I love Italian food and especially linguine with spaghetti sauce and sweet sausage! Pasta is the ultimate comfort food, and letting the tomato sauce simmer for 4-5 hours builds a rich, delicious sauce with incredible flavors that Italian grandmothers love to make.
You’ll see many recipes for “Quick and Easy Spaghetti Sauce” and in a pinch they’re fine. But making spaghetti sauce like Nonna or your favorite Italian restaurant isn’t difficult — and once it’s on the stove, there isn’t any more you need to do other than an occasional stir of the pot for this simple recipe.
When it comes to cooking, it’s about the ingredients and the technique. In this case, the ingredients are minimal and the cooking technique is easy to follow. What makes this sauce exceptional is letting it simmer and build the rich flavors that we love.
And that, my friends, is the real secret to good tomato sauce. And this great recipe is a versatile one that you can absolutely make ahead for use on pasta for easy dinners on busy weeknights, but it can also double as a pizza sauce, or you can even use it as a dipping sauce for your garlic bread or mozzarella sticks.
Ingredients to make restaurant-style spaghetti sauce
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Authentic Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Sausage. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Do I have to use sausage to make this pasta sauce?
No, you don’t. You can use this recipe and just eliminate the sausage. Sausage or pork bones do add additional flavor, but if you let it simmer for four or five hours, it will still be an amazingly delicious spaghetti sauce even without the sausage.
If you want to add other meats, ground turkey, ground beef, or plant-based alternatives can work well, too.
How to make Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Sausage
Start by browning the sausage in a large pot with olive oil. My favorite pot to use for this sauce is a Rondeau. It’s been an essential piece of cooking equipment throughout my career as a chef at the restaurants I’ve worked at and in my home.
Chef Tip
*You can use spicy Italian sausage if you like heat, but I prefer the milder regular or sweet Italian sausage. I found the addition of red pepper flakes to the sauce will add enough heat for my tastes.
You can also use sausage meat (out of the casing) if you want a meatier sauce. That alone or combined with ground beef is another delicious way to make a meaty sauce.
After the sausage has been browned add the diced onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent. Don’t let the onions or garlic burn.
When that step has been completed, add the tomatoes and fresh basil, sea salt, sugar, and black pepper to the pan.
Sometimes I save half the basil to add to the spaghetti sauce when it’s finished cooking. I like how the basil cooks into the sauce, but some prefer to add it the sauce at the end of the cooking process, so it adds a brighter, fresher basil flavor.
What is the best type of tomato for spaghetti sauce?
While you can use fresh tomatoes to make a homemade sauce, I only use San Marzano tomatoes. San Marzano tomatoes are prized for their balanced and distinct tomato flavor. I also find them to be less acidic.
My wife has problems with most tomato sauces unless they’re made with San Marzano plum tomatoes.
Where can I buy San Marzano Tomatoes?
You can find San Marzano tomatoes at just about every grocery store. In the larger chains, you’ll even find different brands, including organic varieties. But all San Marzano tomatoes are not created equally. You’ll find some brands contain less tomato and more juice, and some may actually be from other regions.
The volcanic soil and the microclimate of the Campagna region account for their balanced, rich tomato flavor. In Italy, tomatoes labeled as “San Marzano” must adhere to strict DOP (the Italian-protected designation of origin) guidelines, which govern where they’re grown and how they’re processed.
Using the same plant or the same seeds in another region of Italy or other countries will not make San Marzano tomatoes.
How do I tell if the tomatoes are really San Marzano?
The easiest way to tell if the tomatoes are fake is if they contain crushed or diced tomatoes. San Marzanos are only certified whole or in fillets, peeled, and canned.
And since you’re buying tomatoes whole, you need to crush them for the spaghetti sauce. I use an immersion blender for this task.
7" Fixed Shaft, Submersible, 2 Speed, 100 Watt, Professional Restaurant Kitchen Grade.
I love that I can use the immersion blender right in the can, it makes clean-up easy and purees tomatoes, soups, and sauces perfectly.
Once the sauce is finished, just serve this delicious spaghetti sauce over your favorite pasta. If you choose, garnish with fresh parsley or basil.
Who’s ready to sit down to a plateful of delicious homemade spaghetti with sausage? After one bite, you’ll agree that this is the best homemade spaghetti sauce you’ve ever tasted.
But here’s the best part: tomorrow, it’s going to taste even better. When I make a big batch of spaghetti sauce, I wait two days before I freeze it so the flavors have time to build.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also store this sauce in a freezer bag for up to 6 months.
