Divine Spaghetti Sauce

Delicious! The best spaghetti sauce I've ever had. I made these changes like a lot of others: --Put tomato paste and tomatoes in a blender and puree instead of mashing them --Only 2 tbsp of Italian seasoning --Add 1/2 cup of red wine --A little less red pepper--depends on your taste --Add 2 tbsp of brown sugar. It helps to negate the acidic bite of the tomatoes and lets the other flavors come through I only had time to let it simmer for 2 hours and it was still amazing!

This is really yummy, but involves a lot of unnecessary work. I browned the hamburger in a huge pasta pot and then drained it, leaving a little fat in the pan and setting the meat aside. Then, I softened the celery and onion slowly (for 10 minutes). Then I added the rest of the ingredients. All in one pan! If you don't like CHUNKY sauce, use diced tomatoes, not whole. Also, I stir/mash with a potato ricer, not a spoon. Either way, if you simmer all day, it shouldn't be that chunky (tomato sauce tastes like ketchup, eww). Last, it DOES need sweetness -- I add a tsp. of sugar 15 minutes before serving -- you should taste and do it to your preference. These sound like big changes, but they're not -- and well worth it, if you're going to do this all day. Looking forward to posting my own private recipe soon.

I too love sweetness in my sauce, however, I do not like to add sugar. A friend of ours, who did go to culinary school made a sauce & his was awesome with a beautiful sweetness.. not a sugary artificial one. I asked his secret, I knew he would not add sugar either. He said he adds crushed rosemary. Wonderful! Makes all the difference in taste & no added sugar.

It was my turn to cook for family dinner (we meet at my dad's on Saturdays), and my 5-year-old daughter wanted spaghetti. I don't like spaghetti, and my husband fixes a packaged sauce when the 2 of them have it. I insisted on a from-scratch recipe and liked the fact that this sauce simmered all afternoon. I left out the celery and peppers (at my husband's request) and added red wine (at my father's request), and served it up. Everyone raved about it, and they are a diverse and picky group. My daughter did not find it too spicy. This might even make a spaghetti fan out of me!

This was my first try at homemade sauce. It was wonderful! Definately a keeper...thanks for the great recipe!

WOW! This is one supergood recipe. I never used to like homemade spaghetti sauce because they were always lacking in flavor..but not this one..it's yummy! This time I used fresh tomatoes out of my garden because it's that time of year (guess I used about 10 med. size) plus I cut back on the Italian seasoning & only used about 1 1/2 Tbsp. & it was just right, not overpowering. Also, used only 2 bay leaves. With any spaghetti sauce, (even the jar stuff) I always add about 2 Tbsp. of brown sugar as it takes the "bite" out of the tomatoes from the acid in them. My sister-in-law told me about this years ago & I've been doing it ever since. Thanks for a great recipe Lana!

I really loved this recipe. My son loved it and so did my hubby. It was terrific and really easy! My only changes (after reading other reviews) I didn't do all the steps. I just cooked the ground beef, onion, celery, etc. Just made it a one pot deal. I used really lean ground beef so there was no need to drain. I didn't have time to cook it for 6 hours, but it was fantastic just the way it was after 3 hours. Besides I don't like my ground beef cook to a mealy consistancy anyway. I didn't change the seasonings at all. I love bay and I love my sauce to taste like something other than tomato. I did add a tablespoon of sugar, because I like my sauce to have a 'balanced' flavor. I was surprised the recipe didn't call for salt or pepper. I didn't add it and it didn't need it. Happy cooking! Laura Behrendt

This was the best spaghetti sauce I've ever made! I dont like my sauce chunky, so I minced the onions and celery in my food processor before sauteeing them. After they were cooked, I put them back into the processor...along with the tomatoes and tomato paste and processed until it was smooth, but thick. Then I just put it and the rest of the ingredients in my crock pot and and let it simmer all day. I added meatballs the last 3 hours of cooking. The whole family loved it! Thanks for sharing:)

Five stars the first day, ten the second. I just had a bowl of leftovers and it was even better than last night. Yum. Since so many reviews mentioned how chunky it was, I took the suggestion of another review and swapped one can of tomatoes for a can of tomato sauce. Turned out perfect. Next time I will make a double or triple batch for some to freeze.

