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    Home » Budget Meals

    Ann's Spaghetti Sauce, Meatless or Meaty

    Oct 11, 2006 · Modified: Jan 1, 2022 by Andrea · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 10 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Ann's Spaghetti Sauce - Andrea Meyers

    This is Michael's mom's spaghetti sauce, the one he grew up with. His mom has quite a sense of humor. She jokes that she isn't Italian so she can't make Italian spaghetti, but she's Polish so she can make "Polish spaghetti." Authentic or not, it's a good, easy multi-purpose sauce that you can use for spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, or other baked pasta dishes, and you can cook it all day in the slow cooker or in a couple hours on the stove.

    Recipe Notes

    This makes an all-purpose sauce that we use for many things. Throw in some meatballs  during the last two hours of cooking, or use the sauce for lasagna. It's also delicious spooned over roasted vegetables.

    To make a meaty sauce, cook with browned Italian sausage, one pound spicy and one pound sweet.

    The sauce is naturally gluten free, so read the labels if you decide to add sausage or meatballs.

    Ann's Spaghetti Sauce - Andrea Meyers
    Print Pin

    Ann’s Spaghetti Sauce

    A Meyers family favorite adapted from Ann Meyers.
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time7 hrs
    Total Time7 hrs 5 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Keyword: budget meals, gluten free, pasta, sauce, slow cooker, tomatoes, vegan, vegetarian
    Servings: 18
    Calories: 45kcal
    Author: Andrea Meyers

    Equipment

    • 6-quart slow cooker or 6-quart pot with a lid

    Ingredients

    • 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes
    • 28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
    • 15 ounces canned tomato sauce
    • 12 ounces canned tomato paste
    • 1½ cups water
    • 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
    • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
    • 1½ teaspoons dried basil
    • 3 bay leaves
    • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (optional)

    Meat Sauce

    • 1 pound spicy Italian sausage
    • 1 pound sweet or mild Italian sausage
    US Customary - Metric

    Preparation

    • Slow cooker: Put all ingredients in the slow cooker and stir. Cook on high for 1 hour and then on low for 6 hours or more. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
    • Stove: Put all ingredients in the 6-quart pot and stir. Cover and cook on medium until the sauce just begins to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 2-½ hours. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
    • Meat Sauce Variation: Brown the Italian sausage and drain the fat. Add the remaining ingredients and finish cooking.

    Recipe Notes

    Nutrition information is for the meatless sauce. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 45kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 525mg | Potassium: 491mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 563IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Share in the comments!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dave Lindner says

      April 14, 2011 at 12:17 pm

      I don't wonder that this is a favorite. It reads remarkably close to a sauce I've been making myself for over 30 years. I use all sauce and paste and not the crushed and diced, leave off that optional italian seasoning (and the salt; there's plenty already even in plain commerical canned toamto sauces). But the pepper, garlic, basil, oregano and bay leaves read very familiar and their ratios to one another. I've got some cooking today, and there will be good eatin' tonight 🙂

      Reply
      • Cricket Wood says

        December 12, 2020 at 12:03 am

        Dave, I'm like you. I use POWDERED onion, garlic, tad of cumin, but the rest is like yours. (Allergy reasons) Depending on what I'm making, I might add meat to the noodles or chili powder for TX chili, etc. My family LOVES it. Been making it for over 40 years.

        Reply
    2. Hap says

      May 13, 2018 at 11:22 am

      Any suggestions for using and converting to fresh minced garlic vs. dried garlic?

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        May 18, 2018 at 9:24 pm

        Hi Hap. I have used both fresh and dried garlic in the sauce, and the answer depends on what type of dried garlic you use. If using garlic powder, use about 1/8 teaspoon for each clove of fresh garlic. If using dried minced garlic, try 1/2 teaspoon dry in for each clove of fresh garlic. Let me know how it turns out for you!

        Reply
    3. martha schaffer says

      July 28, 2018 at 7:31 am

      can I use fresh tomatoes?
      how to keep this sauce for use later

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        August 05, 2018 at 11:06 am

        Hi Martha. Yes, you can use fresh tomatoes. You may can to precook them and remove the skins, and then chop or crush them to make the sauce. I freeze extra sauce in quart containers and them thaw them out when needed. Thanks!

        Reply
    4. Jack C says

      February 11, 2022 at 3:02 pm

      Love this sauce. Doubled spices making it robust!

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. 12 Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Recipes : TipNut.com says:
      March 4, 2010 at 7:08 pm

      [...] Ann’s Spaghetti Sauce: It’s a good, easy multi-purpose sauce that you can use for spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, or other baked pasta dishes, and you can cook it all day in the slow cooker or in a couple hours on the stove. From Andrea’s Recipes. [...]

      Reply
    2. Just A Few Vegetarian and Vegan Crockpot Recipes for the Cold Months Ahead! says:
      October 8, 2013 at 8:51 am

      […] Spaghetti Sauce […]

      Reply
    3. The BEST From-Scratch Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce Recipes | Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker says:
      August 21, 2017 at 12:20 am

      […] The Kitchn uses whole canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and ground beef.From Andrea Meyers we have Ann’s Spaghetti Sauce, which you can make in a slow cooker or on the stove.  Andrea says about this meatless sauce, […]

      Reply

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