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Quick Italian Meat Sauce

September 19, 2020 By justalittlebitofbacon Leave a Comment

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Italian Meat Sauce is fast weeknight fare over spaghetti while also being perfect for lasagna, baked pasta, spaghetti squash, or zoodles! In 30 minutes you can be enjoying rich and flavorful comfort food the whole family will love.

Pot of quick tomato and meat sauce with a wooden spoon in the pot.

Hello, all.

As we move into fall I’m craving ALL the comfort food. I want creamy soups, stews, roast chicken, and plenty of Italian sauces over pasta. As I look over my recipe testing list, I can guarantee all sorts of cozy recipes are coming your way.

We’ll start with my amazing homemade FAST meat sauce! I love an all day bolognese as much as the next person (and have frozen portions all laid out from my last batch), but sometimes you want sauce and you want it NOW. Well here it is. šŸ˜‰

What’s to love?

  • Quick. There is very little prep here which means you can go from pulling out ingredients to cooking in a matter of minutes.
  • Umami. Tomatoes + tomato paste + anchovy + red wine + ground beef = umami bomb!
  • Versatile. Don’t want to use beef? Try pork, turkey, or a mix!
  • Pantry Meal. Everything you need for the recipe you can pull out of your pantry and freezer.

Wide bowl of pasta and sauce all topped with basil and shredded parmesan.

What do you need?

  • Ground Meat – About 1 pound of ground beef or other meat of your choice.
  • Tomatoes – I like boxed chopped tomatoes (they’re softer and have no additives), but any combo of chopped, crushed, or pureed whole tomatoes will work.
  • Red Wine – Just a bit! It punches up the flavor.
  • Anchovy – Umami. It will make your meat taste meatier.
  • Tomato Paste – The same, while also giving a deeper tomato flavor.
  • Spices – Garlic and oregano (along with some salt).

Ingredients for the recipe.

How to make this

To make quick Italian meat sauce, saute ground beef and then add garlic, tomato paste, anchovy, and wine. Stir in chopped tomatoes and oregano and simmer until done.

This is simple and fast! I’ll bring you through the steps, then you can scroll down to the recipe card and make it.

1. Saute the Meat

Using either a high sided saute pan or a mid-sized pot, saute the ground beef until it’s mostly brown and you see only a little red color left.

2. Saute the Rest

Now you are going to saute the garlic until soft and then saute the tomato paste and anchovy. This will build the flavors.

3. Reduce the Wine

Pour in the red wine and bring it to a boil. Let it reduce and boil down for a few minutes. It’ll be about reduced by half but you don’t need be too exact here.

4. Simmer the Sauce

Add in your tomatoes and bring them up to a bubble and then let them simmer gently until your sauce comes together. This will take about 15 minutes (though you can simmer it longer if that works better for your timing).

Now your sauce is done – serve it over pasta, zoodles, or spaghetti squash for a quick dinner. Or use it in lasagna, baked ziti, or eggplant parm for weekend meal.

Step by step on how to make the recipe.

Quick Meat Sauce FAQ

Can this be made ahead?

Absolutely! It’s great immediately, but also can be made a day or two ahead and reheated.

How about storage?

You can store this for 3-4 days in the fridge (in a covered container) or 3-4 months in the freezer. To use from the freezer, you can thaw overnight and then reheat or just put it in a pot while still mostly frozen and warm until thawed.

What should I do if it’s too acidic?

Here you have two choices. Either add a pinch of sugar to balance the acid with sweet, or add a pinch of baking soda to react with the acid make the sauce more neutral.

Note that too much sugar will give you a sweet sauce and too much baking soda will give you a bland sauce. So use just a little, then mix it in well, and taste.

Variations?

You can change this up in a few different ways.

  1. Use different meats. Beef, pork, veal, or turkey will work. You can also use a mix. Or you could add some pancetta in with the ground meat.
  2. Tomatoes. I like chopped here, but you can use whole or crushed and create a very chunky or smooth sauce.
  3. Herbs. Add thyme, parsley, basil, or marjoram.

Top view of a bowl of pasta toppped with meat sauce and sliced basil.

Amazing Tomato Sauces

  • Homemade Marinara Sauce
  • Pomodoro Sauce
  • Spicy Arrabbiata Sauce   

If you try my recipe for Quick Italian Meat Sauce, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.

You can connect with me by subscribing to my emails (see the form in the sidebar or below the recipe card), liking my FACEBOOK page, or by following me on PINTEREST.

– Stay Safe, Annemarie

You'll love my easy and quick Italian meat sauce! This homemade recipe featuring canned tomatoes and ground beef is perfect over spaghetti, pasta, or zoodles and is a great weeknight dinner. | justalittlebitofbacon.com #tomatosauce #italianrecipes #meatsauce #italianfood
Print Recipe

Quick Italian Meat Sauce

You'll love my easy and quick Italian meat sauce! This homemade recipe featuring canned tomatoes and ground beef is perfect over spaghetti, pasta, or zoodles and is a great weeknight dinner.
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time30 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: meat sauce, quick meat sauce
Servings: 6
Calories: 225kcal
Author: justalittlebitofbacon

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tsp anchovy paste
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 2 28-oz cans (or boxes) chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • optional extras: fresh sliced basil, shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • In a large, high sided skillet or medium sized pot on medium heat, saute the ground meat until mostly cooked through, about 5 minutes.
  • Add garlic and salt and continue sauteing for 1-2 minutes.
  • Push the meat aside and add the tomato paste and anchovy. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds.
  • Add wine and bring to a boil. Boil for 2-3 minutes
  • Pour in tomatoes and stir in oregano. Bring back to a boil and then lower to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
  • Stir in basil and parmesan if using.

Notes

  • Tomatoes: I use Pomi boxed chopped tomatoes in the recipe. You can use any chopped tomatoes or switch to crushed or whole (puree or break up the whole tomatoes if using).
  • Ground Beef: While I call for beef, turkey, pork, or meatloaf mix are all great variations. Note - if using turkey don't skip the anchovy! It needs the extra umami.
  • Pasta: For serving over pasta as shown in the photos, use 1 lb of the pasta of your choice. Once cooked, simmer the pasta with some of the water from the pot and the meat sauce.
Sauce in the pot and on pasta with text overlay - Italian Meat Sauce.
Bowl of pasta topped with sauce and text overlay - Italian Meat Sauce.

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Filed Under: 10 ingredients or less, 30 minute meals, fundamentals of italian cooking, gluten free, italian recipes, mediterranean recipes, quick dinners, recipe, sauces and condiments Tagged With: anchovies, beef, tomatoes, wine

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Hello, I’m Annemarie

Welcome to my kitchen! I’m a Italian-American girl who loves fresh foods, local ingredients, and all sorts of comfort foods. Here you will find Mediterranean flavors and recipes from a New England perspective.

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