Spaghetti Recipe with Ground Beef

Here’s my childhood favorite, Spaghetti Recipe with Ground Beef. It’s such a classic, easy and loved by everyone.

This recipe is super meaty and saucy at the same time. Everyone will have fun twirling those noodles when this comes to the table.

The next time someone asks “what’s for dinner?”, tell them “spaghetti” and wait for those smiles…

I love bringing you unique recipes from every corner of the world. But sometimes, just good old nostalgic comfort food is just what you need.

Some favorite comfort foods from GypsyPlate are our Beef Stew, Ultimate Chili, and BBQ Ribs.

But there’s something extra special about spaghetti with meat sauce. It’s certainly my husband’s favorite, as well as his father’s. And it was our son, Noah’s, very first taste of food.

So, our recipe collection could just never be complete without this generational favorite…

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

When it comes to Italian cuisine, spaghetti with meat sauce is surely the most commonly eaten pasta in the States. It’s so easy and so good.

Not technically a bolognese, lacking certain ingredients, it’s definitely in the same family.

It can be your lazy weeknight meal, where you use store bought spaghetti sauce, or you can make your own homemade.

Every chef may have their own variations and proportions, but this is our favorite. It has just the right amount of meatiness and flavor.

Alpana’s Tips

• Use good quality ingredients. Though it has surely been made countless times with a tube of ground beef and a can of cheap sauce, better ingredients will make a better sauce. If you have the time, make my Homemade Marinara Sauce. I usually make it in huge batches, as it freezes well.
• Doctor up the sauce. Unless you are using homemade marinara, you’ll want to personalize it. Some jarred sauces are sweeter, and some are tangier, so adjust to your preference.
• Don’t forget to salt the pasta water. It may seem like a minor step, but your pasta can’t absorb the salt after it’s cooked.

Ingredients Needed

Here is what I am using today. Be sure to check out the Variations section below for some more ideas.

• Ground Beef
• Garlic
• Olive Oil
• Marinara Sauce
• Seasonings – basil, oregano, red chili flakes, salt and sugar
• Spaghetti pasta

Spaghetti with Ground Beef Recipe

First, I heat up some olive oil in a large skillet, letting it get nice and hot. Then, I add in the meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Personally, I like the sauce a bit chunky, so I keep some bigger pieces, but if you prefer a smoother texture, you can break it up more as it cooks. I let it cook until I don’t see any more pink.

Once the meat’s ready, I toss in the garlic and cook it for another minute or two to get those flavors going. Then, I stir in the sauce and seasonings, bringing it to a low boil. After that, I turn down the heat to let it simmer. As it finishes up, I always taste and adjust the salt and sugar if needed, just to make sure the flavor’s spot on!

Tip: This can be your easy weeknight dinner, where you only simmer the meat sauce 30 minutes or so. However, to really develop the flavors, I recommend at least 2 hours. While its cooking, you can check out our collection of favorite Ground Beef Recipes.

If you prefer a thinner sauce, you can add in some water or beef broth.

When the sauce is ready, cook the noodles in boiling salted water, to your preferred tenderness. I find the cooking times on packages are often underestimated, so be sure to check the tenderness before draining.

When it’s ready to serve, I have a couple of ways to go about it. Sometimes, I like to spoon the sauce over a plate of pasta for that classic look. Other times, I’ll just mix the pasta straight into the sauce in the pan, it really blends all those flavors together! Try it both ways to see which style you enjoy most.

Top it off with some freshly shredded parmesan, and enjoy!

How to Make Meat Sauce in a Slow Cooker

If a slow-simmered sauce is what you’re after but evening time feels too tight, prepping it in the morning and letting your crock pot do the work is perfect!

I start by browning the meat in a skillet to get that rich flavor, then transfer everything into the slow cooker with the rest of the sauce ingredients. I cover it up and set it to cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours. This way, the sauce will be ready to enjoy by dinner!

Variations

• You can add chopped onion in at the same time as the garlic. Many people do, but we omitted it so my husband could enjoy his favorite meal without picking the onion out.
• I like to try different meats. Ground pork goes great here, or even a 50/50 mix of beef and pork. For a leaner dish, use ground chicken or turkey. Or, try it with sausage.
• Play with different seasonings, or use fresh. Remember, use 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs for every 1 teaspoon of dried.
• Some days I add in mushrooms. Cook them after the meat has browned, before adding the rest of the ingredients.
• Adding a good splash of red wine never hurts!

Serving Suggestions

It’s a pretty complete meal in itself, with protein, veggies and carbs. However, we love a nice green salad and some crusty bread on the side.

If you want to make your own bread to serve with this spaghetti, it doesn’t get much easier than my No Knead Bread!

So there you go, my friends. My spaghetti with meat sauce is one recipe sure to please everyone, young and old alike.

I have some amazing recipes coming up for you, from curries to stir frys to even more tacos. We hope you join us for all of them.

But it sure is hard to beat a big, heaping plate of spaghetti…

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!

Try these other great Pasta Recipes!
Mediterranean Pasta
Jambalaya Pasta
Gigi Hadid Pasta
Shrimp fra Diavolo
Rasta Pasta
Scallop Pasta
Clam Linguine

Spaghetti Recipe with Ground Beef

Yield: 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, everyone's childhood favorite. It can be a quick weeknight meal, or the sauce can simmer for hours.

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Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 lbs ground beef
• 3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 24oz marinara sauce
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp red chili flakes
• salt to taste
• sugar to taste
• 8oz dried spaghetti pasta

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the meat, and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook till there is no more pink.
2. Add the garlic and cook another minute or two. Then, stir in sauce and seasonings. Bring it to a low boil, then reduce heat and simmer. If you're in a hurry, simmer for 30 minutes, but for best flavor, simmer at least 2 hours. Towards the end, taste and adjust for salt and sugar.
3. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water, to your preferred tenderness. Drain in a colander.
4. For serving, you can either plate the pasta, then top it with sauce, or mix everything together in the pan. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Notes

Leftovers: You can refrigerate leftover spaghetti with meat sauce in an airtight container for 3-4 days. If you have stored the components separately, reheat the sauce on stovetop and give the pasta a quick dunk in boiling water to reheat.

The meat sauce can be frozen for 3 months in a freezer safe container. We prefer to cook fresh pasta, rather than freezing it.

Nutrition Information

Yield 8 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 358Total Fat 20gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 78mgSodium 584mgCarbohydrates 17gFiber 2gSugar 6gProtein 26g

Nutrition information calculated by Nutritionix.

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Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.