Serve up this savory gluten free pasta sauce with your favorite pasta. Your whole family will love this simple pasta with meat sauce recipe.
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When my son is in yet another growth spurt, and he loves meat. All types of meat and he is not picky. I am not judging, but sometimes it can be startling! He is now way taller than me :-).
When he asked me if I could make pasta this week, I wanted it to have a lot of protein. This family-favorite sauce has lean ground beef, but it also has medium spice chicken sausage and bacon. The optional bacon gives this sauce a slightly smokey flavor, making it hard to resist.
You will 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 even macaroni!
Full of flavor and three different types of meat, the flavor depth of this sauce will please even your pickiest eater! This gluten free spaghetti sauce is sure to please!
If you are looking for dinner ideas, you will want to check out all of my gluten free dinner recipes. Dip these crusty gluten free breadsticks in! They are perfect for dipping!
What is the best gluten free pasta brand?
Oh gosh, this is a tough question. There are so many good gluten free pasta brands out there. Some of our favorites are:
- Trader Joe's fresh gluten free pasta
- Barilla
- Ronzoni
- BioNatura
- Jovial
How to season spaghetti sauce?
Ground beef seasoning for spaghetti sauce is easy. I like to use fresh herbs, and I even have a basil plant now growing in my kitchen window so I can snip off leaves anytime. I use:
- Basil
- Garlic
- Oregano
- Crushed red peppers
- Salt and pepper
This meat sauce recipe with ground beef will be a big hit in your house!
How to make gluten free pasta sauce:
Step 1: In a pot, add the minced garlic, brown the ground beef, and sausage. Also, add bacon and red peppers if you choose to use those optional ingredients. Cook on medium heat until browned.
Step 2: Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, oregano, and salt. Add ground black pepper to taste. I prefer to use fresh herbs, but you can use dried herbs if you prefer.
Step 3: Cover the sauce and simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes.
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 cook 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 halt the cooking process. Top with the pasta sauce!
Make these Gluten Free Garlic Knots dip into the sauce!
How to cook gluten free pasta the right way:
The biggest challenge with gluten free pasta is how to cook gluten free pasta without it turning 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 directions on how to do a pasta ice bath and all of the story. This method 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!
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
I have never seen any gluten in tomato paste but it is always a good idea to check ingredients labels. Brands sometimes change their recipes so good to double-check!
I personally 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 and that will change this gluten free pasta sauce in both consistency and flavor.
If you use lean ground meat like ground turkey or chicken, you may consider adding olive oil to add mouthfeel.
This sauce will keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Yes, you can easily freeze pasta sauce! I like to freeze it in an ice cube tray, then put the frozen sauce cubes into a freezer-safe zipper bag.
You will want to make a batch of my Gluten Free Breadsticks to dip in!
More Delicious Gluten Free Pasta Recipes:
- Gluten Free Ricotta Stuffed Meatballs and Sauce
- Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken and Pasta
- Creamy Ricotta Garlic Fettuccine Alfredo
- Gluten Free One Pot Italian Pasta
- Homemade Gluten Free Ravioli
Recipe
The Best Gluten Free Pasta Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- ½ pound lean ground beef
- 3-4 medium spice chicken sausage chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cans tomato sauce
- 1 can plain unsalted diced tomatoes
- 1 small can tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon crushed red peppers
- 1 teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon oregano
Optional Ingredients:
- 3 slices bacon cooked and patted with paper towel to remove extra grease. Chop
- ⅓ cup red bell pepper chopped
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef with the diced onion and orange pepper.
- Drain the fat into the trash or a jar so it doesn't clog kitchen pipes. (Or, if you have a dog, I am sure they would love it if you put this in their food:-).
- When ground beef is browned, add sausage, cooked bacon, and minced garlic.
- Cook 5 minutes.
- Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and paste.
- Mix well.
- Add spices.
- Turn heat down to low, cover 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 keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
- I like to freeze some of the sauce so I always have it on-hand. Freeze in an ice cube tray and then store in freezer zip bags. They will keep in the freezer for 4 months.
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.
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(*this post was updated from a 2/2015 recipe.)
Jere Cassidy
I like the water bath idea for gluten-free pasta. Also Jovial products are my favorite.
Sandi Gaertner
I love Jovial's fettuccine noodles!
Veena Azmanov
My kids are lovers of Pasta in any form. Definitely a must try this weekend. They to relish this dish.
Sandi Gaertner
Kids and pasta just seem to go together :-). Thanks for stopping by.
Kelly Anthony
Thank you for the tips on gluten free pasta. The ice bath is genius. This looks like the perfect meal that everyone in the family will fall in love with!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so thankful the chef told me about ice baths!!