How to Make Pasta Sauce

Making your own pasta sauce can give your pasta an even more delicious taste and can make you proud of creating part of a delicious meal. There are a variety of pasta sauces that you can make quickly and easily, whether you want to make a hearty meat-based sauce or a sauce that is more heavy on the cheese or veggies. Whatever you make, your own home-made pasta sauce will taste far more delicious than anything you can find in a can. If you want to know how to make pasta sauce, just follow these steps.

Ingredients

Pasta Sauce with Beef

  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 can whole tomatoes
  • 1 large can tomato sauce
  • 1 small can tomato paste
  • 1/2 chopped green pepper
  • 1 chopped small onion
  • 5-8 chopped white mushrooms
  • 1 rib chopped celery
  • Vegetable oil
  • Garlic powder
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Sugar

Arrabbiata Pasta Sauce

  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 4 cloves minced garlic
  • 3/8 cup red wine
  • 1 tbsp. white sugar
  • 1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
  • 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 2 (14.5 oz.) cans of peeled and diced tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

White Pasta Sauce

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup margarine
  • 2 tbsp. flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
  • 1 (15 ounce) can chicken broth
  • 3 tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. crushed rosemary
  • 1 dash nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese

Pesto Pasta Sauce

  • 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 1 large quartered garlic clove
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Pasta Sauce with Beef

  1. Image titled Make Pasta Sauce Step 1
    1
    Cook 1 lb. of ground beef in a frying pan. Pour a 1/2 inch (1.2 cm) layer of vegetable oil in the pan and stir the beef until it's almost browned. When it's almost ready, add in 1 finely chopped small onion and dust the beef with a light layer of garlic powder.
  2. 2
    Drain the grease from the beef. To drain the beef, tip the pan over until the grease pours out. You can keep the beef in the pan by placing a plate below the beef, which will keep the beef from falling down as the grease drips out below the plate.
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  3. Image titled Make Pasta Sauce Step 3
    3
    Mash one can of whole tomatoes with a potato masher. You can also use a fork to mash the tomatoes, but the consistency will be a bit thicker.
  4. 4
    Add 1 large can of tomato sauce and 1 small can of tomato paste to the mashed tomatoes.
  5. Image titled Make Pasta Sauce Step 5
    5
    Stir the tomato ingredients together.
  6. 6
    Add one pinch of cayenne pepper, one pinch of sugar, and lightly dust the sauce with garlic powder.
  7. 7
    Add 1/2 of a finely chopped green pepper, 5-8 finely chopped white mushrooms, and 1 finely chopped rib of celery to the sauce. Stir the ingredients together.
  8. 8
    Heat the sauce over medium-high heat until it bubbles. Then, reduce the heat.
  9. Image titled Make Pasta Sauce Step 9
    9
    Let the sauce simmer for 15-20 minutes. This will be enough to blend the flavors and soften the veggies.
  10. 10
    Add the beef to the sauce. Stir the beef and sauce so the beef absorbs the rich and spicy flavors of the sauce.
  11. Image titled Make Pasta Sauce Step 11
    11
    Serve. This sauce will be perfect with any pasta, especially a simple spaghetti or ravioli.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Arrabbiata Pasta Sauce

  1. Image titled Make Pasta Sauce Step 12
    1
    Heat 1 tsp. of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. You can also use a saucepan instead of a skillet.[1]
  2. 2
    Sauté 1 cup of chopped onion and 4 cloves of minced garlic in the oil for 5 minutes. The onion and garlic should turn a bit more brown and translucent.
  3. 3
    Stir the remaining ingredients into the skillet. Stir in 3/8 cup of red wine, 1 tbsp. of white sugar, 1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil, 1 tsp. of crushed red pepper flakes, 2 tablespoon (29.6 ml). of tomato paste, 1 tbsp. of lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. of Italian seasoning, 1/4 tsp. of ground black pepper, and 2 (14.5 oz.) cans of peeled and diced tomatoes. Mix these ingredients together well so that they become more sauce-like.
  4. 4
    Bring the sauce to a boil. It should take about 3 minutes to bring these ingredients to a full boil.
  5. Image titled Make Pasta Sauce Step 16
    5
    Reduce the heat to medium. Simmer the sauce uncovered for about 15 minutes. This will be enough time for the ingredients to blend.
  6. 6
    Stir in 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley. This will add a nice fresh flavor to the pasta sauce.
  7. Image titled Make Pasta Sauce Step 18
    7
    Serve. Scoop the sauce out of the pan with a ladle and serve it over your favorite pasta. This pasta sauce is perfect for penne pasta.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

