I’ve made a lot of variations of pasta sauce over my nine years of blogging, but I think this latest version wins the title of The Best Weeknight Pasta Sauce. Why? Because it’s incredibly easy and uses only a few ingredients, yet has a wonderfully rich and hearty flavor. I first posted this sauce in my Roasted Eggplant with Meat Sauce recipe, but the sauce itself was definitely the star of the show and deserves a post of its own. In fact, I loved this sauce so much that the last time I made it I found myself digging into the leftovers with a spoon, like it was some sort of chili. I skipped the pasta and just went straight for the good stuff. 🤷♀️
Looking for a vegetarian pasta sauce? Check out our Easy Homemade Marinara Sauce.
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What is in This Weeknight Pasta Sauce
It’s SO SIMPLE, yet so very good. This pasta sauce includes: ground beef, olive oil, onion, butter, crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning blend, and salt and pepper. That’s it. No fancy ingredients needed to make it taste incredible, and totally approachable for a busy weeknight.
How to Use this Sauce
This sauce is, of course, awesome with any shape of pasta. Or over roasted vegetables! You don’t have to do a whole eggplant like I did in the past, I would love this sauce ladled over a pile of cubed roasted vegetables for a delightful low-carb meal (check out my Roasted Eggplant with Meat Sauce), or you can add a medley of summer vegetables and use it to make our Summer Vegetables in Red Sauce.
Why is it Good for Weeknight Dinners?
This sauce is incredibly simple and doesn’t require much attention as it cooks. What makes this sauce so good when it’s so simple? Two things: butter and a minimum 30 minute simmer. The 30 minute simmer is the key to dulling down the overly bright acidic flavors of the crushed tomatoes and helps caramelize the natural sugars into a deep, subtle sweetness. The butter adds body and a slight creaminess, which again, helps balance the natural acids in the tomatoes. You need both elements to make this sauce. Without one or the other you’ll just have a run of the mill red sauce and, well, that’s just nothing to write home (or blog) about.
The Best Weeknight Pasta Sauce
Servings 6 (about ¾ cups each)Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. ground beef ($2.65)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.13)
- 1 small onion ($0.32)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.13)
- 28 oz. crushed tomatoes ($0.89)
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning blend ($0.05)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.03)
- Salt, to taste ($0.02)
Instructions
- Add the ground beef and olive oil to a pot and sauté over medium until the beef is cooked through (about 5 minutes). If you’re using a higher fat content beef (10% or higher), you may want to drain the excess fat once the beef has browned.
- While the beef is cooking, finely dice the onion. Add the diced onion and butter to the cooked beef. Continue to sauté until the onion is soft and translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Next, add the crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning blend, and some freshly cracked pepper (10-15 cranks of a pepper mill). Stir everything to combine.
- Place a lid on the pot and allow it to come up to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes.
- After a minimum of 30 minutes simmering, add about 1/2 tsp salt, stir to combine, then taste and add more if needed. The flavor of the sauce will deepen and the complexities will pop once the salt is added. Serve over pasta or your favorite roasted vegetables.
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Nutrition
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Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Weeknight Pasta Sauce – Step by Step Photos
Start by adding 1/2 lb. ground beef and 1 Tbsp olive oil to a pot. Sauté the beef over medium until it’s cooked through (about 5 minutes). If you’re using a higher fat content beef, you may want to drain the excess fat once it’s cooked through. While the beef is cooking, finely dice one small onion. Add the onion and 2 Tbsp butter to the cooked beef, and continue to sauté until the onions are soft and translucent (another 5 minutes or so).
Next, add a 28oz. can crushed tomatoes, 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning blend, and some freshly cracked pepper. Stir until everything is combined, place a lid on top, and let it come up to a simmer. Once simmering, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for at least 30 minutes.
After simmering for 30 minutes the sauce will be much less acidic and slightly more sweet, but to make the flavor really pop, you need to add salt. I would start with 1/2 tsp, give it a taste, then add more to your liking.