Recipe FAQ’s
Yes, you can. Italian sausage, meatballs, ribs, or just about any meat can be put directly into the sauce raw as long as you are cooking the sauce until the meat is cooked. The internal temperature of the meat must be at least 165 degrees.
*Searing the meat before adding it to the pot will make the sauce more flavorful.
I love using the sauce to make Chicken Parm or Eggplant parm. It’s so much better than jarred spaghetti sauce. You can also add cream and Romano or parmesan cheese to make a Rosa Sauce (aka Vodka Sauce).
Yes, it does. And I always make a large batch of sauce when I do make spaghetti sauce and freeze enough for those days I don’t feel like cooking. It will last up to 3 months in a tightly sealed container.
More Pasta Recipes You’ll Love!
Restaurant Style Spaghetti Sauce with Sausage
Ingredients
- 4 cloves fresh garlic chopped
- 120 ounces crushed tomato (four 28-32 ounce cans) San Marzano if possible
- 2 pounds sweet Italian sausage
- 2 bunches fresh basil finely chopped
- 1 medium onion diced
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sea salt or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon sugar optional
Instructions
- In a large heated skillet or saucepot add olive oil and sausage. Saute sausage on both sides until it browns.
- When the sausage has browned add the diced onion and chopped garlic. Continue cooking until the onions are translucent, but do not allow them to burn!
- Add crushed tomatoes, rinse cans with just a little water and add to the sauce (if crushed tomatoes are not available use whole tomatoes and crush by hand or with an immersion blender).
- add chopped basil, sea salt and black pepper to taste (don’t over season, you can always add more later). If you choose to add sugar now is the time to add it.
- After your sauce has reached a boil, reduce the heat to simmer and continue to cook for at least two hours. If you've got the time let it simmer for 4-6 hours for an amazingly rich tomato sauce.
Trish
Hello!! I have all the ingredients!!! I am wondering though, if I need to remove the sausage from the casings before browning? I am using the kinks, not the ground. If you could reply I’d appreciate it. Thank you.
Trish
Chef Dennis Littley
I serve the sausage whole with the pasta, so I don’t remove it from the casing.
Denise
Easy and excellent!
Felicia Afifi
Well I made this again but once again I decide to make your sauce when I have to make substitutions and adhere to special requests. This recipe is a great and easy base for so many different versions. This one was vegetarian since I did not have the sausage and it was once again a Monday and late. I added a bit of onion powder since I only had 1/2 an a large onion. Added a bay leaf, salt, pepper and a bit of Italian seasoning from Penzey’s. I did simmer it for an hour. And got many compliments. Served with pan seared chicken and a huge salad and sliced sourdough. Oh and of course fresh parmesan. Thank you for sharing such a versatile recipe.
Chef Dennis Littley
Your very welcome and adapting a recipe to suit your needs is what cooking is all about. I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the sauce.
Felicia Afifi
I love this recipe! Although I have to let you know that since the weather was so windy and dangerous to drive I did cook out of my pantry. I had 1/2 pound each of sweet and spicy Italian sausage, one can of puréed Pom tomato sauce, onion and garlic and then I had to use what was not really in your recipe. I had 3/4 of a jar of Rao’s marinara as the rest of the tomato sauce and since it had basil in it I was lucky. My basil had gone off and I could not use it. I simmered it for about an hour. I figured the Rao’s had already simmered and since it was inching up to 7pm on a Monday I had to cook the pasta. So good and I cannot wait to actually use your complete recipe next time.
Chef Dennis Littley
Knowing how to make food using what you have on hand is a valuable skill. I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the sauce even with the changes. I look forward to hearing how it comes out next time you make it.
Nancy Kim
I didn’t follow the recipe precisely; not because I’m one of those people, but because I realized I only had 3 cans of tomatoes on my shelf and one bunch of basil and I didn’t feel like getting dressed to go to the store. For the 4th can of tomatoes I used half a can of tomatoes I had leftover in the freezer, a small can of tomato sauce and a squeeze of concentrated tomato paste in a tube. I figured that would be close to a whole can. For the second bunch of basil I used dried basil, about 2 tablespoons.
This was delicious and simple to make. Well, it will be simple next time when I have all the ingredients. Better yet, I will have a lot of leftover sauce for other meals. Normally, when I make sauce it’s with 2 cans of tomatoes.
Valerie
I’m trying this, but I’m curious about the lack of any spices.
Is that correct?