White Pasta Sauce

  1. 1
    Melt 1/2 cup butter and 1/4 cup margarine in a saucepan over medium heat. Wait until the butter and margarine have turned to liquid.[2]
  2. 2
    Add 2 tbsp. of flour and stir. Stir the flour well with the butter.
  3. 3
    Add 2 cups of milk and 1.5 cups of half-and-half to the ingredients. Stir well.
  4. Image titled Make Pasta Sauce Step 22
    4
    Mix 1 (15 ounce) can of chicken broth and 3 tablespoon (44.4 ml). of cornstarch in with the rest of the ingredients.
  5. 5
    Heat the ingredients to a boil. Continue to stir the ingredients without stopping.
  6. 6
    Boil the ingredients for one minute.
  7. Image titled Make Pasta Sauce Step 25
    7
    Remove from the heat.
  8. 8
    Add spices and cheese to the pasta sauce. To complete your white pasta sauce, just add 1 tsp. of salt, 1/2 tsp. of crushed rosemary, 1 dash of nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder, and 1 1/2 cups of grated parmesan cheese to the sauce.
  9. Image titled Make Pasta Sauce Step 27
    9
    Serve. This pasta sauce can taste great with any pasta dish, especially linguine or angel hair. You can also place grilled shrimp or other seafood over the sauce. It also works as a cream soup base.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Pesto Pasta Sauce

  1. Image titled Make Pasta Sauce Step 28
    1
    Place the ingredients in a food processor. Combine 1 cup of packed fresh basil leaves, 1/2 cup of fresh parsley, 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup of pine nuts, 1 large quartered garlic clove, and 1/4 tsp. of salt in a food processor.[3]
  2. 2
    Cover the processor and blend the ingredients evenly. Stop frequently to scrape the sides so all of the ingredients are processed.
  3. 3
    Turn the machine setting to low.
  4. Image titled Make Pasta Sauce Step 31
    4
    Add 1/4 cup of olive oil and blend the ingredients. Continue to blend the ingredients until they're thick.
  5. Image titled Make Pasta Sauce Step 32
    5
    Serve. Serve this pesto pasta sauce with fresh fettuccine, chicken, shrimp, or broccoli.
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Things You'll Need

  • Frying pan
  • Large pot
  • Potato masher
  • Vegetables

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References

  1. ↑ http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Arrabbiata-Sauce/Detail.aspx
  2. ↑ http://www.food.com/recipe/white-sauce-for-pasta-155570
  3. ↑ http://www.askmen.com/fine_living/wine_dine_archive_100/145_wine_dine.html

About This Article

wikiHow Staff
Co-authored by:
wikiHow Staff
wikiHow Staff Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 194,987 times.
5 votes - 100%
Co-authors: 23
Updated: July 28, 2022
Views: 194,987
Categories: Featured Articles | Pasta Sauce Recipes
Article SummaryX

To make pasta sauce with beef, first cook the beef, adding the chopped onion and garlic powder when the beef is almost browned. Remember to drain the grease! Then use a potato masher or fork to mash whole tomatoes in a separate pan. Add the tomato sauce and paste and stir it all up. Spice your sauce with cayenne pepper, sugar, and garlic powder, then add the vegetables. Heat the sauce until it bubbles, then simmer it for 15-20 minutes. Finally, add the beef to the sauce and heat through. If you want to learn how to make a white sauce or a pesto for your pasta, keep reading the article!

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