Very good. I grate 1 zucchini and toss in some spinach and maybe even diced carrot as well - basically any veggie in the fridge. I do not however add 2 cans tomato paste. Yuck! 1/2 of a small one was plenty. 1/2 cup red wine is a must! And if you dont want to crush tomatoes - just buy a jar of quality herbed sauce.

Good sauce. I like the flavor the vegetables add to the sauce and cooking all day is the key. To save time and pans I cooked my beef then added it to the totatoes and tomato paste in the crock pot. I then used the same pan to cook my vegetables. I put the fresh basil and some fresh oregano in just before serving.

I thought the sauce was good but it doesn't say anything about adding water. I added about 2 cups and it wasn't enough. I think 1 can of tomato paste and also adding some water would be a better idea. Other than that it's good.

SO GOOD! This made enough sauce for 5 dinners (with leftovers) for my husband and I! Definitely worth one day of cooking.

This is the same recipe I was given by a chef from London in 1982. I brought it home when I was in college.. Its the sameone I do...

I added some no salt Tony's. It wasn't as much flavor or spice as I needed. Once I added some s and p, plus the Tony's it was fabulous!!!

This was definitely better the second day, but not great ever. I think the problem with it is that it relied too heavily on seasonings, whereas the recipe I usually make uses a lot more vegetables and has more natural flavor.

Very good. I followed advise from others and only used one green pepper instead of 2. I used half ground beef, half italian sausage. Threw about three tablespoons sundried tomatoes too and a clove or two more garlic and 2 tablespoons sugar. Put in slow cooker 6 hours on high. Very good, this one is a keeper! Thank you!

Great rich zesty flavor in this one! Lots of spices and it certainly looked delicious too right from the start. This even had a bit of heat too with the crushed red pepper flakes, which my son didn't like, but I loved. I used a potato masher to try to get the whole tomatoes mashed according to directions, but stopped a sorta chunky as it was too much work and didn't matter anyway to my family. I used plenty of shortcuts but tried to stick as close to the written recipe as possible. I used dried minced onion, dried basil, dried minced celery flakes, a small can of sliced mushrooms, and a can of diced tomatoes with diced green peppers already in it, so I saved all the chopping time and prep work. I added a tsp of salt, and then about 3 Tbs sugar to tame some of the acid. This was good, but it didn't make our favorites list. Thanks Lana for posting this, I had fun making something new and different.

This recipe is perfect as is. After being simmered 4 hours sugar is not needed (this is suggested by some reviewers). I would never add sugar to spaghetti sauce.

Good, not great. I will continue looking...

The celery in this was way too overpowering. It was really all I could taste! It really only needs 1 if any stalks of celery. Minus the celery though, it would have been quite good.

I only made one change and that was using brown sugar instead of white. For us, it was a little too sweet but everything else seemed to be spot on. Very simple.

it was pretty good & made a filling main dish.

This spaghetti sauce is indeed DIVINE! We have used it multiple times for birthday parties and everyone has loved it. We even used it for the sauce in the lasagne we made for my daughters wedding and we had many people tell us it was the best they had ever had!!! We are always scaling it to larger sizes and it always has come out great. Today I am scaling it to 28. My children love helping make it! I really should make it and freeze it in gallon bags. Try it, you will LOVE it!!! Note: We use portabella mushrooms.

