Homemade Pasta Sauce Recipe Made Under 30 Minutes!

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Today’s recipe is for a quick and easy homemade pasta sauce. This pasta sauce is almost as easy as opening up a jar of sauce but, it’s a spaghetti sauce from scratch.

We love adding fresh vegetables to our spaghetti sauce. Do you? You can adapt this recipe with your favorite vegetables, add ground beef, use ground turkey meat, use ground Italian sausage… Or omit the meat altogether or omit vegetables.

It is a simple, versatile recipe to adapt and use for cooking fresh, homemade pasta sauce at home.

This spaghetti sauce is one of our 30-minute meals. Perfect for meal plans or when you are busy! Use this recipe for pasta sauce when you need to get dinner done quickly and don’t have a jar of sauce. 

Homemade Pasta Sauce Recipe

Do you enjoy having homemade spaghetti sauce? When spring and summer arrive, we love adding all our favorite fresh vegetables to the spaghetti sauce. Once you have this basic recipe steps down dinner can be made in no time flat. 

The best part is that it’s good tasting and healthy. Not to mention a quick considering you aren’t using a sauce in a jar. Honestly, you can make this any time of year but, produce is so much better in spring, summer, and fall. Hands up! Who agrees with me on this one? 

How to make pasta sauce from scratch

Adjust the recipe depending on how many people you are making it for. This recipe can easily be dinner for four people. (I hope to update this post’s images soon) 

Ingredients 

• (1) 24-32 ounce canned or jar of organic tomato sauce
• Three garlic cloves
• 1 onion minced (If you have one on hand, on this day I didn’t) 
• Olive oil
• Italian spices (this is my favorite brand)
• Cracked black pepper or ground black pepper
• Salt to taste
• One poblano pepper
• 3 small zucchini
• A small package of mushrooms

How to make pasta sauce 

Time saving tip! I pre-cook my ground beef, reserving half when I make tacos the day before. (recipe here) Store the cooked ground beef  in the fridge until ready to cook. Then pull out the ground beef to use in the sauce.

• If you want to add ground beef, cook it first. Drain any grease (if not using lean ground beef or lean ground round) and set it to the side. Set meat aside until the vegetables have been sauced. If not using vegetables skip this step. Then, follow the directions below. 

1. First, peel and chop the fresh garlic.
2. Next, I wash, dry, and slice the mushrooms, zucchini, the poblano pepper
3. Then add them into 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet.
4. Saute them all together on a lower heat.
5. Open and add your canned tomato sauce.
6. Then take a little water and swirl it in the can getting any leftover tomato sauce and pour it into your skillet too. 
7. Add the spices and cook on a simmer while stirring for up to 30 minutes.

Note- Always use non-stick kitchen utensils with your non-stick pan! 

30-minute Pasta Sauce

Toss in about one tablespoon of Italian spices and grind your pepper over your sauce. Don’t have peppercorns to grind? Just add about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. pepper or white pepper. Next, stir it all together and put the stove on simmer for at least 15 minutes. Add salt to taste. 

Optional spices

• 1 bay leaf
• Fresh basil (the Italian spices have basil in it) But, if you have an herb garden or have it on hand add a leaf or two to the cooking sauce. 
• Onions (minced and sauteed with the garlic) (I didn’t have any on this day for the sauce.) 

I love to have my pasta sauces cook more but, honestly, if you need to serve it up quickly you can stop here. Do you have more time? Cook it for 30 minutes or more on a low simmer stirring occasionally. Cover with a lid if cooking for longer periods. 

