Ground Beef Spaghetti Sauce With San Marzano Tomatoes
This ground beef spaghetti sauce is made with ground beef, chopped onions, minced garlic, canned San Marzano tomatoes, celery, carrots, and fresh herbs.
This delicious spaghetti sauce is perfect for picky eaters struggling to get enough vegetable servings throughout the day. The carrots and celery are blended with the whole peeled tomatoes, adding nutrients and fiber. I can't believe I'm about to type this on a food blog, but my kids call this the "magic pooping pasta sauce" haha. My kids despise vegetables, so I had to get creative.
I make another version of this pasta sauce in the slow cooker with mushrooms (slow cooker meat spaghetti sauce) or check out this meaty lasagna tomato sauce for a thicker sauce. Serve this spaghetti sauce with homemade spaghetti noodles for the ultimate pasta night!
Ingredients
How To Make Carrot Spaghetti Sauce
Add the canned tomatoes, baby carrots, and celery in a blender. Alternatively, finely chop the carrots and celery or pulse them in a food processor.
Blend until fully combined. Set aside. Finely dice the onion and garlic. Set aside.
In a large stovetop pot, cook the ground beef on medium heat. Adding olive oil is unnecessary because the fat in the meat will melt out. Continue breaking up the clumps with a wooden spoon.
Once the ground meat is browned, turn the heat to medium high heat. Add the diced onion and garlic. Season with salt, black pepper, and ground nutmeg.
Pour the tomato mixture into the ground beef mixture and bring to a simmer on low heat.
Add the fresh herb sprigs, bay leaf, and red wine (if using).
Cover the pot and cook on low heat for 2 hours. Check the tomato sauce at the 1-hour mark and add some water if needed.
Add this homemade pasta sauce to spaghetti noodles,homemade gnocchi , or your favorite pasta. Top with grated parmesan cheese.
Slow Simmer
The key to a hearty ragu sauce is slow-simmering it on a low temperature covered. The tomatoes break down and make the sauce so flavorful. You don't need to add any liquid to this pasta sauce as long as you slowly simmer it covered. Keep an eye on this thick sauce as it cooks. If it looks a little too dry, add some liquid (either water or beef broth).
📋 Recipe
Ground Beef Spaghetti Sauce With San Marzano Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 20 ounces ground beef 85% to 90%
- 56 ounces canned San Marzano tomatoes 2 cans that are 28 ounces, see note 2
- 8 baby carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 large onion or 2 small onions
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sprigs of herbs rosemary, oregano, or thyme, see note 6
- 1 cup red wine optional
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- In a blender, add the canned tomatoes, baby carrots, and celery. Blend until fully combined. Set aside. Alternatively, use a food processor to pulse the carrots and celery. See note 3.
- Finely dice the onion and garlic. Set aside.
- In a large stovetop pot, cook the ground beef on medium-high heat. Continue breaking up the clumps. Once the meat is browned, add the diced onion and garlic. Season with salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg.
- Pour the tomato mixture into the ground beef mixture and bring to a simmer on low heat. Add the fresh herb sprigs. Pour the red wine (if using). Cover the pot and cook on low heat for 2 hours. Check the tomato sauce at the 1-hour mark and add a little water if needed.
Notes
- The nutrition facts don't include pasta.
- Substitute equal parts canned tomato puree or passata for canned whole San Marzano tomatoes. Another substitution is fresh Roma tomatoes blended with a blender.
- Use a food processor to pulse the carrots and celery. Alternatively, finely mince the carrots and celery with a chef's knife. You can also blend the carrots and celery into the tomato sauce (my preferred method for picky eaters).
- Storage: Store this meat-based sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freeze this sauce in a freezer-friendly bag for up to 4 months.
- Prepare this sauce in a slow cooker. Follow the steps in the recipe leading up to the slow-simmer. Transfer the sauce to a slow cooker when it is ready for slow cooking. Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
- Substitute dried Italian seasoning for fresh herbs.
Great recipe!
I put this in the crock pot instead of slow simmering on the stovetop. It tasted swell and was liked by the kiddos. It made a lot so happy to have leftovers too. Thanks for this pasta sauce
Thanks for the comment Jennie!