spaghetti sauce Archives - Life's A Tomato

For years and years I’ve seen TV chefs and restaurant cooks making spaghetti sauce form scratch. And yet for some reason, I never did it… until now. This fantastic homemade spaghetti sauce blew me away. Not only is it easy to make (with ingredients I almost always have in my pantry and fridge) it tastes absolutely amazing. I’ll never have any other pasta sauce again. Ever.

Fantastically Easy And Tasty

You can make this fantastic homemade spaghetti sauce without adding either the meatballs or Italian sausage and it’s still out-of-this-world great. I happen to like them, so I added them. This is a great pantry sauce and one I’ll make again and again, and the meat can be optional.

Make sure you get the best canned whole tomatoes your store has to offer. They won’t be cheap, but trust me, the difference in taste and consistency is worth the few extra bucks.

Cento San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes, 28 oz

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5 from 1 vote

Fantastic Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

This fantastic homemade spaghetti sauce blew me away. Not only is it easy to make (with ingredients I almost always have in my pantry and fridge) it tastes absolutely amazing.

Course Sauce

Cuisine American

Keyword sauce, spaghetti

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 45

Servings

Calories 360kcal

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic minced
2 cans whole tomatoes 28 ounces each, get the best you can find
2 cans tomato paste 6 ounces each
kosher salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
12 ounces Italian sausages grilled, sliced
1 pound meatballs cooked (you can use frozen)
¼ cup sugar

Instructions

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven.
Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring.
Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring until the mixture is smooth.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add sausages and meatballs and stir until the meat is coated and heated. If using frozen meatballs make sure they get completely warmed through.
Stir in the sugar.
Reduce heat to a slow simmer. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring often. If the sauce gets too thick add a splash of water and stir.
Serve over cooked pasta.

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

Fullstar Mandoline Slicer for Kitchen, Cheese Grater Vegetable Spiralizer and Veggie Slicer for Cooking & Meal Prep, Kitchen Gadgets Organizer & Safety Glove Included (11 in 1, White)

Pyrex 3 Piece Glass Measuring Cup Set, Includes 1-Cup, 2-Cup, and 4-Cup Tempered Glass Liquid Measuring Cups, Dishwasher, Freezer, Microwave, and Preheated Oven Safe, Essential Kitchen Tools

Ozeri Pronto Digital Multifunction Kitchen and Food Scale

I could not be happier that I made this smoked spaghetti sauce. I always keep spaghetti sauce on hand for those nights when I don’t have time to do anything fancy for dinner. Smoking the ingredients for the sauce really adds a totally different twist to a (somewhat) traditional Italian dish. I did not add a lot of smoke out of fear that it might be overwhelming. After all, I was making spaghetti sauce, not smoked brisket chili!

Destined For Greatness

I wouldn’t normally put partially cooked meat next to vegetables on my smoker (or anywhere else for that matter), but I was only trying to infuse a slight smoke flavor into all of the ingredients. They all go into a pan later to finish cooking.

Got Room? Add More Garlic.

I recommend adding more garlic to the smoker if you have space. Keep the smoked bulbs on hand for any dish that calls for garlic. Like smoked salt, smoked garlic really adds a great twist to any garlic dish.

I prefer to use fruit or nut woods when I smoke unless I want a heavier smoke flavor. Pecan, apple or cherry are my favorites. I used apple for this sauce.

Weber Pecan Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.

Weber Apple Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.

Weber Cherry Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.

This smoked spaghetti sauce is fantastic in my million dollar spaghetti.

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5 from 1 vote

Smoked Spaghetti Sauce

Course Sauce

Cuisine American

Keyword sauce, smoked, spaghetti

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 15

Total Time 1 30

Servings

Calories 166kcal

Author Based on a recipe from The Cookshack

Ingredients

For the smoker

1 pound ground beef
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces mushrooms whole
1 head garlic add more for other recipes
1 green bell pepper halved, seeds removed
1 medium onion skin removed, halved

For the tomato sauce

2 28 ounce tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

For the smoker

Fire up your smoker for cooking at 225 F. Do not add much wood if any. The charcoal itself should add enough smoke.
Season the ground beef and add it to the smoker along with the remaining ingredients.
Smoke for 45 minutes. You aren’t cooking the ingredients completely, just adding smoke flavor.
Remove from the smoker and let cool slightly.
Chop the ingredients, except for the mushrooms, which are sliced.
Note: I found that rough-chopping everything and then pulsing the ingredients a few times in a food processor to work the best. Chopping the smoked vegetables was challenging and the food processor lets you control the texture more easily.

For the tomato sauce

Add the sauce to a large sauce pan or pot.
Add remaining ingredients plus the smoked meat and vegetables.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve with pasta or on sandwiches as sloppy Joes.