The internet is an amazing place, full of (recipe) fact and fiction, particularly when it comes to homemade Spaghetti Sauce Recipes; many of which claim they are “the recipe to die for”.
In Italy, because a homemade spaghetti sauce (“sauce” a/k/a “gravy” and “ragù” if they contain meat) recipe is so regional (there are 20 recognized regions) there is no such thing as a right or wrong homemade spaghetti sauce recipe. Each region often adds its own twist to a homemade recipe. But, so many American versions of a homemade spaghetti sauce recipe are so far afield they don’t approximate ANY regional recipe. They are purely American recipe inventions and lack the heart and soul of any of the authentic homemade spaghetti sauce recipe versions.
Here are two of the stupidest homemade spaghetti sauce recipes I’ve seen to date. As opposed to dying for these, you might want to kill instead.
One is a YouTube video where the “chef” mixes up a recipe with umpteen different spices and herbs with…are you sitting down… ground turkey, and calls it a meat sauce recipe. He would be hung by dawn if he tried this homemade spaghetti sauce recipe on anyone in Italy.
HHHHHEEEEELLLLLPPPPP !!!!
Homemade Spaghetti Ragù (with meat) Recipe – serves 8 (approx. $1.00 per serving)
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 lb. ground pork
- 4 Medium White Onions chopped fine
- 3 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes, preferably packed without citric acid
- Olive Oil – six tablespoons
- Sugar – two tablespoons
- Sea Salt – one tablespoon
- Black Pepper – two teaspoons
- 1 1/2 lb. Spaghetti or Macaroni
When the homemade spaghetti ragù is finished, cook the spaghetti or macaroni until extra firm or al dente, in salted water. This means far less time ( see our Pasta-101 article/recipe ) than the cooking instructions on the box call for.
Drain the spaghetti, add two large ladles of homemade spaghetti ragù to the same pasta pan over a low heat, return the drained spaghetti to the pan and toss, like you would a large salad. Make sure all the spaghetti is covered in homemade sauce, adding more as needed, but not so it is swimming or dripping. Serve spaghetti with several additional spoonfuls of the homemade spaghetti sauce on top of each dish and a heavy dusting of either Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
NO dried herbs, particularly oregano, that’s for a pizza sauce recipe only, trust me. And NEVER, EVER, mix onion and garlic in the same recipe. Either ONE or the OTHER, but not both in the same recipe. Period. It’s simple things like this that make American tourists swoon about the food in Italy.
Hope you enjoy this Homemade Spaghetti Sauce recipe!
at 2:42 am
I lived in Italy many years ago still the food I like best! Great recipe. Thank you.
at 10:44 am
Three points on the homemade recipe:
Onion and garlic are used in the same soffrtitto in some regions.
I wouldn’t advise using sugar in the recipe. Sugar is considered too aggressive a sweetener, or even an insult to the tomatoes, by many Italians. Besides, adding it to the recipe (to not quite sweet enough tomatoes) will bring out their acidity: just as lemon juice added to strawberries – a very Italian practice – brings out their sweetness.
Dried oregano is often used for making tomato sauce with canned tomatoes (home canned or store bought). Mainly in Sicily and certainly no further North than Naples. It is unheard of in the cuisines of the center and of the North.
at 9:34 am
I agree completely that fresh ingredients and simplicity are keys to real Italian cuisine. All my grandparents were born in Rome and my husband is an Italian citizen, from Ascoli Piceno in the Le Marche region. He’s also a fabulous cook! We therefore cook a lot of homemade authentic Italian recipes at home and spend a lot of time dining with family and friends in Italy. I have eaten countless authentic homemade Italian dishes with garlic and onions combined in the same recipe so I’m curious why you advise that garlic and onions are never to be used together in the same recipe.
Grazie!
at 5:34 pm
I have been to Italy many times. It is at the top of my list of places to travel. We love the food and the simplicity of it. I would visit Italy every year if my budget allowed.
I also add sugar to my spaghetti recipe and I am glad to know about oregano. I also saute Portobello mushrooms in olive oil with onions in my recipe.
at 4:23 am
Thank you for the homemade recipe tips. You did leave out one very important recipe tip to make sure the serving plates are warm.
at 8:11 pm
got recipe through your twitter link. thanks for the share. loved the recipe.
at 9:32 am
I know sugar is just a matter of taste, and I advocate eating what pleases you. Sometimes we can be such food snobs, that we forget not everyone has the same taste buds. But Sugar is not a traditional ingredient for a tomato sauce recipe. It’s an insult to tomatoes!
at 3:31 am
Thanks for the recipe! Growing up in America, I can’t say that I haven’t grown accustomed to the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink pasta sauce recipe, but I did go to to Italy and food did seem to be fresh and simple. It will be hard for me to omit the garlic from the recipe. Very hard, but I will try. Also, I’m happy to hear you aren’t opposed to a bit of sugar in the recipe. I always add a little and it really rounds out the flavors. There have been times when the tomatoes were sweet enough that I didn’t need the extra sugar in the recipe, but usually I add it.
at 5:02 pm
Bravo! You deserve to be commended for clearing this up! Two things make Italian cooking; Fresh – and simple. And you got it! Thanks for a great blog. I just discovered it and plan to keep on visiting!