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You are here: Home / Recipes and Cooking Tips / Easy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Easy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

May 27, 2011 by Alea Milham 13 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here.
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How to make spaghetti sauce in only 15 minutes using canned tomato sauce and pantry spices.
Fast and easy spaghetti sauce recipe using pantry staples.
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This is a quick and easy spaghetti sauce recipe that can be made with pantry staples.

This quick and easy spaghetti sauce recipe is made using canned tomato sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. So delicious and flavorful, yet it only takes 15 minutes to make.

In the summer when I have plenty of tomatoes I enjoy making spaghetti sauce from scratch, but when fresh tomatoes are scarce I make this easy recipe using canned tomato sauce and pantry spices.

It is the spices that enable this sauce to be prepared so quickly. Using onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning ensures the flavors meld more quickly than if we used fresh onion, garlic, and herbs, so we can greatly reduce the amount of time the sauce needs to simmer. You can play with the spices to adjust the flavor to suit your taste.

I have found that because this spaghetti sauce doesn’t have diced vegetables in it, the sauce is popular even with picky eaters.

Easy Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

This spaghetti sauce recipe comes together in the amount of time it takes to boil your pasta. So put your pot of water on to boil, then start making this easy homemade sauce to serve over your noodles.

Ingredients:

  • (2) 15-ounce cans of tomato sauce
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • 2 teaspoons basil
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon thyme (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon rosemary (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon sage (optional)

Directions:

  1. Add all of the ingredients in a large saucepan or pot. Stir to combine. How to make spaghetti sauce using tomato sauce and pantry spices.
  2. Cook over medium-high heat until the sauce comes to a boil. Then place a lid on the pot and lower the temperature to low heat and simmer for 5 – 10 minutes.
  3. Serve immediately over your cooked pasta.

Unused spaghetti sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you will not use it within those 5 days, place it in a freezer-safe container and freeze it for later.

Spaghetti Sauce Video Tutorial

The printable recipe is below, but I wanted to show you how easy it is to make this homemade spaghetti sauce.

Large Batch Spaghetti Sauce

You can double or triple this spaghetti sauce recipe for future use. If you make a large batch, divide the spaghetti sauce between freezer-safe containers. You can freeze the spaghetti sauce for up to 3 months in the freezer.

This easy homemade spaghetti sauce recipe can be doubled or tripled.

Printable Recipe for Easy Spaghetti Sauce

This quick and easy spaghetti sauce recipe is made with pantry staples.
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Easy Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

This simple spaghetti sauce recipe comes together in the amount of time it takes to boil your pasta.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword easy spaghetti sauce recipe
Prep Time 2 minutes minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes minutes
Total Time 15 minutes minutes
Servings 8
Calories 42kcal
Author Alea Milham

Ingredients

  • (2) 15- ounce cans of tomato sauce
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • 2 teaspoons basil
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon thyme (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon rosemary (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon sage (optional)

Instructions

  • Add all of the ingredients in a large saucepan. Stir to combine.
  • Cook over a medium-high heat until the sauce comes to a boil. Then place a lid on the pot and lower the temperature to a low heat and simmer for 5- 10 minutes.
  • Serve immediately over your cooked pasta.

Notes

Unused spaghetti sauce can be store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you will not use it within those 5 days, place it in a freezer-safe container and freeze it for later.

Nutrition

Calories: 42kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 380mg | Potassium: 199mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 243IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg

 

More Homemade Sauce Recipes

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Easy Pizza Sauce Recipe

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About Alea Milham

Alea Milham is the owner of Premeditated Leftovers and the author of Prep-Ahead Meals from Scatch. She shares her tips for saving money and time while reducing waste in her home. Her favorite hobby, gardening, is a frugal source of organic produce for her recipes. She believes it is possible to live fully and eat well while spending less.

Comments

  1. Marcia says

    April 24, 2024 at 4:26 pm

    Simply perfect!

    Reply
  2. Esther says

    January 11, 2022 at 3:05 pm

    Why do you not add salt?

    Reply
    • Alea Milham says

      January 12, 2022 at 12:36 pm

      I don’t feel the need for it, but if you like it, then add it to taste.

      Reply
      • Will T. says

        May 11, 2025 at 4:55 pm

        When I was a kid, one of my favorite shows was “The Galloping Gourmet (yeah, I’m old). He said something I’ve never forgotten, “If you get a recipe from a book, a friend, or wherever, be sure to make it your own. Add your own little twist to it.”
        Tonight, we were out of sage, basil, and thyme.
        I crushed up two beef bullion cubes, used brown sugar instead of white, a browned a pound of ground beef.
        It’s cooking, right now. I snuck a taste and it’s the best I’ve made so far.
        My wife can’t stand for long due to an injury, so I’ve been doing the cooking for the past 2 years. She ADORES spaghetti and requested it for Mother’s Day.
        I’ve added this to my Pinterest repertoire.
        Thanks!

        Reply
  3. Connie says

    December 16, 2013 at 4:52 pm

    I know it makes the recipe seem more complex, but the addition of some parmesan cheese, basil and oregano, make this recipe sing!

    Reply
    • C Stewart says

      July 2, 2022 at 2:09 pm

      The recipe already calls for basil and oregano, but if 2 tsp in 30 oz of sauce is not enough for you then add more.

      Reply
  4. Melissa Jones says

    June 6, 2011 at 3:13 pm

    Take it easy! I hope all is resolved. You sound like me in your desire to just plow through…I had a cyst removed from my scalp last year and "moved forward" so much that I ripped the stitches out within a couple of days. Oops! But, if riding makes you feel better, then do it!

    This pasta looks just as good as any lasagna. Yum.

    Reply
  5. J L Health 918-836-0565 says

    June 2, 2011 at 8:11 pm

    Wow Alea…so glad everything went well for you!

    I made my own sauce for years and then started buying premade some time ago. I need to get back to it!

    Great post and thanks for hosting and sharing at the hearth and soul hop.

    Reply
  6. PSD To XHTML says

    June 1, 2011 at 10:37 am

    Yummy !! Its very colorful recipes and really awesome this post. interesting details share in the post. thanks

    Reply
  7. Alea Milham says

    May 31, 2011 at 4:38 am

    Thank you Tricia and Julie,

    I am feeling better, but in hindsight I should have scheduled a little recuperation time. 🙂

    Reply
  8. juliecache says

    May 31, 2011 at 3:13 am

    healing thoughts to you!

    Reply
  9. Hodgepodgemom says

    May 28, 2011 at 12:38 am

    My goodness Alea!! I had no idea. I know I might sound like a Mama but take it easy. Here you are having had a tumor removed and you are making spaghetti sauce and riding? Wow! (prayers for you)

    I appreciate your simple spaghetti sauce recipe.

    Reply
  10. Swathi says

    May 27, 2011 at 5:17 pm

    I haven't tried yet home made spaghetti sauce, mine is always Ragu brand. I will try this one.

    Reply

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Welcome. I'm Alea!

On Premeditated Leftovers I share simple recipes made with whole foods, practical shopping tips, time saving techniques, and meal planning strategies. I also share tips for minimizing food waste, so more of the food that is purchased ends up on the table.

While volunteering as a budget counselor, I realized that food is the element of most people’s budgets where they have the greatest control. I set out to develop low-cost recipes from scratch to prove it’s possible to create delicious meals on a limited budget. Eating well while spending less is about more than just creating recipes using inexpensive ingredients; it’s about creatively combining ingredients so you don’t feel deprived and are inspired to stick to your budget.

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