Secret Ingredient Spaghetti Sauce

This quick and easy Secret Ingredient Spaghetti Sauce is a homemade spaghetti and meat sauce recipe, made with lean ground beef and canned diced tomatoes has a rich and meaty sauce with a secret ingredient that is delicious, healthy, and economical! You don't need any expensive ingredients to make incredible spaghetti sauce - just what's in your pantry! It's also Weight Watchers friendly.

Spaghetti is one of those meals that's popular all year long! I was inspired to create this sauce from an experience I had many years ago, as a student.

"Wow. This is the best spaghetti sauce I've ever had," I said. "Can I get the recipe?"  "Nope. Sorry, but it's a family secret,"  he replied.

"There's something in there that really makes the sauce, but I can't quite put my finger on it. What is that?" I asked.

🥘 Ingredient Notes

For this homemade spaghetti sauce, you'll need:

• Brown sugar. Brown sugar balances the tartness of the tomatoes. *This is one of my secret ingredients.
• Canned tomatoes. You don't need special canned tomatoes - I keep it economical and use any brand such as Unico or even No Name. Use whole tomatoes and crust them yourself, for a richer sauce. An easy way to crush them is to open the can and dip your immersion blender right into the can!
• Mushrooms. Using fresh is best! Mushrooms give this spaghetti sauce a great texture.
• Green pepper. Green pepper gives it a nice texture and color.
• Heinz chili sauce. Chili sauce adds a zesty flavor to this spaghetti sauce.
• Worcestershire sauce. Is salty and tangy and balances the tomato, creating a unami flavor that adds depth to the sauce. *This is one of my secret ingredients!
• Fresh herbs (basil, oregano, cilantro, and rosemary). Just like an authentic spaghetti sauce, fresh herbs make all the difference in this sauce.
• Crushed red pepper flakes. Adds a little spice!

*see recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities

Variations & Substitutions

• Green pepper- you can use a red, yellow, or orange pepper instead or skip the peppers altogether if you're not a fan.
• Tomatoes- you can use fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes. I recommend using Roma tomatoes
• Mushrooms- you can use canned mushrooms as a substitute for fresh mushrooms.
• Herbs - If you don't have access to fresh herbs, dehydrating your own herbs is the next best thing! You can also substitute store-bought dried herbs, but you'll need ½ the amount.
• Chili sauce - you can make your own chili sauce if you don't have any on hand.
• Add-ins - some people like to add a little dry red wine (¼ cup) to their spaghetti

🔪How to Make Secret Ingredient Spaghetti Sauce

1. Step 1: In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onions together until ground beef is browned Optional: you can add a tablespoon of olive oil

2. Step 2: Meanwhile, add tomatoes, tomato paste, green peppers, mushrooms, garlic, chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, herbs and spices together in a large pot.

3. Step 3: Stir together can cook on medium while the ground meat is cooking.

4. Step 4: When ground beef/onion mixture is browned, drain thoroughly and add to tomato mixture. Simmer on low for approximately 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are soft. While sauce is cooking, cook spaghetti as per package directions. Drain and serve with desired amount of sauce on top. Garnish with grated parmesan cheese and fresh oregano or basil, if desired.

🔢WW Points

This recipe is 6 WW points for the sauce. Add additional points, depending on what type of spaghetti noodles you are using.

🥗 What to serve with Secret Ingredient Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

A garden salad and Garlic Bread (shown) Italian Breadsticks are always a great standby to serve with spaghetti, but I also recommend Cloud Bread if you're trying to keep it light. For vegetables, l love this healthy Quick Cucumber Kimchi or a Strawberry Spinach Pecan Salad.

And for dessert.... Chocolate (Genoise)Italian Sponge Cake with berries!

👪 Serving Size

This recipe makes 6 servings. But you can double or triple the recipe by simply clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.

🌡️Storage

Store this pasta sauce in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Store spaghetti noodles in a separate container.

It freezes well for up to 3 months.

❔Recipe FAQ's

What to do with Leftover Spaghetti Noodles?

If you have leftover spaghetti noodles, like I always do, check out these 12 Easy Leftover Spaghetti Noodle Recipes!

📋More Pasta Recipes

🍝 Secret Ingredient Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

This quick and easy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce, made with lean ground beef and canned tomatoes has a rich and meaty sauce with a secret ingredient that is delicious, healthy and economical! It's also Weight Watchers friendly.