Excellent tasting recipe. My husband said it was his favorite dish of all that I've cooked. I tweeked it a little bit since I didn't have a few of the ingredients. For the tomatoes, I had one 28 oz chopped tomatoes on hand so I used in addition 4 fresh roma tomatoes peeled. Also, I omited celery since i didn't have any. I added some salt and 2 tabelspoons of sugar. All of my herbs were dry. The bay leaves I used were chopped and also dry...about 1 tablespoon. I let the sauce simmer for almost 8 hours. The best part about this dish, my husband said he could see himself eating this at a fancy italian restaurant....now that's a COMPLIMENT!

I made a healthier version of this recipe and it's the BEST spaghetti I've tasted in my whole life, even better than at restaurants! I was VERY surprised. This is a GREAT basic recipe to work with. I used Jennie-O lean ground turkey instead of beef and omitted the celery and red and green peppers. The original recipe includes some unnecessary steps though. I heated the turkey until it was cooked and then sauteed half a carton of mushrooms (self-sliced) with it. In saucepan, I combined tomato sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, basil, and bay leaf. This saves the onion and garlic work. I didn't add any salt. I love that this recipe doesn't need any oil. Also, I only added a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Next time I will add some fresh tomato. Despite leaving out the celery and peppers and not using real onion or garlic clove, it was extremely flavorful. I can't believe a recipe turned out so good on my first try. My boyfriend can't wait to try it! Definitely 5 stars!

Never have reviewed a spaghetti sauce before - and this one is almost perfect for our tastes I do add about 1 tsp. of brown sugar (or honey)....and that is the only change.

I just tasted after about 5 hours of cooking in a slow cooker, and OH, is that some good sauce. I did make a few changes. I used ground turkey breast instead of beef. I used one 28oz can of diced tomatoes, Italian style, one 28oz can of tomato sauce, and only one can of paste. I also used one green pepper, eliminated the celery, all my herbs were dry (used 2tbsps italian seas, 3/4 tbsp basil, a dash of red pepper, a little salt and ground pepper, a tbsp sugar, and 2 dry bay leaves). Fresh would have been better, I just didn't have fresh. This is a great base sauce, you can add or subtract the seasonings to your taste. I Love it!

It's a nice base to start..I like being creative by adding spices

Recipe was fantastic. It was a big hit with everyone!!! I only had a chance to slow cook it for maybe about 3 hours it was delicious!!!

This recipie was initially doubled and my god, did it make a lot of sauce!! It was a little too chunky for everybody's tastes here, so I pulsed it in the blender. This is a great make ahead and freeze sauce!

It was so so-- it smelled great but the taste was nothing special. And it was really sour- needs sugar.

It is not divine

For the first time I've prepared from scratch spaghetti sauce, I could have done a *lot* worse. Though thick and chunky, this sauce was fantastic. I did feel it was necessary to add a 14 ounce can of tomato sauce--it truly was too thick for me without it. Served with whole wheat pasta for a healthy twist and added parmesan garlic bread from the allrecipes.com website. What a meal!

I didnt add the bay leaf since I didnt have it. Solid recipe just needs something.

Thank you for the recipe! This is the best sauce I've tried and my family loved it. I will be using this one again.

Something made this taste horrible when I made it, and I can't figure out what it was, as I followed the recipe. Smelt delicious simmering away all day, but when I went to taste it, ugh! Even after trying to doctor it to suit my families tastes, most of it ended up in the rubbish. Will stick with my quick spaghetti sauce recipe.

The BEST spaghetti sauce I ever had! Very flavorful. The longer you cook it the better it gets. I added a little sugar, some tomato sauce, and a little extra Italian seasoning.

I use all fresh herbs instead of italian seasoning (so couple sprigs rosemary, handfuls of marjoram, oregano, basil) and sometimes add an italian sausage (we like spicy). Also add about 1/2 cup red wine if we have it. I find that if i simmer it longer than 3 hours the basil gets a little too overpowering (one of few herbs to increase flavor as it cooks) so i either cut down the cooking time or add part way through. This is a good base recipe- I just add in whatever I have that looks good so like all my other recipes i never quite make it the same twice- always tastes good on those cooler days though. (although i don't understand the multiple pans- i just cook it in one)

I hate spaghetti and can't get enough of this sauce. My husband says this is the best spaghetti sauce he's ever eaten. I've now made it 3 times for 3 different groups of people, and everyone asks for the recipe. A huge hit!!

