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Japanese Spaghetti Meat Sauce

5 from 1 vote
By Yuto Omura
https://sudachirecipes.com
Spaghetti meat sauce is one of the most popular pasta dishes in Japan. Made with ground beef, onions, carrots and celery cooked in a deliciously sweet and perfectly seasoned homemade tomato sauce, this dish is comforting, easy to make and a family favourite!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 3 portions
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Servings: 3 portions

Ingredients 
 

  • 100 g yellow onion(s) finely diced
  • 30 g carrot(s) diced small
  • 25 g celery finely diced
  • 1 clove garlic finely minced
  • 400 g canned tomato diced or crushed
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 150 g ground meat beef or beef/pork mixture
  • 1 tbsp red wine
  • 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 pinch ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 240 g dry spaghetti
  • 2500 ml water
  • 2 ½ tsp salt
  • 1 pinch nutmeg powder
  • 1 pinch cinnamon
  • 1 tsp grated parmesan cheese optional
  • 1 tsp fresh parsley optional, to garnish

Instructions 

  • Heat a large frying pan on medium and once hot, add 1 tbsp unsalted butter.
    Melted butter in a frying pan
  • Once the butter has melted, add 100 g yellow onion(s), 25 g celery, 30 g carrot(s) and 1 clove garlic to the pan and fry until the onion is soft and translucent.
    Diced onion, carrot, celery and garlic frying in a frying pan with melted butter
  • Next, push the vegetables to the edges and add 150 g ground meat to middle of the pan. Fry until browned and mix everything together.
    Ground beef added to a pan of softened onion, carrots and celery
  • Once the meat has browned, add 1 tbsp red wine, 2 tbsp tomato ketchup, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce and 1 pinch ground black pepper. Mix thoroughly.
    Ketchup and condiments added to cooked ground beef and vegetables in a large frying pan
  • Add 400 g canned tomato along with 1 tsp sugar, ½ tsp oregano and 1 bay leaf. Mix well.
    Canned tomatoes, sugar and bay leaf added to the pan for spaghetti meat sauce
  • Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until reduced by half.
    Japanese spaghetti meat sauce simmering in a large frying pan
  • While it's simmering, bring 2500 ml water to a boil and add 2 ½ tsp salt. Once the water is boiling, add 240 g dry spaghetti and cook for the time stated on the packaging. (Reduce by 1-2 minutes for el dente.)
    Spaghetti in a large pot of water
  • Once the meat sauce has reached your desired thickness, remove the bay leaf and add 1 pinch nutmeg powder and 1 pinch cinnamon. Mix well.
  • Drain the spaghetti and divide onto serving plates. Pour an equal amount of meat sauce on top of each portion of spaghetti. Sprinkle with 1 tsp grated parmesan cheese and 1 tsp fresh parsley (optional).
  • Enjoy!
    Spaghetti meat sauce on a fork

Notes

The alcohol in the wine is cooked off during the process so it's safe for kids to eat.
If you prefer not to use wine, you can substitute for an equal amount of grape, pomegranate or cranberry juice.