Want to Learn How to Make Spaghetti Sauce?

This recipe on how to make spaghetti sauce is my Grandmother’s recipe. I have been making this since I was a young girl. The only thing I have changed is the omission of the tomatoes. My grandmother used to make her sauce with whole tomatoes and tomato paste. She used to squeeze the tomatoes through a colander. I use tomato sauce and tomato paste. I feel it makes a thicker and richer sauce. Although, I don’t know if my Grandmother would agree with me.

The secret to great spaghetti sauce is in the length of time it is cooked. A really good recipe for spaghetti sauce will always instruct you to cook it for at least 3 hours.

Print Recipe

How to Make Spaghetti Sauce

How to Make Spaghetti Sauce ?

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time3 hrs

Total Time3 hrs 10 mins

Course: sauce

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 3 qts

Calories: 450kcal

Ingredients

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped but not too fine
• 1 29 can of tomato sauce (Hunts is best)
• 4 12oz cans of tomato paste (Hunts is best)
• 2 tsps garlic powder
• 1 tsp oregano (dried)
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning (dried)
• 1 bay leaf (dried)

Instructions

• Using a 5 or 6 quart pot with lid add the olive oil and heat until shimmering, add the onions and saute until they are translucent, (about 4 minutes) add the garlic and cook about 1 minute more. Do not let the garlic brown or it will cause the sauce to have a bitter taste.
  
• Immediately add the tomato sauce and paste, stirring as you go. Fill each paste can with water to remove any tomato paste left in the cans and add to sauce. Stirring well to combine all liquids.
• Add the spices, stir them in, cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a very light simmer and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Make sure you check on the sauce at 10 minute intervals until you have the simmer low enough so the sauce will not burn. Because the sauce cooks so long, it becomes very thick and rich and can easily burn if the flame is too high. If the sauce becomes too thick prior to the end of cooking time, you may need to add just a little water to it.

Notes

Tip: I can’t stress enough about the length of time spaghetti sauce must be cooked. The third or even fourth hour of cooking is when the sauce goes from tasting like a can of tomato sauce, to being rich and dark red in color and becomes an intensely flavorful Italian spaghetti sauce. Which is what you were after in the first place, right?.

Once you have made the sauce you can freeze it in portions that are right for you. This pasta sauce keeps very well in the freezer.