Homemade Pasta Sauce Recipe 

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Yield: 4

Homemade Pasta Sauce

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Homemade pasta sauce in 30 minutes! Yes, it's homemade pasta sauce from scratch that is made quickly and is delicious. You can easily adapt this spaghetti sauce recipe to be with or without meat to fit your taste. Easy to make, get dinner on the table quickly to feed your hungry kids or family. Enjoy this pasta sauce tonight!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1-2 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1-32 oz can of Tomato Sauce
• 3 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
• 1 poblano chile pepper (wash and seeded)
• 3 small zucchini (rinse and sliced)
• 1 small package mushrooms (presliced or wash and slice)
• Optional 1/2 lb. pound pre-cooked lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon Italian Spice Mixes
• Cracked Black Pepper or ground black pepper
• Salt to Taste 
• Garnish with Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

1. Peel and chop the fresh garlic. (and onion if you are using one)
2. Next, I wash, pat dry and slice the mushrooms, zucchini, and the poblano pepper. Add them into 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a slightly pre-heated pan on the stove-top.
3. Saute them all together on a lower heat.
4. Open and add your canned tomato sauce into the pan.
5. Then take little water and swirl with any excess sauce in the can, then pour it into your pan too.
6. Add optional pre-cooked ground beef.
7. One tablespoon of Italian spices and grind your pepper or add black pepper over your sauce.
8. Next, stir it all together and put it on simmer for at least 15 minutes 20 minutes.

Add sauce to cooked spaghetti noodles or other pasta noodles.

1. Start the water for cooking your package of spaghetti noodles while the sauce is simmering. Cook the pasta noodles according to the directions on your package for Al Dente.
2. Pour your cooked sauce over your noodles.
3. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.
4. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

• Adapt with 1 minced onion if you have one on hand. Saute it at the same time you satue the garlic.
• If you don't have peppercorns to grind? Just add about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. pepper or white pepper.
• Use Lean Ground Beef Optional (half pound pre-cooked) I usually cook it the day before when cooking Tacos. Then add it to the sauce. If cooking the same day see more notes below and add after you add the tomato sauce to the pan.
• Optionally you can use a second pan to cook, then drain lean ground beef to add to the sauce. Start cooking the ground beef first, as your gathering your other items to cook. When cooked add it to the sauce, after draining off any excess oils from the meat.
• Start the water for cooking your package of spaghetti noodles while the sauce is simmering. Cook the pasta noodles according to the directions on your package for Al Dente.
• Garnish with Parmesan Cheese
• I love using fresh seasonal vegetables such as red bell peppers, green bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, onions, and other peppers... Adapt the recipe by adding your favorites into this sauce after washing, chopping and adding to the pan for sauteing.
• Our favorite (Sauce Pan)

Time-saving tip! I pre-cook my ground beef, reserving half when I make tacos the day before. (recipe here) Store the cooked ground beef in the fridge until ready to cook. Then pull out the ground beef to use in the sauce.

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Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 424Total Fat 22gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 13gCholesterol 102mgSodium 1289mgCarbohydrates 21gFiber 6gSugar 12gProtein 38g

Not all nutritional information is 100% accurate.

How to cook spaghetti noodles for pasta sauce?

1. Cook your pasta in salted water that has been brought to a rolling boil.
2. Make your spaghetti noodles al dente by finding the shortest cooking time on the package (of spaghetti noodles or other pasta noodles) and following the package directions.
3. After your noodles are cooked al dente,  drain your noodles and serve them in a large serving bowl with the pasta sauce poured over your noodles.
4. Add fresh grated Parmesan cheese for garnish, at the table.
5. Serve and enjoy! 

Homemade Pasta Sauce that won’t disappoint! This is a quick, easy spaghetti sauce recipe that is perfect for when you are busy. Dinner in 30-minutes! 

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Looking for more quick dinners or easy dinner recipes? Or other meal-planning ideas?

Try any of these easy pasta recipes and add them to your meal plans

1. Italian Chicken Pasta Salad (30 minutes)
2. Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore 
3. Vegetarian Pasta Salad Recipe
4. One-Pot Nacho Pasta
5. 30-Minute Meals

Follow Theresa Huse’s board Recipes: Easy Dinners on Pinterest.

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