Make Spaghetti with Meat Sauce at home (Perfect weeknight Meal)

Simple, homemade spaghetti and meat sauce that is suitable for a midweek meal. This easy spaghetti recipe can be made with ground beef, turkey, pork, chicken, or lamb.

The Best Way to Make Spaghetti

We use our favorite easy beef sauce recipe for this pasta. It is only one pot that has a ton of flavor and takes less than 45 minutes to prepare.

Making the spaghetti sauce in advance is also a great idea. It can be frozen for around three months and kept in the refrigerator for up to three days.

We Have a Few Easy Tricks to Make the Best Spaghetti.

Check the cooking instructions on the spaghetti package. The cook time for “al-dente,” which denotes that the pasta will be soft but not mushy, should be indicated on the box. The correct amount of bite will still be present.

Set a timer for about a minute before the recommended cook time once you are aware of it. Set a timer for 8 minutes if the packaging recommends 10 minutes.

In this manner, you may check on the spaghetti to make sure it hasn’t already finished cooking at the eight-minute mark. Although the instructions on the box serve as a useful reference, it’s always a good idea to check the pasta early.

Spaghetti should be cooked in salted water. Water should have a salty flavor. For the pasta to taste its best, season it while it cooks using this method.

Add a tasty sauce, such as our homemade spaghetti sauce, to the cooked spaghetti. The sauce shouldn’t just be spooned on top of the pasta.

If you like vegetables, try simple veggie spaghetti, which is similar to lasagna but simpler.

When the pasta and sauce are combined, some of the sauce’s flavors begin to meld with the pasta. This is simply how it tastes better.

Replace all or a portion of the pasta in your recipe with zucchini noodles if you wanted to cut back on the number of carbohydrates. Here is our recipe for pasta using zucchini noodles.

How much salt do I use in the water for the pasta?

We make our pasta water quite salty (it makes the pasta taste delicious). We use around one tablespoon of salt per four quarts (16 cups) of water. For cooking 1 pound of spaghetti, this works perfectly.

Simple Spaghetti

Our favorite weeknight-friendly spaghetti recipe features an entirely homemade beef sauce. To prepare this straightforward spaghetti, use ground beef, turkey, pork, chicken, or lamb.

YOU WILL NEED

SPAGHETTI AND MEAT SAUCE

• 1 pound of lean ground meat like beef, turkey, chicken, or lamb
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup (130 grams) chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (1 tablespoon)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup water, broth, or dry red wine
• 1 (28-ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper
• A handful of fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
• 12 ounces dried spaghetti or favorite pasta shape
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS

• 2 to 3 teaspoons of fish sauce
• 3 to 4 anchovy fillets, minced with some of their oil or use anchovy paste
• Pinch sugar
• 1 leftover rind from a wedge of parmesan

DIRECTIONS

TO MAKE SAUCE

1. In a big pot, warm the oil over medium-high heat (we use a Dutch oven). For about 8 minutes, add the meat and simmer until browned. Using a wooden spoon, crush the meat into smaller pieces while it cooks.
2. Then add the onions and cook them for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are tender.
3. Oregano, tomato paste, garlic, and red pepper flakes are all stirred in. For approximately a minute, cook while continuously stirring.
4. Pour water into the saucepan while scraping any meat or onion remnants from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add the tomatoes, a large pinch of black pepper, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. To a gentle simmer, bring the sauce. Cook for 25 minutes at a low simmer, covered. Stir the sauce occasionally as it cooks and tastes it to check the flavor (see notes for suggestions).

Prepare spaghetti

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook according to the package directions, checking for doneness a minute or two before the recommended cooking time. Finish the sauce about 15 minutes later.

TO COMPLETE

1. After removing the sauce from the heat, whisk in the basil. The cooked pasta should be added and given a minute to absorb some of the sauce. Re-toss, then plate with a sprinkle of parmesan.