Ground Beef Spaghetti

This easy ground beef spaghetti uses tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, dried herbs, and red pepper flakes. Make the meat sauce while the pasta cooks, toss everything together, and add Parmesan if you have it.

What You’ll Need

For the meat sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 onion, diced

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce

• 1 tablespoon chili powder

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

• 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

• 2 bay leaves

For the pasta

• 1 package (16 ounces) spaghetti

• Parmesan cheese, optional

Equipment

• Large skillet

• Large pot

• Wooden spoon or sturdy spatula

• Colander

• Measuring spoons

How to Make Ground Beef Spaghetti

1. Cook the onion. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.

2. Brown the ground beef. Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and 1 pound ground beef. Break the beef apart and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until browned and cooked through. Ground beef should reach 160°F. Drain excess grease if needed.

3. Build the meat sauce. Stir in 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce and 15 ounces tomato sauce. Add the chili powder, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, oregano, basil, and 2 bay leaves.

4. Simmer the sauce. Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer while you cook the spaghetti. Stir it occasionally so the bottom does not burn.

5. Cook the spaghetti. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to the package directions until it reaches your preferred doneness.

6. Drain the pasta. Drain the spaghetti thoroughly. Do not rinse it.

7. Remove the bay leaves. Find and discard both bay leaves before mixing the pasta into the sauce. Nobody wants to discover one halfway through dinner.

8. Combine everything. Add the drained spaghetti directly to the skillet. Toss until the noodles are evenly coated with the meat sauce.

9. Taste and serve. Taste before adding more salt or pepper. Serve with Parmesan cheese if using.

Don’t Screw This Up

Drain the beef when necessary. A fatty batch of ground beef can leave the sauce greasy.

Keep the sauce on low. Tomato sauce can stick and burn if the heat is too high.

Do not overcook the spaghetti. Start checking it near the lower end of the package’s cooking range.

Remove both bay leaves. Count them going in and count them coming out.

Taste before adding more salt. The recipe already contains Worcestershire sauce and 1 tablespoon of salt.