Name: From-scratch Spicy Meat Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: 1 Tbs olive oil; 1 medium yellow onion,, minced; 6 cloves garlic,, minced; 2.5 tsp red pepper flakes/ crushed red pepper,, divided; 1 red bell pepper,, diced; 2 lbs ground beef; 2 tsp salt,, divdied; 1 tsp pepper; ½ tsp dried thyme; ½ tsp dried rosemary; 5 Tbs tomato paste; 1 28 ounce can of crushed plum tomatoes; 1 cup strained tomatoes; 2 tsp oregano,, divided; 2 tsp basil,, divided; 1 bay leaf

This From-scratch Spicy Meat Sauce is a lighter Italian sauce full of ground beef, tomatoes, and a kick of chili flake heat! It’s a great dinner or meal-prep recipe option. Naturally Paleo, Whole30, Grain-free, Gluten-free, and Dairy-free.

We combined two of our favorite Italian sauces, arrabbiata and meat sauce, to create this Spicy Bolognese recipe. It basically is our favorite of both worlds: Spicy and meaty!

This lighter meat sauce is savory, hearty, simple and satisfying. It is full of protein and is very versatile. It tastes great on top of pasta, potatoes, rice, zoodles, spaghetti squash or veggies. It really goes with pretty much anything!

If you love a good tomato sauce with some spice, try our cherry tomato garlic sauce as well.

Why this recipe works:

It is a classic from-scratch meat sauce recipe but with a twist. There is added heat from the chili flakes! This recipe is great for those that love a kick of heat.
It can be served with an arugula salad, garlic bread, and veggies for a complete meal.
This lighter meat sauce is made with real food ingredients.
It is a high protein meal, which helps keep you full.
This recipe reheats well, which makes it a great recipe for meal-prep.
You can serve this recipe on top of a wide variety of foods and then turn the leftovers into chili.

Recipe ingredients

Ingredients needed to make spicy meat sauce.

beef– or any beef alternative. We often use bison instead of beef to make this recipe.
- This venison bolognese by Food Doodles is a great recipe using venison instead of beef.
onion and garlic– these give a great taste to the sauce.
red chili pepper flakes– this gives this recipe it’s spice!
bell pepper– we like to use red, but yellow or orange would work too.
thyme, rosemary, oregano and basil– we like to use dried versions of all of these spices.
tomato paste– this deepens the tomato flavor of the dish.
crushed tomatoes– this has more of a watery texture but lots of chunks.
strained tomatoes– this is a thinner type of tomato sauce with no chunks.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Additions/ Substitutions

Instead of beef, try bison or ground turkey.
Instead of fresh onion, you can use shallots or onion powder.
Instead of fresh garlic, you can use garlic powder.
Instead of the crushed and strained tomatoes, you can use a pre-made tomato sauce.

Step by step spicy meat sauce instructions

Step 1: Sauté the onion and garlic. Then add red pepper chili flakes. Add the red pepper and cook.

Step 2: Add the ground beef to the pan and cook until browned. Season the meat with salt, pepper, oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, and more red pepper flakes while it is cooking.

Step 3: Add the tomato paste to the meat. Add the strained and diced tomatoes, along with more oregano, basil, bay leaf and salt. Add water then mix the sauce together. Let everything simmer for 30 minutes.

Recipe FAQs

How do you spice up your meat sauce?

Adding red chili pepper. You can also add paprika, chili spice, or other seasoning with peppers in them.

What kind of meat can we use?

You can use bison, buffalo, beef, turkey, or pork.

Can you add vegetables to this sauce?

Yes! If you want to sneak vegetables into this sauce, we would add shredded carrots and zucchini.

How can you serve this meat sauce?

On top of spaghetti, zoodles, spaghetti squash, or rice. You can use this sauce to make stuffed peppers or chili. You can add it to potatoes or veggies.

Spicy meat sauce on top of pasta with Parmesan on top.

Prep 10 minutesCook 40 minutesTotal 50 minutesMakes 12 servings

Ingredients

1 Tbs olive oil
1 medium yellow onion,, minced
6 cloves garlic,, minced
2.5 tsp red pepper flakes/ crushed red pepper,, divided
1 red bell pepper,, diced
2 lbs ground beef
2 tsp salt,, divdied
1 tsp pepper
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried rosemary
5 Tbs tomato paste
1 28 ounce can of crushed plum tomatoes
1 cup strained tomatoes
2 tsp oregano,, divided
2 tsp basil,, divided
1 bay leaf

Method

In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté the onion and garlic in it until translucent for 4 minutes. Mix often. Add 2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes to the onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Reduce the stove heat to medium. Then add the red bell pepper and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the ground beef to the pan and break it up into pieces until browned. Add 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of pepper to the meat, along with 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp basil, ½ tsp rosemary, ½ tsp thyme, and ½ tsp red pepper flakes. Add the tomato paste and mix it into the meat.
Lower the stovetop heat to low-medium. Add the strained and diced tomatoes, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp basil, ¼ cup water, 1 tsp salt, and 1 bay leaf. Mix and then let everything cook and simmer for 30 minutes.

Notes

Instead of beef , try bison or ground turkey.
Instead of fresh onion, you can use shallots or onion powder.
Instead of fresh garlic, you can use garlic powder.
Instead of the crushed and strained tomatoes, you can use a pre-made tomato sauce.