Spicy Spaghetti Sauce

There’s nothing quite like a homemade spaghetti sauce, especially when it’s a spicy spaghetti sauce recipe that turns up the heat with crushed red pepper flakes. When simmered for hours, this homemade pasta sauce recipe fills the house with its wonderful aroma. Adding ground beef and mushrooms creates a hearty, filling meal that’s nice and warm on a cool day.

Ingredients for Spicy Spaghetti Sauce

• Ground beef: Adding ground beef turns the spaghetti sauce into a meat sauce, adding protein in the process.
• Onion: Onion adds flavor to the meat and the homemade spicy spaghetti sauce.
• Tomato juice and tomato paste: These canned tomato products team up to create a wonderful tomato-flavored base.
• Mushrooms: Using canned mushroom stems and pieces saves time compared to cleaning and slicing fresh mushrooms. Drain the liquid from the can before adding it to the sauce.
• Seasonings: Minced fresh parsley, garlic salt, dried basil, sugar, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes and bay leaves add loads of flavor to the pasta sauce.
• Spaghetti: Prepare the spaghetti according to the package directions. If you time it right and cook the pasta near the end of the sauce’s simmering time, the pasta will be ready at the same time as the sauce.

Directions 

Step 1: Brown the beef

In a Dutch oven, cook the ground beef and the onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink. Drain any excess grease.

Step 2: Cook the sauce

Stir in the tomato juice, tomato paste, mushrooms, parsley, garlic salt, basil, sugar, oregano, pepper flakes and bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce, uncovered, for 2 hours and 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard the bay leaves. Serve the sauce with warm spaghetti.

Recipe Variations

• Make it spicier: Add more crushed red pepper flakes to make the sauce even spicier. You can also add different types of peppers, like jalapenos or green chiles.
• Increase the garlic: Use garlic powder instead of garlic salt to amp up the garlic vibes. Or add a few cloves of minced garlic for even more flavor.
• Swap in ground turkey: You can turn this recipe into a ground turkey recipe by swapping in ground turkey for beef. Turkey tends to be leaner than most ground beef blends, so you may need to add a splash of oil when browning the meat.
• Use fresh mushrooms: Instead of canned mushrooms, add any mushroom variety to this recipe. You can even use a mix that includes multiple varieties such as shiitake, lion’s mane, king trumpet or oyster mushrooms.

How to Store Spicy Spaghetti Sauce

When the sauce cools, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Store any leftover cooked spaghetti in a separate container. The sauce and cooked pasta will keep for up to four days in the fridge.

Can you make spicy spaghetti sauce ahead of time? 

You can make spicy spaghetti sauce up to four days ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Cook the pasta just before mealtime, and reheat the sauce in a saucepan over medium heat until warmed through.

Spicy Spaghetti Sauce Tips

Can you add sausage to spicy spaghetti sauce recipes?

Feel free to make spicy sausage spaghetti with bulk Italian sausage instead of ground beef. Cook the sausage as directed for the ground beef and drain any excess grease before adding the remaining ingredients.

Can you make spaghetti sauce without a Dutch oven?

You can use any heavy-bottomed pan to make spaghetti sauce. For this recipe, use a pan that can hold at least 2 quarts. Avoid using thin, flimsy pans as they don’t heat evenly.

What other types of pasta would taste good with homemade spicy spaghetti sauce?

We use spaghetti noodles, but most pasta shapes would taste great with spicy spaghetti sauce. Use penne for a dish similar to penne all’Arrabbiata, or go with linguine, rigatoni or farfalle bowtie pasta for a playful touch. Zucchini noodles (aka zoodles) are also great with a spicy sauce.