This is a recipe that mutes my brother's usual "It's edible" comment, because he is so busy eating it and can't say a bad word. I use Prego Garlic Supreme to save time; the result is wonderful, nonetheless. It's fairly easy to make. I also add some halved cherry tomatoes. The taste is just what the name suggest, divine.

GREAT Sauce.. Made in Crockpot___I had to change a few things do to what I had on hand. Ground Italian Turkey Meat/No mushrooms/No green peppers/No Bay Leaf. I sub roasted red peppers/hot pepper for the red pepper flakes. Use this sauce to make Lasagna it was the best one yet..I plan to use this sauce from now on no more store bought junk..

Named appropriately! The only change I made was that I used 1/2 ground beef and 1/2 sausage. The most flavorful sauce I've ever had! Very thick and meaty just like I like it! Will use this over and over!

My family did not like this recipie at all. It had way to much of the itatlion seasonings flavor and I also thought there were to many bell peppers. Will not be making this recipie again.

great recipe

Just like the spaghetti sauce my mom makes. The only changes I made were to use diced canned tomatoes instead of whole and I added olive oil to the sauce (quite a bit). Delicious!

This makes a delicious sauce. Soooooo much better than the kind in the jar! The recipe makes a lot - I put about half in the freezer and still had enough for five hungry people.

one look at this sauce simmering on the stovetop is enough to trigger ur salivary glands and one whiff of this sauce will make you think u're in the fanciest italian restaurant in town! When i made this sauce for my mom, i substituted the ground beef with ground turkey breast, used one green bell pepper instead of two and used two cans of diced tomatoes instead of whole tomatoes. Although this sauce was very stimulating visually and olfactorily, i must say it was lacking in the "taste" area. I found the sauce to be quite bland. This recipe makes a good base sauce, but if i were to make it again, i would definitely add some salt as well as a dash of brown sugar to balance out tangy tomato taste. Thank you to the recipe submitter! hope this review helps =)

I thought this was great (and I have had other homemade before). My family likes the thick, chunky sauces so it suited us perfectly.Freezes great too! Have made several times now.

Not a bad sauce at all, but I am more under the inclination to call this chili than spaghetti sauce. Add some jalapenos, chili powder and cumin and it's a hearty chili. It just wasn't tomato-ey enough for me.

This sauce was a disappointment. The bell peppers were overpowering and there was too much bay flavor. Also, it gave several people who ate it gas. I'm still on the look out for THE spaghetti sauce. BTW except for using the crock pot and reducing some of the flavorings (not the bay) I followed the recipe.

This is a great recipe, but I cut the Italian seasoning to 3 Tablespoons, 5 was WAY too much.

This is rich and robust. I used 1.5 pounds of ground chicken instead of beef. I also used more tomato paste and then added half a cup of wine. Yum! As one reviewer pointed out, this can all be done in one pot. It also need not simmer all day.

This was an excellent recipe. I did not have any problems with the thickness of the sauce as some have suggested. I thought it was great just the way it was as did my family. Also, I prepared the ingredients just as the recipe suggested and then I put it in the crock pot to cook all day instead of leaving it on the stove. It was just as good and I didn't have to worry about it.

I'm very picky when it comes to sauces but this sauce is truly amazing. I love cooking and this truly was an enjoyable experience. Tasted faboulous!!

highly recommended. I used this recipe along with the recipe for "Brian's Favorite Sauce" to can LaRoma tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes and sauce made this outstanding. I also encourage letting the sauce simmer all day.

...not the greatest i've ever had, i may try it again but with several modifications! I'm guessing that all the people here who have RAVED over this "devine" sauce have never had homemade spagetti sauce before! Of course it's better than a jar, haha, but i've had better. It ended up rather thick and i added broth and red wine, which helped both texture and flavor, but it needs something else......