5 from 10 votes

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Course: dinner, main dish

Cuisine: Italian

Special Diet: weight watchers

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 193kcal

Author: Terri Gilson

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

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Equipment

• ▢
  skillet
• ▢
  large pot

Ingredients

• ▢ 1.5 lb extra lean ground beef
• ▢ 1 Small onion
• ▢ 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ▢ ⅔ cup mushrooms, chopped
• ▢ ½ green pepper
• ▢ 1 -5 oz can tomato paste
• ▢ 2 -28 oz cans of canned diced tomatoes
• ▢ 3 cloves minced garlic * add more or less to your liking
• ▢ ¼ cup Heinz chili sauce
• ▢ ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped basil * can substitute 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ▢ 2 tablespoon fresh, chopped oregano * can substitute 2 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ ½ tablespoon fresh, chopped cilantro * can substitute 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
• ▢ 2 teaspoon fresh, chopped rosemary * can substitute ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
• ▢ ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• ▢ ½ -340 g -box spaghetti noodles *(½ of a 12 oz box)

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Instructions

• Cook ground beef and onions together until ground beef is browned.
• Meanwhile, mix tomatoes, tomato paste, green peppers, mushrooms, garlic, chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, herbs and spices together in a large pot and cook over medium heat on stovetop.
• When ground beef/onion mixture is browned, drain thoroughly and add to tomato mixture.
• Simmer on low for approximately 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
• While sauce is cooking, cook spaghetti as per package directions. Drain and serve with desired amount of sauce on top.

Garnish

• Garnish with grated parmesan cheese and fresh oregano or basil, if desired.

Notes

Top Tips to elevate your spaghetti sauce: 

• • Tomato sauce is very acidic and brown sugar is necessary to tone down the 'tart' in the tomatoes and balance the flavors.

• • It's the Worcestershire that is truly the secret ingredient and gives it a depth of flavor and that ‘ je ne sais quoi’!  

• • The fresh herbs cilantro, oregano, rosemary, and basil are also critical.

Expert Recipe Tips:

• Use Whole Tomatoes for a Richer Sauce. If using canned tomatoes, opt for whole peeled tomatoes and crush them by hand for better texture and taste.
• Simmer Low and Slow. If you have the time, simmer longer because the longer the sauce simmers, the richer the flavor. Aim for at least 30 minutes, but longer is even better.
• Add a Parmesan Rind. For extra depth, drop in a Parmesan cheese rind while simmering and remove it before serving.
• Balance Acidity with Sugar. A pinch of sugar balances the acidity of the tomatoes and enhances the sauce's overall flavor. Brown sugar is best.
• Let the Flavors Marry Overnight. For an even better taste, let the sauce sit in the fridge overnight before reheating and serving.
• Deglaze with Wine or Broth. Deglazing the pan with wine or broth after browning meat helps lift flavorful bits and adds richness to the sauce. Not sure how to deglaze? Check out this Video: How to deglaze a pan
• Don’t Forget a Dash of Worcestershire Sauce. The secret ingredient enhances the umami depth, making the sauce more savory and complex.

Variations & Substitutions

• • Green pepper- you can use a red, yellow or orange pepper instead or skip the peppers altogether if you're not a fan.

• • Tomatoes- you can use fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes. I recommend using Roma tomatoes

• • Mushrooms- you can use canned mushrooms as a substitute for fresh mushrooms.

• • Herbs - If you don't have access to fresh herbs, dehydrating your own herbs is the next best thing! You can also substitute store-bought dried herbs, but you'll need ½ the amount.

• • Chili sauce - you can make your own chili sauce if you don't have any on hand.

• • Add-ins - some people like to add a little dry red wine (¼ cup) to their spaghetti

Storage

Store this pasta sauce in the fridge for up to 3 days in a airtight container. Store spaghetti noodles in a separate container.

It freezes well for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 193kcal (10%) | Carbohydrates: 9g (3%) | Protein: 25g (50%) | Fat: 6g (9%) | Saturated Fat: 3g (19%) | Cholesterol: 70mg (23%) | Sodium: 185mg (8%) | Potassium: 556mg (16%) | Fiber: 2g (8%) | Sugar: 5g (6%) | Vitamin A: 134IU (3%) | Vitamin C: 9mg (11%) | Calcium: 40mg (4%) | Iron: 4mg (22%)

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