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Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

I wanted to make something simple for dinner that could simmer on the stove while I was out of the house doing errands. I grabbed some turkey Italian sausages and mushrooms from the refrigerator and decided to make a simple meat sauce for spaghetti. This sauce is extremely easy to make and your house will smell amazing while it simmers on the stove. This sauce was a big hit with my entire family and tasted fantastic with the homemade breadsticks my kids and I made. I threw the leftover sauce in a freezer zip lock bag and put it in the freezer for later use – it freezes really well.

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce:

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 tsp olive oil
  • 3 links of turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
  • 1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
  • 8 oz button mushrooms, sliced
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp of dried basil
  • 1 tsp of fennel seeds, crushed
  • 1/2 tsp of dried oregano
  • Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
  • 1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes and juices
  • 1 14 oz can of tomato sauce
  • 1/2 tsp white sugar
  • 3-4 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • Whole wheat spaghetti, cooked per instructions
  • Asiago cheese, grated

How to Make Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Add the olive oil to a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the turkey Italian sausage, casings removed; break up the meat until it is in crumbles.
Add the onion, red bell pepper and mushrooms then cook for 4-5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic, stirring constantly for 60 seconds. Add the basil, fennel, oregano, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix to combine well then add the sugar, tomato sauce, and whole tomatoes and their juice (crush the tomatoes with your hands – be careful not to squirt their juice on your clothes).
Cover the sauce with a lid and simmer the sauce on low for 3-4 hours.
When you are ready to eat, prepare the spaghetti per instructions.
Taste the meat sauce and re-season if needed. Add the fresh basil and parsley, stir and serve over your favorite pasta. Enjoy.

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37 Comments

  1. Now that looks YUMMY!!! Your pictures are terrific…especially that last one of the pot of sauce…have to give this a try! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

  2. A big bowl of spaghetti is always nice for dinner. Just serve some really nice bread (which you did!) and a green salad on the side, and the meal's complete.

  3. Reading this is making me crave spaghetti! I've tried one other spaghetti sauce that was just okay, but this one looks much better. I can't wait to try if for myself :]

  4. Your sauce looks amazing. I haven't been able to find turkey sausage lately but have been getting chicken sausage which is just as good.

  5. Good Morning: My English is no so good, I´m spanish woman, but I would like to tell you, that I found your blog yesterday, it´s wonderful and your foods very interesting.
    Congratulations for your cooking and the photos.
    Nice to meet you.

  6. Pam, nothing warms up a kitchen like a simmering pot of good spaghetti sauce. Your has a wonderful balance of spice & other ingredients. Many thanks

  7. I like it with the turkey instead of ground beef! On a cold blustery day like today, a simmering pot on the stove really make the kitchen feel cozy.

  8. growing up, our spaghetti sauce always, always contained meat. turkey sausage? no, but i'm sure i'd love that. LOVE that.

  9. I love meat sauce much more than meatballs! It's nice to get small bits of meat in every bite. This is a wonderful cold weather meal.

    I'll look up the pretzel recipe and send it to you later today.

  10. You have made me hungry. The color in that photo is just spectacular.Your recipe sounds first rate. I can't wait to give it a try.

  11. Oh my, I love a good spaghetti sauce and the way it makes my house smell. Can you believe, we're supposed to get some snow flakes on Sunday. Brings back memories of last year.

  12. Oh how I am dying to get a dutch oven! I really miss eating spaghetti with meat sauce. My daughter and I are the only one that like it. The boys don't like it one little bit. Can you believe that?!!

  13. Um – YUM! I want to make this asap (it's been added to the top of my recipe que!) – 2 questions: do you think i could cook it in a slowcooker for 4 hours? Also, do you think chicken sausage would be as good?! Thanks so much!

  14. $20 says that it tasted better the next day 🙂

    Looks great and sounds a lot like ours, except we use "real sausage", none of that turkey stuff;) That reminds me of a Mitch Hedberg quote:

    "I hate turkeys. If you stand in the meat section at the grocery store long enough, you start to get mad a turkeys. There's turkey ham, turkey bologna, turkey pastromi,.

  15. Fittingbackin,

    I am sure that chicken Italian sausage would work great and so would the slow cooker. I've let this sauce simmer in my slow cooker for 4-6 hours…it turns out amazing. I hope this helps.

    Pam

  16. Homemade sauce always tastes so much better. I am entirely way too lazy and pop open a jar much more than I like to admit.

  17. This is what I have on the oven right now! I am adding pesto to the sauce this time. I will be posting it soon…
    Well done.

  18. Great recipe! Awesome site.

    I made a great find.
    I found an amazing ebook that contains loads of secret restaurant recipes.
    It has given me SO many good ideas.
    Including recipes you'll never see anywhere else.

    It's available here:

    Secret Restaurant Recipes