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Why You’ll Love My Recipe
Full of simple, classic flavours, this homemade meat sauce may just become a household favourite. You can even make extra and freeze some for later.
For more classic pasta recipes, why not try this Classic Spaghetti Pie, or some Creamy Garlic Alfredo Sauce Fettuccine? Make some Homemade Garlic Bread Recipe – Using Sourdough! and a big bowl of Kale Caesar Salad to round out the meal.
Reader Review
Wow! This was delicious. Cooked according to recipe. Came out perfect. Lots of flavor. Definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing.
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: This is an easy recipe.
- Total Time: This pasta takes approximately 3 hours to make.
- Variations: Personalize the seasonings in this sauce. Make some Cajun Seasoning to add more warmth, or add a splash of your favourite hot sauce. Dice up some bell peppers, throw in a handful or two of spinach, use a can of Rotel or seasoned diced tomatoes.
- Tools Needed: For this recipe, you’ll need a large pot, a cutting board, a knife, a can opener, a spoon, a colander, and a large pan.
What You’ll Need For Ingredients
Pasta: Even though this recipe mentions penne, you can use whatever pasta you like best. Try shells, rotini, or bow ties will hold on to the meaty sauce. Spaghetti, fettuccini, and other longer noodles will also work.
Meat: This recipe calls for ground beef, but you can use any ground meat. Try ground chicken or turkey for something leaner. Ground lamb and ground pork will both offer completely different flavour profiles. You can even use a meat substitute.
Sauce: Multiple forms of tomatoes and a variety of seasonings make the base of this sauce. Mushrooms, garlic, and onion add even more depth to the flavour. Alter the seasonings to match your own personal taste.
How to Make Penne Pasta with Homemade Meat Sauce
This is a brief overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In a large pan, cook the meat and onions over medium-high heat until the beef is browned and the onions are soft. Drain excess grease.
- Add garlic and cook until it’s fragrant.
- Stir in ketchup, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, mushroom pieces with liquid, seasonings, and bouillon.
- Cover with a lid and simmer on low for 2 hours. Add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Remove the bay leaves and garnish with fresh parsley.
- Boil pasta in a large pot, according to package instructions. Drain water.
- Serv topped with the meat sauce and some grated Parmesan.
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for Making Penne Pasta with Meat Sauce
Other Uses for This Sauce: Use this sauce in a Pasta Bake, a lasagna, or any of your favourite pasta dishes. Add some extra seasoning and use it as a sauce over Classic Homemade Garlic Bread or some Cheese Bread. Pour it over a pan of cannelloni or use it as the base for a chili. This sauce has endless uses. Experiment and have fun.
Suggested Additions: This a perfect recipe for hiding vegetables from picky eaters. Add some finely grated carrot or chopped spinach to the sauce. Finely diced vegetables like bell peppers or zucchini would add even more nutrition. Sprinkle on some grated Parmesan, or shreds of whichever cheese you enjoy most. If you’d prefer your vegetables on the side, mix a big salad. Add some hot peppers or hot sauce if you like your sauce spicy.
Storage Instructions
Fridge: Once the sauce is fully cooled, you can store it in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Freezer: Put the sauce in either one large container, or several smaller ones, depending how you plan to use it later. You can store it in the freezer for several months.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
Looking for more ideas for pasta meals?
Try making some Egg Noodles with your favourite sauce.
Load up on veggies with a Vegetable Lasagna.
There you have it, everyone. A meaty sauce that you can use on any pasta. Try it out and let me know what you think.
Happy Cooking!
Karlynn
Penne Pasta with Meat Sauce
Ingredients
- 454 grams penne pasta
Homemade Meat Sauce
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 medium onions diced small
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ cup ketchup or tomato paste *
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 10 ounces can mushroom pieces. NOT drained!
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 beef bouillon cube
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley to garnish
- freshly grated Parmesan, to top
Instructions
Meat Sauce
- In a large saucepan, cook the ground beef and onions on medium-high heat until the beef has browned and cooked through, and the onions are soft. Drain the grease and add in the garlic. Sauté until the garlic is fragrant.
- Stir in the ketchup, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, mushroom pieces and the liquid from the can, Italian seasoning, bouillon cube, pepper, and bay leaves.
- Cover with a lid and simmer on medium-low heat for 2 hours, stirring frequently to ensure it doesn’t burn.
- Taste and season to taste – add more sugar to cut the acidity, more Italian seasoning or salt/pepper if wanted.
- Remove the bay leaves.
- Garnish with fresh parsley.
Penne Pasta
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil over high heat. Cook the penne in the boiling water until the pasta is cooked completely but still is firm when you bite it (Cook it to al dente.) This takes around 10-11 minutes depending on the brand of pasta used.
- Drain and serve topped with the meat sauce. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top.
Notes
- Make the meat sauce ahead of time and prep a double batch! See the meat sauce recipe for freezing instructions.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Carol says
Haven’t made it yet but it looks good. Similar to the sauce I make
Betty J says
Wow! This was delicious. Cooked according to recipe. Came out perfect. Lots of flavor. Definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing.
Greg Gibson says
Made this today, most excellent! Paired with homemade ceaser salad dressing, garlic parmesan butter and olive oil toasted french bread and when we have room cake with homemade frosting.