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Great Grandma’s Pasta Sauce has been passed down through the generations and it originated from a friend’s Italian great great grandmother. It is the most delicious, rich, flavorful, pasta sauce I’ve ever had in my entire life and I can’t wait for you to try it!
What makes great grandma’s pasta sauce so special?
My friend told me that for every Christmas and get together, his grandmother used to make her famous pasta dish.
It’s made with this homemade pasta sauce that simmers on the stove for hours.
This pasta sauce is like liquid gold.
It’s the most delicious, rich, flavorful, pasta sauce I’ve ever had in my entire life.
This pasta sauce was actually from his great grandmother who came over from Italy. YOU KNOW it’s good when it’s from a legit Italian. Not some Chef Boyardee character.
The secret to this sauce is the simmering process.
Low and slow, baby. That’s how all the flavors develop and marry one another in a sweet, luscious concoction.
If you want to taste what the Italians are so blessed with over in Italy, I suggest you give this pasta sauce a try. You won’t ever go back to your plain ‘ol marinara that you thought was good. This sauce here is genius.
And genuine.
Don’t hate on great grandma’s pasta sauce
As you can see in the comments section below, there was some haterade on this pasta sauce.
There is a multitude of ways to make pasta sauce. I am not claiming this is THE right and ONLY way to make it.
This is how his family makes it.
If this isn’t the way “your” Italian grandmother or mother or whatever makes it…please don’t yell at me and tell me so.
Recipes are passed down from generations for a reason.
Every recipe is different. Every recipe is modified for each family.
There no “right” way to make something. That is why recipes bring such joy in the kitchen; they can be changed up.
I’m bringing this up because of comments I’ve gotten about this recipe and thus have turned off commenting for that very reason.
This pasta sauce is so easy to make!
You literally need the most basic of ingredients:
- Ground beef
- Tomato puree
- Garlic
- Spices
- Fresh basil
- Water
Can I freeze this pasta sauce?
To be honest, I haven’t tried to freeze this before but I know others who have and it’s fine! I would put it in one of those plastic takeout containers and reheat on the stovetop (like defrost it then plop it into a saucepan).
Can this pasta sauce be made in the slow cooker?
Technically, yes, because the idea is to cook it low and slow. I haven’t done it myself but I know others have done it so I’d put it on low for 3-4 hours!
So many great recipes that you could use great grandma’s pasta sauce recipe in:
Grab the recipe for great grandma’s pasta sauce below and be prepared to get wrapped up in comfort!
Great Grandma’s Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound (454 g) 80/20 ground beef OR 90/10 ground beef
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 6 ounce (170 g) can tomato paste
- 24 ounce (680 g) jar tomato puree
- Pinch of dried oregano
- Pinch of onion powder
- Pinch of garlic powder
- Handful of fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 6 ounces (170 ml) water
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, saute garlic until soft and fragrant in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, about 2 minutes.5-6 cloves garlic
- Add your meat in with the garlic and brown until meat has been thoroughly cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.1 pound (454 g) 80/20 ground beef OR 90/10 ground beef, Salt and pepper
- Pour in the tomato paste, tomato puree, and seasoning, including the fresh basil and sugar. Stir to mix well. With the 6 oz. can from the tomato paste, fill that with water and pour it in the stockpot as well.6 ounce (170 g) can tomato paste, 24 ounce (680 g) jar tomato puree, Pinch of dried oregano, Pinch of onion powder, Pinch of garlic powder, Handful of fresh basil, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 6 ounces (170 ml) water
- Let mixture simmer, uncovered, for 2 or more hours (the longer the better, but minimum 2 hours), stirring occasionally.
- Serve hot over fresh pasta.
Notes
Nutrition
Photography by Jesse Reilly
I’ve used this recipe in the past and used uncased Italian sausage instead of ground beef. It’s always a hit, and I want to incorporate it into a gift basket. Do you think it would be safe if I made it and then canned it in Ball Mason jars?
If you’re familiar with canning and its food safety, then you can try it but unfortunately, due to liability reasons, I can’t suggest anything either way!
Hi Julie thank you for getting me back into making sphatti sauce , since my husband died in2011 I got away from making my own as he was the maker . Just happened on your page and this has quite a bit of his methods so I thank you it tastes wonderful and I’m grateful to get back into the swing and the family and their children are happy also . So once again thank you
Thank you for sharing! I’m so glad to hear this and so sorry for your loss.
Julie, this is as good as my stepfathers Italian Restaurant sauce! He was from Naples and was a chef/owner of a very popular Chicago restaurant which is still family run 60+ years later! I fondly remember the line cooks handmaking ricotta & chard handout raviolis every day and served with a delicious but simple “red gravy “ either with or w/o ground beef or a combo of sweet Italian sausage (casings removed) & ground beef or pork. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us! So simple and easy to prepare then it simmered for hours until we opened for dinner service. I always snuck the heel of crusty bread and dunked it into the sauce (& I still do at age 65!) and thoroughly enjoyed my special treat! Besides the fresh basil, what other seasonings do you use? I use oregano. I was craving Papas red gravy and although my marinara is good, it didn’t taste as good as his and now your family’s authentic delicious sauce. I did freeze after cooling in quart mason jars and when I wanted it, I defrosted it in the fridge overnight and cooked some penne pasta al dente and it was even better after reheating it! I especially love a chunky sauce so I didn’t mash my tomatoes down but left them a medium chunk. Again thank you! ?☘️
I’ve used all kinds of seasonings in this pasta sauce; I love changing it up every time. I have used Italian seasoning (most often) and I’ve also used just oregano, too.
Thank you. This might be just the recipe I’ve been looking for about 50 yrs. Wish me luck.
Oh! I hope you love!
Do you drain the ground beef?
No, I didn’t but if you find it to be too fatty, you can either switch to 90/10 next time (or something leaner) or skim the fat off the top.
I THINK JASON AND I HAVE THE SAME FAMILY! MY MOM’S /GRANDMA’S SAUCE IS ALMOST IDENTICAL. SOOOOOO GOOD!
Haha too funny!
Truly Delicious
Great recipe. I made it with fresh tomatoes and was the same (… even better) like the one we had in Italy a couple of years ago. Thank you for sharing.
Delicious I added a green capsicum plus a handful of chopped mint as well. Family really enjoyed it.
Making this tonight. We’re a bunch of oregano lovers, so my pinch was quite large. I can’t wait to see how it turns out! I used dried oregano, from my garden last year. After reading Jason’s story about his family in the comments I like to think his great grandmother would approve. It’s what I have on hand and it’s my most cost effective way to get herbs, very true to her recipe creation… I hope! I love that you haven’t changed a thing and I can’t wait to taste some of your family’s history. Thank you for sharing it with us all!
I hope you enjoyed! Thank you so much!