And that’s all! Seriously, SO easy. And while the sauce is simmering away for its 30 minutes, you can prepare your pasta or whatever else you plan on eating with your sauce that night. ;)
It’s the only sauce I need and really, I only need the sauce. Pasta optional. 😂
I made this recently and it was delicious! Served over rigatoni with sides of broccoli and some giardiniera. I ended up eating the dregs with crackers, it was so good.
Super easy and delicious Thank You!
If I use 1lb of beef, do I need to double crushed tomatoes as well?
I would double everything if you’re going to use 1lb of beef!
I have used a full pound of beef many times and not bothered doubling the rest of the ingredients! It still comes out delicious. Just a meatier sauce but fine!
I have been making your recipe for years now. It is absolutely perfect!!! I foolishly did not know it was so easy to make good clean sauce. Thanks Beth!!!
This was good, better than I expected given the short list of ingredients. The only thing I did differently was to use Italian sausage instead of ground beef and added a couple of minced garlic cloves. Will definitely make this again.
If I avoid dairy because of lactose intolerance, can I sub the butter for something else? Vegan butter maybe?
I would just do whatever vegan butter you normally use!
Received compliments on this sauce.
If you have the ingredients on hand, it’s really easy to take this recipe from good to great with a few tweaks and five more minutes of prep work. I add half a shredded carrot with the onion, to take the edge off the acidic tomatoes. Use fresh minced garlic instead of garlic powder and also add chopped green pepper with the garlic, a couple minutes after adding the onion. Use imported Italian crushed tomatoes for the best flavor, and a little tomato paste from the tube, for thickness and a little more depth. Still fast and easy! Love it. Rich and hearty and a good amount of fresh veggies. I like 93/7 ground beef for this recipe too. No need to drain off the fat and it doesn’t get too oily/greasy. The butter flavor gets to shine through instead.
I’m confused and curious. Why would someone add oil to a pan to brown ground beef? I can maybe understand it if one is using 10% fat ground beef, but the vast majority of ground beef produces more than enough fat to accomplish whatever one is trying to do. Please educate me? Thank you! :)
Hi Barbara! The oil helps prevent the ground beef from sticking and scorching in the pan, especially if you are using a stainless steel skillet. xoxo
Thank you!
Ok, why didn’t anyone ever tell me that making homemade pasta sauce could be this simple and delicious? Love this! I only had canned diced tomatoes on hand, so I pulsed them in the blender for a few seconds and then used them in lieu of crushed tomatoes. So good!
So glad you liked it! It really is SO easy! If you partake in dairy products, I’d highly recommend trying out our brand-new recipe for Homemade Alfredo Sauce. Here’s the link: https://www.budgetbytes.com/homemade-alfredo-sauce/
~ marion :)
I didn’t see garlic in your recipe. Is there a reason why you don’t use it?
Hi, Janet! I think the main reason that Beth didn’t use garlic in this recipe is that it keeps the ingredient list extremely short, helping to make the sauce as easy and budget-friendly as possible! But please, don’t let that stop you from adding it to your dish! It will be fabulous and make the dish all the more flavorful. I would add it after you saute the onions. ~Marion :)
Hi Beth,
Would this sauce turn out with out the ground beef? I want to make meatballs on the side
I’m hesitant to give suggestions that we haven’t tested because they might not be successful. We have some similar recipes that might work out slightly better than this one for your end goal:
https://www.budgetbytes.com/pasta-5-ingredient-butter-tomato-sauce/
https://www.budgetbytes.com/skillet-meatballs-and-marinara/
https://www.budgetbytes.com/thick-rich-pizza-sauce/
I hope that helps! ~ Marion :)
I’ve been working my way through BB recipes this month to vary our routine (I’ve loved this blog and cookbook for YEARS). I didn’t expect much from “spaghetti sauce”— so simple. But YUM! We don’t eat spaghetti often because I don’t love pasta, but this was SO much better than watery jarred sauce! The kids ate it with pasta; I ate it over roasted cauliflower one night and PLAIN the next night, with crusty sourdough bread. This will definitely be a regular. I doubled it so the 4 of us had it 2 nights.
