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Thick spaghetti sauce and noodles on a teal plate with parmesan and parsley.
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5 from 2 votes

How to Make Thick Spaghetti Sauce

An easy recipe to make the perfect thick spaghetti sauce in just 30 minutes for a delicious bowl of pasta.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: thick marinara sauce, thick pasta sauce, thick spaghetti sauce, thick spaghetti sauce recipe
Servings: 6
Calories: 258kcal

Equipment

  • Deep skillet
  • Sharp knife
  • Garlic press
  • Wooden spoon

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 23 ounce pasta sauce canned
  • 1 Tablespoon italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons cool water

Instructions

  • Use a deep skill to heat the oil over medium-high heat on your stove top. Add the ground beef and scramble fry it. As you brown ground beef, make sure to break up any pieces with a wooden spoon. Fry until fully cooked (no pink left). Drain grease if you have fatty meat with a lot of excess grease, if lean, it’s fine not to drain.
  • Add the chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent. (Or, if you cook them a little longer they will start to caramelize and turn golden brown - this is delicious as well.)
  • Add the pasta sauce, Italian seasoning, sugar, and garlic powder. Bring this to a boil, then allow to simmer, uncovered, at medium heat for at least 5 minutes.
  • If you would like the sauce to be thicker, but don’t want to spend a long time simmering your sauce, a simple trick is to create a slurry (milky mixture) by using a fork to combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. (It should be smooth with no lumps, add more water if needed but only as much as you need to achieve a smooth texture.) Add this to the spaghetti sauce. As you heat this through, on low heat, stir well. Continue to simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is the desired thickness. You may add more cornstarch slurry if you’d like to thicken the sauce - just a little at a time.
  • Salt to taste and serve.

Notes

Storage Notes

This easy homemade spaghetti sauce may be kept refrigerated for 3-4 days.  The best way to freeze it is in a freezer bag for up to 6 months.

Helpful Tips and Tricks

  • Be sure to drain the grease if you use a fatty meat that releases a lot of excess grease, when it cooks. If you use a lean ground beef, this won’t be necessary.
  • If desired, cook the onions longer so they start to caramelize and turn golden brown for more delicious, sweet flavors layered into the sauce.
  • When mixing the cornstarch slurry it should be smooth with no lumps before you add it to the spaghetti sauce.  Add more water if needed but only as much as you need to achieve a smooth texture to the slurry.
  • If storing in the freezer, allow the sauce to cool completely and then transfer it to freezer safe bags. Seal well, trying to get as much of the excess air out as possible sothe bag flattens out and takes up less room in the freezer.