Chef Dennis Littley
Yes it’s correct, It has garlic, onion, basil, salt and pepper. That’s really all you need for a spaghetti sauce.
Karen
Chef Dennis, this recipe of yours is very much how I’ve been making my sauce for years! I usually brown my sausage separately in a skillet before adding it to the sauce. I did try it your way today by browning the sausage using the same pot in which you make the sauce. I did feel that there was a lot of grease from the sausage left in the pot so I removed a good amount of it. My question is:
do you remove any of that sausage grease from the pot before adding the tomatoes or do you leave it all in the pot?
Your sauce was delicious! I knew it would be because it is very much like my own!!😊
Chef Dennis Littley
hi Karen
I think it depends on the sausage as to how much grease is in the pot. I use Botto or a local brand for my sauce and both seem to be low on grease output, so I don’t dump any out. I know when I make bolognese there is a ton of grease and I usually take out about half. I removed it all once and my sauce wasn’t as flavorful. Sadly fat equals flavor. Use your judgement on how much you should keep, most will mix back into the sauce but it all comes down to what you feel comfortable with and your dietary needs.
Lisa
Chef Dennis,
My family couldn’t stop praising me for this dinner! Thank you for sharing your recipe and making me look like a top Italian chef.
Chef Dennis Littley
thank you for your comment and great review Lisa, you made my day!! I hope you find more recipes to try on my blog to feed your friends and family!
Chip
Chef Dennis,
My first time making sauce, I made a 1/4 batch for 2 people (turns out that is 1 can of San Marzanos tomatos from Costco, and we’re going to have leftovers) Smells delicious, and has 3.5 hours to simmer before dinner. Thanks for this! (also my first time using an immersion blender)
Chef Dennis Littley
I hope you enjoy the sauce as much as we do! I’ll have to check out Costco for the tomatoes, never thought of looking there.
Erin
Delicious sauce. It could easily use more sausage if your family is likely to eat more. I have five boys and a husband to feed so I would double it next time.
Chef Dennis Littley
I would definitely add more sausage feeding than many men!
Justin Derr
I am going to try and make the recipe tonight but I have always been told to add fresh herbs at the end of cooking but dried are okay to add in the beginning. Gonna try your way and the other will hopefully remember to leave feed back. Thanks for the reciepe.
Chef Dennis Littley
You can add them either time, I like to let them cook in the sauce and always add some fresh basil when I reheat the sauce I’m using for dinner.
Justin Derr
Gotcha thank you again is was really good.
Justin Derr
Coming back with some feed back it was very good your way but I am still gonna try the other way and see where they both lie.
Mike M
Bookmark This Tab! My first time ever trying to make my own sauce. I was looking for a recipe that included the Italian Link Sausage. This turned out perfect at 2 hours simmer time. I can’t wait to try a 4 hour simmer.
The recipe as posted makes a lot of sauce. I fed 5 and have enough left for about 8 more dinners. Next time, I’ll probably cut it in half.
Chef Dennis Littley
it gets better the longer you let it simmer, Mike. I made a 6 hour batch last week that was ah-mazing! You may need to add a little more water to it as it cooks down. And let set in the fridge for a day or two before freezing, the flavors get even better
Adam
Chef Dennis, I am so happy I came across your website. I used to cook a lot at home, but the past couple years I fell into the rut of making the same dishes over and over. I made this sauce yesterday and it was a massive hit. My wife does not typically like sausage, but for this dish she said I should have added more and my hard to please 13 year old went back for seconds. I am looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Chef Dennis Littley
hi Adam
thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and your great review! I’m very happy to hear you and your family enjoyed the sauce, I’ve been making it for more years than I care to remember! You can always add some meatballs to the sauce as well as the sausage. I have another recipe for sauce with meatballs and lots more recipes I’m sure your family will love!
fred
Was good. I upped the garlic substantially, added a diced green pepper, and some oregano and thyme. Also, I initially failed to brown the sausages enough so removed them after the first 45 mins or so and browned them up separately in oil, then removed the fond from that pan with a little white wine vinegar and poured everything back into the sauce.
Kathy
Absolutely wonderful Chef! I wanted to make this for our friends instead of going out as some places are not seating. The tomatoes on our 6ish & 70ishyear old tummies is the best balance of acid. Didnt have to take medication. I used the sausages and also made the chicken parmesan with Italian spaghetti as a side. It may be lots of meat but so delicious you could not get this in a restaurant here near us. I will definitely be using this forever. Thank you Chef!