Thanks Lana! It was so easy to put this recipe together. I tossed all the veggies into my "Starfrit" food processor, then mixed with tomatoes in the pot. Then when the meat mixture of ground beef and italian sausage was drained I put that through the "Starfrit" also. The sauce came out sooo "DIVINE". I will definately use this recipe again and again.

Very rich in flavour!

My husband and I love this sauce! I have changed the ingredients a bit. I use a pound of hamburger and mild sausage, a green pepper and yellow pepper, garlic powder, sugar, and garlic, basi diced tomatoes. This is the best sauce that I have ever made. Very chunky and yummy!

This is an absolutly BEAUTIFUL recipe. It's well-worth the cooking time. Probably the best sauce recipe ever.

A little too spicy and chunky for my family. I added some beef broth and a little sugar. It had very good flavor, just a little too spicy.

This sauce is really tasty... it took a while to get all the ingredients all chopped and ready, but once everything was cooked and simmering in the sauce, the taste was great. The sauce is so rich and filling. Wonderful.

The name says it all. It is divine spaghetti sauce. I have been looking for a real good sauce and now I hae found one. Thanks a lot. We did make two changes to the recipe though. We used both hamburg and hot sausage meat and instead of the whole tomatoes we used 3 cans of Del Monte diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano. It really was excellent.

too much Italian seasoning and not saucy enough, use more than 1 can of tomato paste

This sauce was a little to spicy for my taste. Not worth all the time it took to prepare and make it. I won't be making this one again.

This was my first attempt at making any dish from this site. My first mistake was that I did not read the reviews beforehand. So after the overview I came to a conclusion that I would follow some advice and tweak the dish a little bit. I added brown sugar, 2 (8oz) cans of tomato paste, and used meatballs instead of just brown meat chuinks. Turned out great, nice and chunky. I would make this again, but next time less italian seasoning and less pepper, or perhaps puree some ingredients to give it a nice saucy and chunky combo.

I make my own spaghetti sauce and I really thought this was good. I used fresh tomatoes and home-canned tomato sauce because as other posters said, after cooking awhile it did get thick (for me). Also omitted mushrooms as we don't like them. It is a little vegetable-y so for those who are looking for a marinara type sauce, you may not like this one so much.

leave out red pepper flakes, celery, and beef broth. Add a teaspoon of brown sugar, two teaspoons of oragano, (fresh remember if dry cut in half)and enjoy it was great

Was a bit disappointed in the overall flavor...the aroma was wonderful. I only used one pepper (not crazy about them) and I only put in about 1/2 of the crushed red pepper flakes; using the full measurement probably would have helped. I ended up adding some salt. It does make a TON of sauce. It is a very chunky sauce, which I like, and it was a VERY hearty meal.

Although I really liked this everyone else said it was way too chunky. I love chunky sauce with a lot of vegetables--but it was too thick for my husband, and our friends we had over.

THE SAUCE WAS VERY WATERY AND HAD TO MUCH BASIL. AND ITALIAN SEASONING. KIDS DID NOT LIKE IT.

This is the best homemade spaghetti sauce I've ever made! I won't be buying canned anymore...and it's great, because it makes a huge pot which can be stored in freezer bags in the freezer for quick meals. I did add about 2 tsp of sugar to cut down on the acidity and a 1/4 tsp of pepper but other than that the recipe was great!

I thought this sauce was the best!!!! I didn't have 5 TBLS. of the Italian seasoning,but I used what I did have and it was super! This will become my regular sauce from now on. Thank you Lana for sharing your recipe with the world.

this was the first time i made my own sauce and i was so pleased with the outcome. i added a can of tomato sauce and a little sugar. it was wonderful and everyone agreed.

This sauce isn't too bad. I'm not a big fan of celery in my spaghetti sauces, so I left that part out. Others have mentioned adding some salt, just add to your taste. I added a little. As for the itilian seasoning, that is fine, just don't add the basil at the end. I like basil, so I didn't mind it. Others said it had a strong basil taste.

