May 24, 2012

My Favorite Homemade Spaghetti Sauce and it Freezes Well Too

This is my favorite homemade spaghetti sauce and it is so EASY to make.  
The best part is that you can make a big batch and freeze some for later.  It tastes the exact same after being frozen.  I will usually make a big batch on Sunday and divide it between old sour cream/yogurt containers and place them in the freezer to have on hand whenever I need it.  All you have to do is thaw it and warm it.  Since it already has the meat in it, you can have dinner ready in no time.  

I like to use Italian sausage, because I absolutely love the depth of flavor it adds and it tastes like it belongs in spaghetti sauce, but you could always use ground beef, ground pork or ground turkey.

I serve this sauce over everything from spaghetti to ravioli to baked ziti to lasagna!
Easy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
1 Lb. Italian sausage links, casings removed 
    (or whatever meat you prefer)
1 c. onion, chopped
1/2 c. green bell pepper, chopped 
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbl. dried oregano
1/2 Tbl. dried parsley
1/2 Tbl. seasoned salt
1/2 Tbl. dried basil
1 Tbl. garlic powder
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes

Brown sausage in large pot, breaking into pieces as it cooks.  Add the chopped onion and green pepper and saute until tender.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Add remaining ingredients and stir well.  Simmer, covered for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Uncover, the last hour.  The longer it simmers the better it will taste.  If you don't like it chunky you can always puree it with an immersion blender.  This makes enough for three meals for two people.  This can easily be doubled and frozen for later use.  Serve however desired.    

Jenn's Notes: I know it might sound like an excessive amount of spices, but it ends up tasting perfect, trust me. If you use sausage, make sure to use the big italian sausage links and not breakfast sausage.  I freeze this in old sour cream/yogurt containers.  If it gets a little ice on top, just scrape it off before warming.   

13 comments:

  1. I say..love any southwest style with cilantro added, yum . And I have two avocados calling me from the kitchen.

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  2. Ooops that was the next post I looked at.. well I am a bit of an air head I must admit. Love the spaghetti, looks so good.

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  3. This sounds a lot like what I do when I make my spaghetti sauce. But since I've never written the ingredients down (bad girl!)I am thanking YOU for doing the hard work and creating the recipe! Looking forward to trying it out!

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  4. This spaghetti sauce looks so delicious! I love when it freezes well because it's so nice to pull it out when it's a busy night! We appreciate you linking up with us!! It's so fun to see all of the great ideas and recipes! We hope to see you back again soon! -The Sisters

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  5. We love homemade spaghetti sauce. Thanks for sharing your version :)

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  6. This looks delicious! I've never put meat into homemade pasta sauce before & I can't wait to try!

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  7. I made this and just posted about it-very good! Thanks for a great recipe:@)

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  8. I love the sausage in your sauce. I bet it kicks up the flavor. Please share this on foodie friday today.

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  9. I made this for dinner tonight and LOVED it, as did all of my children! Woot woot! I doubled the recipe as suggested, was able to feed my family tonight and still had enough left over for 2 freezer portions of 5 1/2 cups each. Most bottled sauces are only 3 cups, so I thought that was great.

    Thanks for posting! It was delicious!

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    1. That is so good to hear! I seriously love having it on hand in the freezer. Thanks :)

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  10. When I would come home from school and Mother was making spaghetti sauce, she would let me eat a small bowl of it all by itself. I just loved the sauce. Thanks for this recipe! Pinning it!!

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    1. Oh, I bet your Mom's spaghetti sauce is amazing.

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