Spaghetti

Our favorite spaghetti is kid-friendly and made with a delicious homemade sauce making it the perfect family dinner recipe!

Spaghetti is probably the most kid-friendly pasta recipe to ever exist! Serve this spaghetti with a side of Breadsticks and a fresh Salad – your whole family will be thanking you!

Favorite Kid-Friendly Dinner

It seems like everyone I have ever met has “a spaghetti recipe” they know and love, and each one is different! Some have store-bought sauce, some homemade. Some have meat, some have veggies, and others don’t.

It just surprises me that they are all different, but I love that everyone has their own twist on this classic dinner recipe.

We too have a favorite spaghetti recipe we’ve made for years and love. That’s probably why we make this spaghetti for dinner so often (we also have a great Baked Spaghetti and Chicken Spaghetti)!

It’s simple, easy to make, and always tastes delicious, and everyone likes it. And honestly, leftovers taste exactly the same heated up as if it was just made (my kind of leftover)!! I usually serve it with some Cheesy Garlic Bread for one delicious meal!

How to Make Spaghetti

Our spaghetti recipe has a delicious sauce with just a hint of sweetness. The sauce takes some time since you simmer it for almost an hour, but I promise it’s worth it.

GROUND BEEF. Brown the hamburger in a large pan. Drain the fat if desired.

SAUCE. Throw in salt, pepper, tomato sauce and paste, water (with the bouillon cubes in it or beef broth in the can), sugar, basil, oregano, and garlic. Simmer on low for an hour.

PASTA. A few minutes before the hour is up, cook the box of spaghetti noodles as directed on the package. Once the noodles are cooked, add them to the sauce and serve immediately.

We like to top our spaghetti with grated (or even shredded) Parmesan cheese and some fresh basil if desired. It truly is so delicious!

Meatless option. If you would like a meatless version, cook the sauce without the hamburger, and just put a tablespoon of olive oil in the pan before adding any other ingredients. You can make Meatballs on the side if some people want the option to add meat!

Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce

I like to double this easy spaghetti recipe and cook it in a slow cooker. I store half of the sauce in the freezer for later! To make in a crock pot:

BEEF. Brown the ground beef and add to a crock pot.

SAUCE. Add all of the other sauce ingredients. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.  

Recipe Tips + Variations

This is our best spaghetti recipe, but you can easily change it up to make it your own tasty version.

Pasta alternatives. Try using zucchini noodles, rice noodles, or Spaghetti Squash in lieu of traditional spaghetti noodles.

Acidity level. If you find the sauce to be more acidic than you’d like, try adding one of these for every 12 ounces of sauce:

• ½ -1 teaspoon white or brown sugar
• ½ of a shredded carrot
• sautéed onions and mushrooms
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ⅛ cup Parmesan or Romano cheese

Ground beef. I like to use 80/20 ground beef because it is so flavorful. Since it produces so much excess oil, I will drain it before adding the meat to the sauce. If you use lower-fat ground beef mixture you can choose to add in the excess oil or drain it.

Use ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground Italian sausage in place of ground beef. For added flavor, mince 1-2 garlic cloves and add them to the ground beef. Brown in a large skillet.

Spice it up. Stir some red pepper flakes into the pasta sauce for some heat.

Fresh herbs. Use fresh herbs for great flavor. One teaspoon of dried herbs equals one tablespoon of fresh herbs. Dried herbs are added at the beginning of the cooking time, while fresh. herbs are added toward the end.

Pasta. In general, a serving size of pasta is 2 ounces of dry pasta per person. Drain pasta water.

Fresh Tomato Sauce

Using fresh tomatoes really adds great flavor. Making your own sauce adds about an hour to the cooking time but it is worth it!

1. Peel tomatoes. I recommend ¾-1 pound of tomatoes to make 8 ounces of sauce. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cut a small X on the bottom of each tomato and place them in the boiling water for 45-60 seconds. Transfer them to a bowl of ICE water. Peel the skin off.
2. Pulse the tomatoes in a food processor to your desired texture, then pour them into a saucepan. Simmer for 30-60 minutes. A thinner sauce will only need 30-40 minutes, a thicker sauce will need 50-60 minutes.

Storing Info

STORE. Leftover homemade spaghetti can last in the fridge for 3-5 days if properly stored in an airtight container. To reheat quickly, microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until hot.

If you have more time, reheat in the oven. Place into a baking dish, and cover with foil. Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake until hot. The actual baking time will depend on how much is being reheated.

FREEZE spaghetti in a couple of ways:

1. Freeze only the sauce. Cook sauce according to recipe directions, let cool, put into an airtight freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 6 months.
   • To use: thaw in the fridge, place sauce into a saucepan on the stovetop, and heat. Cook pasta according to directions.
2. Freeze both sauce and pasta. Make the sauce according to the recipe directions and cook the noodles al dente. Combine the two, cool, and place into an airtight freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months.
   • To use: thaw in the fridge. Place into a baking dish, cover with foil, and put in the oven preheated to 350°F. Bake for about 30 minutes or until hot.

Recipe FAQ

For more great pasta recipes, check out:

• Fettuccine Alfredo
• Chicken and Asparagus Pasta
• Goulash
• Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
• Homemade Mac and Cheese