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Home / Dinner

Italian Meat Pasta Sauce | Simple Fresh Ingredients

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Creating the perfect Italian Meat Sauce is no easy task. Except this one was. I try my recipes at least 3 times before I declare it perfect, but this one was perfect the first time! The right mix of delicious Italian spices, mixed with 2 flavorful meats and just the right amount of tomato immediately made this a success! I'm confident you'll agree.

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Italian Meat Sauce with Ground Beef and Italian Sausage - Smooth, delicious and easy to make! Take spaghetti night to the next level!
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Italian Meat Sauce with Ground Beef and Italian Sausage - Smooth, delicious and easy to make! Take spaghetti night to the next level! #pastanight #spaghetti #Italian #meatsauce

Ragu vs Bolognese vs Meat Sauce

I had to do some research while I was creating this recipe because I kept calling it a bolognese. Turns out that both ragu and bolognese have cream and start with a soffrito mix. (Soffritto is a mixture of onions, carrots and celery that are the base of many Italian sauces.) So to keep this sauce honest, we're calling it an Italian Meat Sauce. It has a full pound of meat, so it seems appropriate.

Parmesan Rind will Instantly Kick up the Flavor

If you use fresh parmesan (which is really so much better than the stuff in the plastic bottle), then always save your rinds! Throwing them into your Italian Meat Sauce will mellow the tomato and add a creamy flavor without the actual cream. Some people claim it adds that elusive "umami" flavor to Italian sauces. Either way, you'll be so glad you saved it! It really makes a difference.

Italian Meat Sauce with Ground Beef and Italian Sausage - Smooth, delicious and easy to make! Take spaghetti night to the next level!

Using "Bronze Cut" Pasta makes a BIG difference!

So there are a million pastas to choose from and really, in the end, they're all tasting basically the same right? That is often true, except for Bronze Cut pastas. I recently tried these and boy does it make a difference!

Bronze cut pastas are cut by bronze dyes, rather than teflon. This creates a courser, more porous noodle that your Italian Meat Sauce will really cling to! Check out the photo above. No slippery pasta there, the sauce clings to every inch and makes for a more even coating and more delicious pasta experience. The pasta in the picture is by Hemisfares. It's their Reginelle Egg Noodle Nests. I found this in my regular ol' pasta aisle. (I didn't link this because the Amazon price is insane. It was around $4 at my local grocery store.)

Choosing Italian Sausage

There are so many choices at the stores now for sausages. Mild, sweet, hot, ground, in the casing and more! My preference for this recipe is mild Italian sausage. If you like some spice to your meal, go for the hot, but each brand's level of "hot" can be different.

My favorite place to get sausage for this meal is Sprouts, because they have fresh sausages in the meat case. One house made sausage is exactly half a pound. This way you get amazing flavor, without annoying leftovers, and the price is usually really good.

Loving this Italian Meat Pasta Sauce Recipe? Try these other great Italian recipes!

  • Italian Chicken Cordon Blue made with Brie cheese and Prosciutto. Simple make ahead recipe, easy enough for a weeknight dinner, special enough for entertaining. Delicious flavor!
    Simple Italian Cordon Blue
  • Italian Bacon Salad with warm homemade apricot dressing. Goat cheese, pistachios, bacon and spring mix salad.
    Italian Salad with Warm
    Apricot Dressing
  • Healthy Italian Stuffed Peppers | Gluten Free Vegetarian appetizer or lunch. So fresh and delicious and easy to throw together. Cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, basil and olive oil stuffed into a red pepper and heated through. Absolutely delicious!
    Italian Stuffed Red Pepper
  • White Bean and Feta Dip with Homemade Baked Pita Chips
    White Bean and Feta Dip
Italian Meat Sauce with Ground Beef and Italian Sausage - Smooth, delicious and easy to make! Take spaghetti night to the next level!

Italian Meat Sauce

Take spaghetti night to the next level!
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

  • ⅓ C olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion or large shallot finely chopped
  • ½ lb italian sausage I like mild, but you can go spicy if you want!
  • ½ lb ground beef
  • 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes or 2 15 oz cans
  • 6 oz tomato paste
  • ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning blend
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon worchestershire
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 1 parmesan rind

For serving

  • 2 lb pasta of your choice I like bronze cut
  • ½ C freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • fresh parsley for sprinkling on top

Instructions

  • In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil, then add the chopped onion. Cook until onion is translucent. Add sausage and ground beef and cook, stirring frequently, until browned and cooked through.
  • Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and all seasonings. 
  • Turn down to a simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add parmesan rind and butter and continue simmering for another 15 minutes. 
  • Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve some of the pasta cooking water. 
  • Taste sauce, add salt if needed. If sauce is too thick, add ½ C of pasta cooking water as many times as needed. I usually just add this once, but it depends on your preference. 
  • Serve pasta with sauce on top or mix together. Top it off with plenty of parmesan and parsley. Delizioso!!!

Notes

Using bronze cut pasta will help sauce stick the noodles. Trust me, it makes a big difference in both flavor and texture. It costs a bit more, but when you're making such special sauce, you want to be sure your pasta is on point!
Italian Meat Sauce with Ground Beef and Italian Sausage - Smooth, delicious and easy to make! Take spaghetti night to the next level! #pastanight #spaghetti #Italian #meatsauce

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Here at The Oven Light, we are always looking for ways to cut cooking time in half (or more!). We use shortcuts that don’t sacrifice flavor, we’re just getting smarter with our time. You won’t find “dump” meals here, but rather an approach to cooking that is mindful and intentional with time AND taste. 

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