How much pasta is a batch for?
Six servings. That’s about 6 cups of cooked pasta. XOXO -Monti
I’ve tried lots of sauce recipes, but this and the 5 Ingredient Butter Tomato Sauce are my favorite (and they’re easy!). I use ground turkey instead of beef and fresh herbs when I have them. Sometimes I add shredded zucchini and carrots (I got the idea from the Hidden Vegetable Pasta Sauce recipe), and a splash of pasta water to thin it out a little. My family can’t get enough of this, and I don’t think I’ll simmer sauce on the stove all day ever again!
I would like to know can we freeze the sauce for later?
Yes, this sauce will freeze great. :)
This is so good! The first time I made it, I followed directions exactly and it turned out wonderful. The second time, I was feeling adventurous and doubled the Italian spices, added a bunch of fresh garlic and a bay leaf. Both ways, it was flat out amazing. Thank you for a great recipe!
I made this last night and it was delicious. I just love this site. It has taught me how to make decent meals at home without getting take out. It’s saving me money and keeping my sodium down for my blood pressure. I’m definitely a big fan.
Gave this a try this week. Served it over angel hair pasta. Perfect amount for my hubby and I to have two dinners with a little left for a small serving for each of us for lunch. We’ll definitely be making this again. Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes!
Wowie this was sooo good. I added garlic and paired with garlic bread.
Can you use tomato sauce instead of crushed tomatoes? If so, the same amount? Thanks!
Tomato sauce is going to have a very different flavor and texture than crushed tomatoes, so it will end up changing the final product.
Thanks for this!! May I ask why do you wait until step 5 to add the salt?
When you add salt at the end of a recipe it is more pronounced and you can use less with a greater effect.
Simple, flavorful, easy. Highly recommended.
So easy. So quick. So delicious!!!
This is crazy simple and so delicious. I added 2 cloves of garlic and used pasta sprinkle from Penzeys for the seasoning. It got rave reviews from both daughter and husband. Will make again!
I actually did eat this with a spoon when I was nursing. I had heated up my chili I brought for lunch at work and went to go pump while I ate it. I got all hooked up and took the lid off, dipped my spoon in and took a bite then realized it wasn’t chili. It was spaghetti sauce I had frozen for a future meal. Oops. I was already hooked up and didn’t have time to pump and go to the cafeteria but that was ok because as you said above, it is good enough to eat with a spoon. Love all your recipes!
The Weeknight Pasta Sauce is the bomb dot com!!! This is the very first time that I’ve made Spaghetti Sauce from scratch, and it is very easy to make. I used Ground Italian Sausage and Ground beef, sprinkled in some garlic powder, and added a little bit of fresh garlic to the dish. I served the Weeknight Pasta Sauce with Garlic Bread (off of this website) and a salad. I plan on making this dish again, and this sauce will be delicious used for Lasagna. Thank you so much for sharing Miss Beth!! 😁😁
Thank you Beth for this easy classic. It was so simple and delish!!! Kid approved by my 6 yr old. The only things I did different were add garlic to the cooking onion. Thank you again!
Hi! Can I use diced tomatoes rather than crushed tomatoes?
Yes you can, although you may have to puree it a bit.
This was delicious and easy to make, just as I’ve come to expect! I loved the idea of the eggplant so I actually cut up a small eggplant in to small cubes and added it with the onion. Worked really well.
So fast and good! Thankyou for this recipe :)
Thank you!
Turned out really well, but was upset that I could not find the recipe on the app.
Easy and delicious!
I used hot Italian sausage instead of the beef, cooking it until the sausage crumbles were lightly browned and almost crisp (a few minutes longer than just cooked). I didn’t need to add the Italian seasoning since I used a well-seasoned sausage.
Love the way the tomato gets almost paste-like and clings to bread and pasta.
