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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!

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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!

Rate Print
4.63 from 95 votes

Great Grandma’s Pasta Sauce

By: Julie Chiou
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 beyond genuine and you will love it!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound (454 g) 80/20 ground beef OR 90/10 ground beef
  • 6 ounce (170 g) can tomato paste
  • 6 ounce (170 ml) water
  • 24 ounce (680 g) jar tomato puree
  • 5–6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • Pinch of dried oregano
  • Pinch of onion powder
  • Pinch of garlic powder
  • Handful of fresh basil, chopped
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
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Instructions 

  • In a large stockpot, saute garlic until soft and fragrant in 2 tbsp. of olive oil, about 2 minutes.
  • Throw your meat in with the garlic and brown until meat has been thoroughly cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season with 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.
  • 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

A lot of people have asked about freezing this. I have not personally done this myself but I believe if you freeze this in an airtight container or a jar, it will be ok for up to 2 months. Do not freeze it immediately after making it. You’ll want it to cool to room temperature before putting the jar or container in the freezer to prevent cracking.
On making this in the slow cooker: I’ve never made this in the slow cooker before, however, I believe it’s pretty do-able. This is what I would do: brown your meat, put it in the insert of the crockpot, then add all the other ingredients, stir, cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or high for 1-2 hours.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 263kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 23g, Fat: 9g, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 15g
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Photography by Jesse Reilly

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306 Comments

  1. I Did this recipe in the slow cooker. I did as Julie suggested and cooked the meat and the garlic first added all the ingredients in the slow cooker then add the meat stirred and cooked it for just over four hours on low. It is delicious!

  2. I have yet to make this recipe, but I wanted you to know that this grandma has made this recipe ever since I raised my family some fifty or so years ago! Can’t imagine why it raised such a fuss when you put it out there! Simpler for youngsters to navigate than meatballs and now grandpa appreciates the meat ground! Always have puree and paste on hand just in case!!! Too many ingredients sometimes spoil the pot, so to speak! Just a note—pretty much raised and married into Italian families!!

  5. Have you tried to cook this in a instant pot yet? If so how long and what settings? How long until it gets that mahogany color?

  6. This is EXACTLY the way my Italian grandma taught me to make sauce!!! It’s the only recipe I’ve found that is TRULY authentic! I’ve always doubled it because I have a large family. Then I make large meatballs and add to the sauce and simmer 4-5 hours!

  7. Can’t find tomato puree in the markets. Is there a substitute I could use (1st time I used stewed tomatoes)?

  8. I’m from Puerto Rico I do not know too much English but I will try to make that dinner it looks so good

  9. Hello
    I have 2 questions about this recipe. First, I have always heard, and believe myself, that you don’t add basil until the end of the cooking time.
    Secondly, what are those “seed-like” looking things in the sauce in the jars? Thanks.

    1. Hi, I only see one question in this comment, haha – the seed-like looking things are red pepper flakes.

  10. Wow, this was great! So rich and thick and my hubby and 10 year old son were practically licking their bowls!

    I didn’t have access to San Marzano tomatoes (as noted in some of the comments) so just used regular tomato paste and a 28-oz can of plain crushed tomatoes, which is what I had in the pantry. I cut the sugar in half to make up for the lack of San Marzanos, but it was still a little sweet for my family’s taste, so we might try 1-2 teaspoons of sugar next time. I sprinkled with red pepper flakes at the end, and we served it over cavatappi and chopped fresh baby spinach.

    We sat down to eat and I was going to get up and pour myself a glass of wine, but I took a bite first and the sauce was so stunning that I just kept eating and I completely forgot to get wine!!