This delicious meatless spaghetti sauce is made primarily from tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, fresh herbs, and spices. It can be used in so many pasta dishes!
Hey cousins! As many of you know, I love spaghetti! I can eat it every darn day, but only if I make it, because some people just don’t know how to make it right! I swear, ain’t nothing worse than some boring spaghetti, especially when you’ve been looking forward to having some all day. It reminds me of when I was a child. An adult family member had asked me what my favorite meal was, and I told them spaghetti. They promised to make me a plate of their “famous” spaghetti when I would come over to their house the next time so I asked to spend the night the following weekend. My little greedy self was so excited to try this so-called “famous” spaghetti. Well, the weekend approached, and it was time to see what the hype was about. I remember my Grandpa coming out of the kitchen before the family member served the spaghetti, and he said “Baby, you’re not going to like the spaghetti. Just say that you’re not hungry, and I’ll buy you a happy meal later”. I was so confused on why he wanted me to lie. I really wanted to try the spaghetti. Until it was brought out to me. Y’ALL! My Grandpa knew that his grandchild and her little smart mouth would’ve said something had he not prepared me. The “famous” spaghetti was simply a plate of bland noodles and jarred sauce on top! I remember politely saying “no thank you”, and hoping that my Grandpa would really buy me a happy meal, because I was mad y’all! I did not want that watery bland spaghetti! LOL!
Don’t be like my unidentified family member! Don’t ever serve boring spaghetti or ANY boring pasta for that matter. In this post I’ll be sharing my secret homemade spaghetti sauce. This sauce is foolproof, so anyone can make it! It’s super flavorful, and you can use it for lasagna, spaghetti, stuffed shells, and more. Let’s get into the details!
How to Make Meatless Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce: You can use your favorite brand, but, to be honest, I usually use a generic brand or whatever is on sale at the time.
Crushed Tomatoes: I just use regular crushed tomatoes in juice. I buy generic, or whatever is on sale, just like the tomato sauce.
Diced Tomatoes: I use regular diced tomatoes. No need to buy the tomatoes with basil or garlic because we will add those ingredients later.
Herbs De Provence: I prefer herbs de Provence over Italian Seasoning. However, you can use Italian Seasoning instead if you choose.
Seasoning Salt: I only use Rosamae Seasonings, which is my brand. It’s a combination of salt, garlic, onion, thyme, and more herbs!
Sugar: I don’t use enough sugar to make it sweet, because we’re not making a dessert. I add just enough sugar to balance the flavors, and to bring down the acidity level down from the tomatoes
Ground Black Pepper: Adds a nice earthy, smoky undertone to the sauce.
Fresh Oregano: You just can’t make a homemade sauce without fresh oregano. Don’t skip this ingredient folks!
Fresh Basil: This is another ingredient that shouldn’t be left out. Fresh basil pairs so well with tomatoes, and definitely enhances this pasta sauce
Olive Oil: Needed to fry the onions, bell pepper, and garlic.
Yellow Onion: I love adding sweet yellow onions in my pasta sauce. They add another level of flavor to the sauce.
Green Bell Pepper: There’s something about fresh bell peppers in pasta sauce that I just love. Especially when they’re picked out of my garden (which is one of the only things that I can actually grow).
Garlic: If it doesn’t have garlic, then I don’t want it! Garlic is a MUST for this recipe.
Instructions
- Drizzle the olive oil into a large saucepan, and heat it up over medium heat.
- Once the oil gets nice and hot, add in the diced onions and bell pepper.
- Cook the onions for about 3 – 5 minutes, or until tender, then add in the garlic.
- Cook the garlic and onions for about two more minutes, then turn off the burner, and remove the pan from the heat.
- Set the slow cooker on high, and add in crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.
- Stir the tomato mixture, then sprinkle in the seasoning salt, Herbs De Provence, fresh oregano, fresh basil, black pepper and sugar.
- Stir the ingredients until well combined, then place the lid on the slow cooker.
- Let cook on high for 4 hours.
- Use immediately, or freeze for later use.
Meatless Spaghetti Sauce Tips & Tricks
What makes spaghetti sauce taste better?
Making a homemade spaghetti sauce will definitely taste better than store bought, and the right ingredients can definitely make spaghetti sauce taste better! Try stepping out of the box, and add a nice amount of fresh ingredients like bell peppers, freshly chopped garlic and onions. Also, don’t shy away from fresh herbs like basil and oregano.
What is a secret ingredient for spaghetti?
My secret ingredient for my homemade spaghetti sauce is herbs de Provence! Most people use Italian Seasoning, but I prefer this French blend. Perhaps it’s my Creole roots, but I can’t get enough of the stuff. The combination of savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme and oregano really jazzes up my spaghetti sauce beautifully
How to make if you do not have a slow cooker
If you do not have a slow cooker, you can make this recipe on your stove top. Simply use a large pot, and cook over low heat for 4 hours. Be sure to peek in, and occasionally stir the sauce to prevent the bottom from burning. If you don’t want to cook this meatless spaghetti sauce low and slow, you can cook it over medium heat for 1 hour. I highly recommend letting it slow cook! In my opinion, the sauce just tastes a lot better after a low, slow simmer!
How to store spaghetti sauce after making it
I almost always make large batches of this sauce, and freeze it for later use. I simply portion it out, and pour the sauce in freezer bags. I then label the freezer bags with the date made, then lay it flat in my deep freezer until I’m ready to use it. If I plan on using the sauce within a few days, I just store the sauce in a food storage container.
Dishes to use with meatless spaghetti sauce
What to serve with pasta
Whenever I make spaghetti, I like to serve it with simple sides such as a garden salad and French bread or breadsticks.
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Ready to make your own meatless spaghetti sauce? Watch this video tutorial, and be sure to print the recipe down below!
Homemade Meatless Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
- 29 oz Tomato Sauce
- 28 oz Crushed Tomatoes
- 28 oz Diced Tomatoes
- 2 ½ tsp Herbs De Provence
- 3 ½ tsp Seasoning Salt
- 2 tsp Sugar
- 2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 2 tsp chopped Fresh Oregano leaves
- 3 tsp chopped Fresh Basil
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 large Yellow Onion diced
- 1 large Green Bell Pepper diced
- 6 – 8 cloves Garlic minced
Instructions
- Drizzle the olive oil into a large saucepan, and heat it up over medium heat.
- Once the oil gets nice and hot add in the diced onions, and bell pepper.
- Cook the onions for about 3 – 5 minutes or until tender, then add in the garlic.
- Cook the garlic, and onions for about two more minutes, then turn off the burner, and remove the pan from the heat.
- Set the slow cooker on high, and add in crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce.
- Stir the tomato mixture then sprinkle in the seasoning salt, Herbs De Provence, fresh oregano, fresh basil, black pepper, and sugar.
- Stir the ingredients until well combined, then place the lid on the slow cooker.
- Let cook on high for 4 hours.
- Use immediately, or freeze for later use.
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