Awesome sauce that is now a staple of my (limited) cooking. Easy and great!

I was totally disappointed in this sauce. I used less seasonings than the recipe called for and it was still too much. None of my family liked it either.

One of the best sauces I've made, it's a keeper and even better the next day as leftovers.

I have found some great recipes on this site over the years, but I did not care for this recipe. With the peppers and celery in it, it reminded me more of chili (with different spices, of course!) than it did spaghetti sauce. I certainly won't be making it again!

Better the 2nd day

This recipe is great! I altered it after reading some of the reviews; used only 1 gr pepper, 2 stalks celery, 2tsp Italian seasoning, pinch of pepper flakes, 2 tsp sweetner, and a small can of tomato sauce. It was thick as mentioned but delish, i would definatley make it again!!

This recipe is so good. I also used the Del Monte tomatoes as one review suggested. The result is worth the time it takes to cut up all those veggies. The recipe "scaled" to 7 actually makes enough for about 14, so there's lots left over to freeze. Thanks Lana for a great recipe!

Like a lot of other people, I customized a lot, but this was the first time I've made my own pasta sauce and it turned out fantastic with raves from everyone!

Wonderful, hearty, and chunky spaghetti sauce.

We enjoyed the flavor of this sauce but it was a little thicker than we usually like. I used diced tomatoes instead of whole and added a touch of brown sugar. Also it makes way more than we could eat in even two meals! I might make this again and cut the recipe in half.

This rating would actually be about 4 1/2 stars. Personally, I LOVED it, but my family only seemed to find it "pretty good." My mom wasn't too sure about the red pepper flakes. I'm going to make it again in the future and with adjustments to the amount of peppers and seasonings and see if I can get a more enthusiastic response.

after making the changes that other reviewers suggested (half the peppers and tomato sauce), this recipe was well liked by my family. I only had 1 1/2 hours to cook it but it was still yummy and the house smelled great!

excellent texture and very tasty.

Excellent!

This is awesome! It's great for a dinner party and pretty easy once the ingredients are cut up! Serve with french bread and a nice greens salad and you're set!

I guess "taste" is a matter of taste. I prepared this sauce exactly as prescribed and thought something was "amiss". I added a little salt, a little sugar and some red wine. I think if I try this recipe again I'll skip the celery. Still not a bad sauce.

I liked this recipe, but in the end I had to add 1 1/2 tbs of sugar to sweetin it a little and it definitely needs salt. Also it was a little to spicy for my kids to eat. Next time if I made it again I would half the red pepper flakes. I think it was better on noodles or dipping with breadsticks, than by itself. I might look for another recipe to try. I don't know if I would make this again.

This is very good as written but I also made a meatless sauce by skipping ground beef, adding three beef bouillon cubes and a bag of carrots which I peeled and diced. It was equally good and I'd make it both ways again. Also I cooked it all day in the crock-pot. No time to simmer for hours and hours in my life.

Pretty good. A little on the spicy side. I like a more juicy sauce, but this was great.

This was only so-so for us.It was definitely better the next day,so maybe letting it stand in the fridge the day before you serve it would be much better.

This recipe is fantastic! It tastes very authentic and has great flavor. Make it on a day when you're around the house and just let it simmer on the stove all afternoon. I left out the celery because I don't care for it, and added more red pepper and less green. It freezes well and reheats even better than the first time! This will be a new staple in my dinner rotation.

I made it, ate it and enjoyed it . Added the brown sugar, used one onion and one orange pepper. The window was open you could smell it outside. I will make this my go to sauce. Be Blessed

My family and I thought this was GREAT. of course I tweaked it to our liking!!!like I use twice the tomatoes and I used canned tomatoes. And instead of Italian seasoning, I broke it down and didnt use rosemary(dried rosemary has the texture of pine needles).