I noticed you add the onion on top of the cooked mince. Isn’t it a good idea to caramelize onion on the pan first?
I don’t think caramelizing is ever a bad decision ;)
I literally just got through making this and it was so easy I kept feeling like I was missing a step. Lol. I added oregano and bay leaves and fresh garlic to the sauce but this was an amazing first time experience, making my own sauce and I will never buy jar sauce again. I love it
Ha! That’s okay! And happy to hear you enjoyed it!
This is great – and so quick and easy! Everyone loved it! I will make a point to always have the crushed tomatoes on hand. I used ground turkey since that what I had on hand, but otherwise stuck to the recipe as written. Mr Shiny said ‘you’re going to make this again, right?’ – which is high praise from him :)
Oh yes I love it! Happy to hear it’s going on the repeats!
Looks yummy but can’t have onions etc. Do you have any suggestions for low FODMAP meals?
We don’t have a specific tag for Low FODMAP, but did you know you can search our site for recipes by ingredient? There you can select the ingredients you can have such as artichokes, berries, and gluten free.
Easy, cheap and delicious. This really hit the spot! I followed the recipe to a T and I wouldn’t change a thing. I always think of red pasta sauce being an hours long ordeal if you want something really good, but this recipe proved me wrong! Thirty minutes and you have something great.
Happy to hear it Rachel!
amazing presentation ;) loved it
thank you so much..will definitely try this
I’ve made this pasta sauce several times, and it always turns out perfectly. Sometimes, I make changes, like adding chopped kale or peas (or both). Usually, however, I stick to the recipe, and everyone loves it. Thanks for posting.
Easy, delicious, and fast! Will definitely make again.
Can I use fresh tomatoes vs. can crushed tomatoes?
I don’t think it will turn out quite the same. Crushed tomatoes seem to have a lot more juice and a different flavor and texture than fresh tomatoes.
I love this sauce. It is simmering on the stove now and I can’t wait. I have made this at least a half dozen times so far. I once tripled it for a crowd and it still came out perfect. Thank you, thank you!!!
Super simple nice sauce without any fuss. Perfect for when you like, really don’t want to cook but you gotta.
This was fantastic! I’ve never liked pasta sauce enough to eat it with a spoon, but I did pretty much eat a large chunk of sourdough bread with this sauce and had no room left for pasta :) I’ve made it twice and the second time accidentally got diced tomatoes instead of crushed and it was much more watery, so I will definitely make sure to get crushed tomatoes next time. I was able to add a little cornstarch to thicken it up but it wasn’t as good as the first time! I’m now making my third batch of this to try with your Eggplant Parmesan!
Would it be possible to turn this sauce into a one-pot meal, that is, to cook the pasta in the sauce like your American Goulash recipe? I like the concept of the butter in this and I like the one-pot…ness of the Goulash, I’m just not sure how I’d combine the two (this sauce would need to be liquidier I imagine so the pasta could release starch and thicken it up.)
You would definitely want to simmer the sauce by itself first, because it needs at least 30 minutes for the tomatoes to sweeten up, and that would be way too long for the pasta. Then you could add more water and the pasta to simmer until the pasta is cooked, but then it will all take twice as long and you’ll probably get better results just cooking the pasta separately while the tomato sauce is doing its 30 minute simmer. :)
I LOVE this sauce! I have made it a bunch of times! It is the only spaghetti sauce I make now! I added a little bit of red pepper flakes for a kick.
I looked at the eggplant meatsauce post. Do you feel like bella mushrooms or white would work better for subbing in for the ground meat here?
I think bellas would work best. :)
What brand of crushed tomatoes did you use? I tried this out tonight and it seemed to be very bland and watery, but i feel that could be due to the kind of crushed tomatoes that i used.
I’m pretty sure it was just the Kroger generic brand. You can try simmering without a lid for 10 minutes or so to help reduce the sauce if it seems too watery for your liking. :)
It says minimum 30min simmer, but is there a maximum?
