This Authentic Italian Pasta Sauce comes courtesy of my friend Roseanna’s maternal grandmother Rosina Tegano. She would make pasta every Thursday night for dinner and Sunday for lunch using this pasta sauce.
This sauce recipe is almost 100 years old! She would often add meatballs into the simmering sauce. This is some of the best homemade pasta sauce I have ever had. She also shared her Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti recipe. Yummy!
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If you are Italian or have Italian friends, you know they make everything in huge quantities. This recipe is no different.
Unless you are feeding a small army. I would suggest cutting the recipe in half or preserving the sauce in mason jars or something similar.
You can also substitute the ground beef with ground turkey if you prefer. I’ve made it both ways and they are both delicious!
Just use what you have on hand. And if you happen to prefer a green sauce with your pasta, make sure you try my Pesto Sauce Recipe. Yummy!
If you are fortunate enough to own an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker you should also try my Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce recipe. Super easy to make!
If you are looking for some ideas on what you can use this delicious pasta sauce with I suggest you check out my Italian Stuffed Pasta Shells. Yummy!
Gather your Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Authentic Italian Pasta Sauce recipe (see recipe card for quantities): Olive Oil, Yellow Onion, Garlic Cloves, Basil, Dried Oregano, Parsley, Chili Flakes, Diced Tomatoes, Tomato Paste, Salt, Ground Black Pepper, Water, White Sugar and Ground Beef.
How to Make Authentic Italian Pasta Sauce
- In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Stir in the onions stirring until almost translucent.
- Add the garlic and keep stirring so the garlic does not burn.
- Add all the spices, stirring together with the onions and garlic. Once the spices are mixed into the onions and garlic, quickly add in the jars of tomatoes as well as the tomato paste and stir together.
- Add the water, salt, pepper, and sugar cup and stir together. If the sauce is still too thick, add a bit more water. Taste the sauce, and if it is still too acidic, add a bit more sugar to cut the acid of the tomatoes.
- Bring the covered pot to a boil, stir once again, then reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered for a couple of hours.
- While the sauce is simmering, fry 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef or turkey in 2 Tbsp of olive oil.
- Season with parsley, salt and black pepper to taste. Drain meat in a colander to remove fat, and add to the pot of simmering sauce. Keep stirring until the meat is incorporated into the sauce. Keep stirring every so often so that the sauce does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Once the sauce has thickened to your liking, turn off the heat and enjoy with your favorite pasta.
Rosie’s Authentic Italian Pasta Sauce
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Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Cup Yellow Onion, diced
- 6 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 2 Tsp Basil
- 2 Tsp Dried Oregano
- 2 Tsp Dried Parsley Flakes
- 2 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 80 oz Diced Tomatoes, drained
- 4 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 ½ Tsp Salt
- ½ Tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Cup Water
- 1 Tbsp White Sugar
- 1 ½ lbs Ground Beef
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onions stirring until almost translucent.
- Add the garlic and keep stirring so the garlic does not burn.
- Add all the spices, stirring together with the onions and garlic. Once the spices are mixed into the onions and garlic, quickly add in the jars of tomatoes as well as the tomato paste and stir together.
- Add the cup of water, salt, pepper and sugar and stir together. If the sauce is still too thick, add a bit more water. Taste the sauce, and if it is still too acidic, add a bit more sugar to cut the acid of the tomatoes.
- Bring the covered pot to a boil, stir once again, then reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered for a couple of hours.
- While sauce is simmering, fry 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef or turkey in 2 Tbsp of olive oil.
- Season with parsley, salt and black pepper to taste. Drain meat in colander to remove fat, and add to pot of simmering sauce. Keep stirring until meat is incorporated into sauce. Keep stirring every so often so that the sauce does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Once the sauce has thickened to your liking, turn off the heat and enjoy with your favorite pasta.
I just love this recipe. Very flavourful.
I made this sauce for company that were coming and everyone just loved it. It was very Italian and very tasty. I will keep this recipe for future uses.