A Dutch oven spaghetti sauce that roasts for hours at a low temperature.

If you love spaghetti sauce as much as my family does, then you’ve probably wanted to make a homemade sauce that’s inexpensive and doesn’t make a mess or require constant stirring.

Enter my Dutch oven homemade spaghetti sauce. A red sauce recipe that sits in the oven on low heat for hours.

I’ve been hanging onto this recipe for a long time.

It’s another one of those “don’t share it with anyone, Mom” family favorite recipes like my White Chocolate Covered Candy Mix.

Well, I’m sharing it now. Because if you’re anything like me, you value your time, your money, and delicious, nutritious food.

(Scroll to the bottom for the recipe card!)

Baked in the Oven, In a Dutch Oven

This marinara sauce recipe is easy to assemble. Just add canned tomatoes (San Marzano are my favorite brand), garlic, Italian seasoning or fresh herbs, and red pepper flakes (the amount to your liking), and a touch of sugar together in a Dutch oven and let it cook at a low temperature for hours in the oven. (Note, I don’t add tomato paste as this will thicken on its own.) Finish it with some red wine and parmesan cheese to enhance all the flavors.

It’s a low maintenance recipe, too. I take it out of the oven and stir it two to three times during the cooking time, which is usually 5 or 6 hours in total.

No Meat, No Mess

Making your spaghetti sauce in a Dutch oven cuts down on splatters and mess significantly.

Nothing boils over because the oven is at a low temperature (250 degrees Fahrenheit).

Also, I don’t add meat to my spaghetti sauce. My family prefers that I roast Italian sausages in the oven or make homemade meatballs using a mixture of ground pork, lean ground beef and veal.

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What is a Dutch Oven?

A Dutch oven is an enameled cast iron dish with a lid and two handles.

I own two of them – a green one and a blue one – and I have gifted these to my young adult children.

I use them for making sourdough bread, ratatouille, boiling water for pasta, soups, and more. I absolutely love my large Dutch oven – that’s why I have two!

This is my favorite tool to use for this recipe (the Dutch oven, of course!)

How Can You Serve Dutch Oven Spaghetti Sauce?

I usually serve it straight up on our favorite pasta with meatballs or cooked Italian sausage.

But you could also use this sauce for lasagna, any Italian baked casserole that calls for marinara sauce, or as the marinara sauce for hot submarine sandwiches like a meatball sub.

What Side Dishes Go with Marinara Sauce Made in the Dutch Oven?

Aside from pasta and meats, I usually have an Italian loaf of bread, or garlic bread, and a salad. If you have more time, you might want to sauté broccolini or spinach and serve it with this tomato sauce.

How Do I Store Pasta Sauce?

This recipe makes quite a bit of pasta sauce, so I always have leftover spaghetti sauce. You can store your leftovers in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days, but I usually transfer the sauce to a container and freeze it for busy weeknights.

Pasta sauce can be frozen for up to 6 months (mine never lasts that long!).

A Flavorful Sauce Your Family Will Love!

There are many marinara sauce recipes out there, but I’m always looking for shortcuts that don’t sacrifice flavor. I’ve found it with this slow-cooked tomato sauce.

You can vary the Italian spices, leave out the pepper flakes or increase them, depending on your personal preferences, and use this spaghetti sauce recipe as the base for lasagna, bolognese sauce, or a baked ziti.

I hope you enjoy making this simple, easy, super tasty spaghetti sauce in your Dutch oven!

Incredible Dutch Oven Spaghetti Sauce

Yield: 8 - 9 cups

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours

Total Time: 5 hours 15 minutes

An incredibly tasting and easy spaghetti sauce cooked for 5 to 6 hours in the Dutch oven on low heat.

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Ingredients

• 2 - 29 ounce cans of whole, peeled tomatoes
• 1 - 29 ounce can of tomato sauce
• 6 - 8 cloves of garlic, peeled, trimmed, and lightly crushed
• 1 Tablespoon of Kosher salt
• 1 to 2 teaspoons of fresh black pepper
• 2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes
• 1 Tablespoon of dried basil
• 2 teaspoons of dried oregano
• 1 Tablespoon of dried parsley
• 3 Tablespoons of sugar
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic, spices and sugar to a Dutch oven (5 quart or larger).
2. Cook at 250 degrees in the oven for at least 4 to 5 hours. Stir occasionally.
3. After 4 hours of cooking, add the wine and parmesan cheese. Roughly chop the tomatoes by cutting them with a pair of scissors or using a pie dough press to break up the tomatoes into smaller pieces. Continue to cook for an hour or two.
4. Serve with pasta, or atop cooked sausages or meatballs.

Notes

I don't puree this as we like it "chunky," however you could use a stick blender to get a more even consistency.

It's hard to mess up this recipe! I often eyeball the spices and it still turns out great!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 3/4 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 75Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 696mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 4gSugar: 10gProtein: 3g

This is an estimation of nutritional content.