Easy Weeknight Spaghetti
- PREP 5min
- COOK 40min
- TOTAL 45min
This is our favorite weeknight friendly spaghetti recipe with a meat sauce made completely from scratch. You can use ground beef, turkey, pork, chicken, or lamb to make this simple spaghetti. It’s also great with bulk Italian sausage.
If you want to reduce the carbohydrates in your dish, swap half or all of the pasta with zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash. Here’s our recipe for zucchini noodles, which includes a tutorial for turning zucchini into pasta. Here’s our tutorial for how to cook spaghetti squash.
You Will Need
1 pound dried spaghetti noodles (450g)
1 pound lean ground meat like ground beef, ground turkey, or bulk Italian sausage (450g)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion (130g)
3 garlic cloves, minced, 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup water, broth, or dry red wine (236ml)
1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Handful of fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
Parmesan cheese, for serving
Directions
1Brown the meat: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat (we use a Dutch oven). Add the meat and cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to break the meat into smaller crumbles as the meat cooks.
2Build the sauce: Add the onions and cook, stirring every once in a while, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring continuously for about 1 minute.
3Add liquid and tomatoes: Pour in the water and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits of meat or onion stuck to the bottom of the pot. Stir in the tomatoes, ¾ teaspoon of salt, and a generous pinch of black pepper.
4Simmer: Bring the sauce to a low simmer. Cook uncovered for 25 minutes. As it cooks, stir and taste the sauce a few times so you can adjust the seasoning accordingly (see notes for seasoning suggestions).
5Cook spaghetti: About 15 minutes before the spaghetti sauce finishes cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Then, cook the pasta according to the package directions, but check for doneness a minute or two before the suggested cooking time. Drain.
6To serve: Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the basil. Toss in the cooked pasta and leave for a minute so that it absorbs some of the sauce. Toss again, and then serve with grated parmesan cheese on top.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing/Make-ahead: Leftover spaghetti and meat sauce last in the fridge for 3 days. You can also make the meat sauce in advance and store it in your refrigerator for up to 3 days or in your freezer for about three months.
- If the flavor of the sauce doesn’t pop, you probably need a bit more salt. If the sauce still lacks flavor, consider adding a few dashes of fish sauce, mushroom powder, minced anchovies, or anchovy paste (both add a rich, savory flavor).
- Adding a leftover rind of a parmesan wedge to the sauce while adding the tomatoes adds richness and extra flavor. It won’t melt all the way, just remove what’s left before serving.
- If the sauce is too acidic, add a pinch of sugar.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.