This homemade gluten-free pasta sauce is rich, hearty, and full of Italian flavors. Simmered with ground beef, savory chicken sausage, and smoky bacon, it’s the perfect topping for spaghetti, ziti, or your favorite pasta shape. Ready in under 30 minutes, this sauce pairs beautifully with gluten-free noodles-without turning them mushy, thanks tested pasta cooking tip.
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This family-favorite sauce has lean ground beef, medium-spice chicken sausage, and bacon. The optional bacon gives this sauce a slightly smoky flavor, making it hard to resist. I love how easy it is to cook spaghetti with ground beef! We used gluten-free ziti noodles in this post, but this sauce works beautifully with spaghetti or macaroni!
Full of flavor and three different types of meat, the flavor depth of this sauce will please even your pickiest eater! It gets even better the next day!! This gluten-free spaghetti sauce is sure to please!
If you want dinner ideas, you will want to check out all of my gluten-free dinner recipes. Dip this Gluten-Free Focaccia into the sauce! It is perfect for dipping!
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten-Free Pasta – Use any shape. I tested Jovial and Bionature brands of gluten-free pasta. Both worked well. See below for directions how to cook pasta to prevent it from getting mushy.
- Ground Meat – Use ground beef, chicken, turkey, or vegan meat.
- Sausage – I used Aidelle’s Italian Chicken Sausage, but any sausage will taste good.
- Bacon – Optional, but adds a delicious smoky flavor.
- Onions – I tested this recipe with yellow onions.
- Garlic – Fresh is best.
- Tomato Sauce, Paste, and Diced Tomatoes – Use regular and not flavored (fire-roasted, no salt, etc.)
- Herbs – Basil and Oregano. Use fresh or dried.
A Note From My Kitchen
This homemade pasta sauce is a family recipe we love over pasta and lasagna. It is a very forgiving sauce recipe. You can add other vegetables, more garlic, bacon, and you can’t go wrong. This sauce is even better the next day after the flavors blend together overnight. I know the bacon is optional, but it adds incredible depth and umami flavors.
Don’t forget to make rolls to dip in! I shared two great recipes below, gluten-free breadsticks and garlic knots that are delicious to serve with this sauce.
How to Make Gluten-Free Pasta Sauce (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Add the minced garlic, brown ground beef, oil, and sausage in a pot. If you use optional ingredients, add bacon and red peppers. Cook on medium heat until browned. Browning meats before adding tomatoes to deepen flavor.
👀 Sandi Says: Drain the grease into a jar. Do not pour it down the sink drain.
Step 2: Add the tomato sauce, paste, basil, oregano, and salt. Add ground black pepper to taste. I like to use fresh herbs, and I even have a basil plant growing in my kitchen window, so I can snip off leaves anytime.
Step 3: Cover the sauce and simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes. This helps the flavors blend and deepen.
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Step 4: Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Cook according to package directions. Every brand of gluten-free pasta has a different cooking time, so use the cooking time listed on the package of your pasta.
Step 5: Drain the pasta into a colander. Follow the steps below to give an ice bath to stop cooking. Top with the pasta sauce!
How to Cook Gluten-Free Pasta Perfectly Every Time:
The biggest challenge with gluten-free pasta is cooking gluten-free pasta without turning it to mush. I had the good fortune to interview a chef at an Italian restaurant here, and she gave me the secret. An ice bath. The ice bath halts the cooking so that it doesn’t continue to cook in the colander.
Read these easy directions on how to do a pasta ice bath. This method of cooking your pasta is a GAME CHANGER for cooking gluten-free pasta. (There is also a delicious marinara sauce recipe to check out!)
Serve the sauce over the pasta. You can use gluten free spaghetti, ziti, rigatoni, bow tie, or any shape of gluten free pasta!
Make these Gluten-Free Garlic Knots or these Gluten-Free Breadsticks to dip into the sauce!
Storage and Freezing Tips:
- Store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This sauce will keep fresh for up to 4 days.
- Freeze pasta sauce! I like to freeze it in Souper Cubes, then put the frozen sauce cubes into a freezer-safe zipper bag.
Frequently Asked Questions:
I have never seen any gluten in tomato paste, but checking ingredient labels is always good. Brands sometimes change their recipes, so it’s good to double-check!
I love to use organic grass-fed ground beef in this spaghetti sauce recipe. Ground turkey works well, as does bison or ground pork. Some ground meats are fattier than others, changing this gluten-free pasta sauce’s consistency and flavor. You may add olive oil to add mouthfeel if you use lean ground meat like ground turkey or chicken.
This delicious pasta sauce is easy to make vegan. I tested it with Impossible meat and it browned and tasted just as good as ground beef.
More Delicious Gluten-Free Pasta Recipes:
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Homemade Gluten-Free Pasta Sauce (With Meat)
Equipment
- Large pot or skillet
Ingredients
- 1 diced large onion
- 1 diced bell pepper
- ½ pound lean ground beef
- 3-4 sliced chicken sausage
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 30 ounces tomato sauce
- 14.5 ounces unsalted diced tomatoes
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon crushed red peppers
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Optional Ingredients:
- 3 slices bacon cooked and patted with paper towel to remove extra grease. Chop
- ⅓ cup sliced mushrooms
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Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, brown 1/2 pound lean ground beefhe ground beef and optional bacon. Break it up as it cooks. Add the diced onion, pepper, and garlic.
- Drain the fat into the trash or a jar. Don't dump it down the sink because it will clog kitchen pipes.
- When the ground beef and bacon pieces are browned and the onions are translucent, add the chopped sausage.
- Add the tomato sauce, paste, and diced tomatoes. Mix the ingredients with a large wooden spoon. Cook until the sauce comes to a gentle boil.
- Add 1 teaspoon sea salthe basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Add crushed red pepper (optional). Mix the herbs into the sauce.
- Turn the heat down to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Notes
- Don’t forget to check out my tips to cook the perfect gluten free al dente pasta!
- This pasta sauce will stay fresh for up to 4 days in and airtight container in the refrigerator.
- I like to freeze some of the sauce, so I always have it on-hand. Freeze in Souper Cubes and then store in freezer zip bags. They will keep in the freezer for 4 months.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
(*this post was updated from a 2/2015 recipe.)
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
What size cans of tomato sauce? 8 oz.? The ice water bath is something I always used even before I was diagnosed with Celiac. It works like a charm! I also use that method for hard boiled eggs and boiled potatoes that I’m using for potato salad. Thank you for your blog, Sandi! It’s been invaluable to me as I navigate this new lifestyle!
Hi Barb, my cans are 15 ounces. I am so glad you are enjoying my blog, thank you so much!
I just tried gluten-free pasta for the first time, and it was chickpea pasta! It tasted very similar to whole wheat pasta and was well-received by my family. Texture was a touch different – love you suggestion of the ice bath. Will give that a try.
Wow, I am glad you liked chickpea pasta…we made it once but our kids wouldn’t touch it 🙁
That is what we are having Sunday. Thans
ks.
I hope you enjoy it Hady 🙂