crafting the perfect spaghetti meat sauce and leave your family begging for seconds with this fool-proof recipe that transforms basic ingredients into a rich and flavorful sauce in just 50 minutes. Learn how to balance flavors, adjust seasonings, customize your ground meat selection, (plus more!) and get ready to transform pasta nights with your perfect homemade meaty sauce.

📝 Ingredients

• 1 small Yellow Onion (– peeled, cut into 8 wedges, and root removed)
• 1 small Carrot (– peeled and cut into 6 pieces)
• 1 large rib Celery (– cut into 6 pieces)
• 4-6 cloves Garlic (– peeled)
• 4 ounces Button Mushrooms (– cleaned, stemmed, and halved or quartered depending upon side)
• 1 slice Hearty White Sandwich Bread (– roughly torn into 6 pieces)
• 2 TBS Whole Milk
• 1 pound 85% Lean Ground Beef
• 2 TBS EACH: Olive Oil and Unsalted Butter
• 3 heaping TBS Tomato Paste
• 1 1/4 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1/8 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (– or more to taste)
• 1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano Crushed Tomatoes ((SEE NOTES))
• 1/4 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese (– or more to taste, plus more for serving)
• 1 TBS Fish Sauce (– optional, but recommended (SEE NOTES))
• 1 TBS Minced Italian Parsley or Basil (– optional, but recommended; plus more for serving)
• To taste Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper
• Optional 1 pound Spaghetti, Linguine, Penne ( – or your favorite variety of long skinny, or short tubular pasta)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- PREP WORK: ---
2. 2Pulse Mirepoix in Food Processor: To the bowl of a food processor, add the onion wedges, chopped carrot, chopped celery, and garlic cloves, Italian seasonings. Cover the bowl with the lid. Pulse (using short, fast pulses) until the ingredients are finely chopped, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary. Once finely chopped, transfer the veggies to a bowl and set aside.
3. 3Pulse Mushrooms: Add the button mushrooms to the empty food processor bowl. Then cover the bowl with a lid and pulse again until the mushrooms are finely chopped. Once finely chopped, transfer the mushrooms to a separate bowl and set aside.
4. 4Pulse Bread with Milk: Next, add the torn bread and milk to the empty food processor bowl. Cover the bowl and pulse until a paste starts to form, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary.
5. 5Add Beef, Salt, and Pepper to Food Processor: Uncover the bowl and add the ground beef to the bread paste. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and a scant ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cover the bowl again and pulse until the mixture is well combined. Then, set the food processor bowl aside.
6. 6--- COOKING: ---
7. 7Sauté the Mirepoix: Heat the olive oil and butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted and the foaming subsides, add the diced mirepoix veggies (onion, carrot, celery mixture) to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are just about softened, about 3 minutes.
8. 8Add Mushrooms to Pot: Add the Mushrooms: Add the finely diced mushrooms to the pot and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the veggies are all softened, but not browned, about 2 minutes.
9. 9Add Tomato Paste and Seasonings: Add the tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes to the pot. Cook, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste is lightly caramelized, about 1 to 2 minutes.
10. 10Add Meat Mixture: Add the meat/bread mixture to the pot and cook, breaking up any large pieces with the back of a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, until the beef is no longer pink, about 3 to 5 minutes.
11. 11Add Crushed Tomatoes: Add the crushed tomatoes (with their juices) to the pot and bring the contents to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, immediately reduce to a simmer.
12. 12Simmer Spaghetti Meat Sauce: Gently simmer the meat sauce, stirring occasionally, for about 35 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
13. 13Optional - Meanwhile, Cook Spaghetti: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and then generously salt the water. Add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the back of the box until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Then drain the pasta and return the pasta back to the hot pot.
14. 14Add Parmesan, Fish Sauce, and Parsley: Add Parmesan Cheese, Fish Sauce, and Parsley, Then Adjust to Taste: Stir the grated parmesan, fish sauce, and fresh herbs and into the spaghetti meat sauce. Then taste the sauce and adjust the flavors to suit your taste – adding more salt and pepper for overall flavor or specific ingredients for specific flavors. Cover the pot and keep warm.
15. 15Serve Meat Sauce with Spaghetti or Pasta: Serve Meat Sauce with Spaghetti or Store Spaghetti Sauce for Later: Add 3 cups of the meat sauce to the spaghetti and stir to combine, adding some of the reserved pasta water as needed to thin the sauce to your desired consistency. Serve immediately garnished with more grated parmesan. Enjoy with roasted garlic bread on the side.