I haven’t tested the limits of the simmer time, but it could easily simmer on low for an hour with no problem. Make sure to stir occasionally. :)
Great sauce! I used ground turkey and added garlic in with the onion. Perfection 👌
totally amazing thanks for the recipe
After seeing how simple this was, I gave it a try and my family loved it! My two boys (4 and 6) don’t usually like sauce on their pasta and they gobbled it up. Thanks for this delicious and easy meal! This taste so much better than pasta sauce from a jar and it’s not much more work.
Pasta is never good and authentic without garlic. It’s the corner stone of pasta.
So….. Add it then? Hope you felt better getting that off your chest.
Hi Beth!
Do you have any recommendations for storage containers for freezing the sauce, and how long do you think these will be able to freeze for? StillTasty.com says tomato sauce can last a couple months in the freezer, but I’m not sure how the addition of cooked meat alters that time frame.
Thanks! Love your site!
Yep, I agree with the couple of months estimate. Storage times are always just an estimate, though, as the quality of frozen foods can depend on a lot of things, like how full your freezer is, the temperature setting, etc. Once the sauce is cooled you can transfer it to quart-sized freezer bags, or sometimes I like to use those blue topped Ziploc containers.
So I’m assuming you just take the lid off momentarily to see if it’s simmering and then put the lid back on for the 30 minutes, or do you simmer it for the 30 mins. with the lid off?
I have glass lids, so I can see without removing the lid, but it won’t do any harm to remove the lid once in a while to stir and make sure it’s still simmering. :) You can simmer without the lid, but you will probably get sauce splashed all over your stove top! Haha, and the sauce will be a bit thicker due to evaporation.
I don’t cook often, usually my roommate cooks. Her spaghetti is a household staple, I’ve always praised it. But I was bored at work and pulled Budget Bytes up and saw the picture of this and HAD to have it. The only thing I needed was crushed tomatoes and mushrooms which I decided to put in. And French bread, cause you can’t have spaghetti without garlic toast.
SO easy to make. And a huge hit. My roomie looked t me after tasting it and pronounced me as the new spaghetti maker.
Thanks, Budget Bytes, for creating more work for me. :)
Fortunately this spaghetti is so cheap and delicious and easy to make that I don’t mind.
You had my attention at $4.35 for the whole recipe. Definitely worth a try. I am adding it to the weekday meal list. Thanks!
So I have a fam of five, big meat lovers, and I’m wondering if I should scale the quantity up to make enough. But the ingredients don’t really lend themselves. Doubling all ingredients would be too much, I think. But I hate to use just part of another can and almost a pound of beef or whatever.
But if I put a whole pound of meat in, I’m afraid that will change the flavor balance.
Ideas?
I think your best bet would be to double everything and then freeze any leftovers you may have. :)
Thanks, sounds right.
I used a pound of turkey and it was great. At 20 minutes I add more seasoning if needed and turn the heat down to low to keep the liquid from absorbing too much.
This looks delicious! Any thoughts on making it in an Instant Pot?
I haven’t tried making a tomato sauce in the IP yet, so I’m not sure how the pressure cooking affects the acidity compared to stove top. It’s definitely worth a try, though! :)
I think this would lend itself very well to the instant pot. I prefer to make my tomato sauces in the IP now because of how well the flavors get melded. It’s like a 2 hour simmer in 30 minutes.
Geeves – do you have any tips for doing tomato sauces in the IP? I’ve tried making Bolognese in it a couple times, and it just refuses to come up to pressure.
Made this tonight-so easy and so tasty! This was so convenient for me to make since I usually have all these ingredients on hand. I made the recipe for two and of course I added garlic ( : Will continue to make again and again…there isn’t one recipe of yours I don’t love! Thank you Beth!
Made this tonight with some garlic and suntan cubanelle peppers. It was so delicious, the peppers gave a more acidic tangy flavor.
I’ve made this… I added a bit of sugar to cut the acidity a bit…easy and delicious!
this sounds just plain wonderful and I can’t wait to make it this week.