Spaghetti Meat Sauce Pressure Canning Recipe

This spaghetti meat sauce pressure canning recipe is a family favorite, combining ripe tomatoes, ground beef, Italian sausage, and fresh herbs for a rich and versatile red sauce. Perfect for preserving, it delivers homemade flavor in every jar for pasta, lasagna, or baked dishes.

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By Diane Devereaux | The Canning Diva®
Last updated: September 17, 2025

Why This Recipe Works

This hearty meat sauce is my traditional go-to base for countless family meals. From stuffed shells to baked ziti, having jars of homemade spaghetti sauce in the pantry makes weeknight dinners fast, easy, and satisfying. You can adjust the protein (swap ground turkey for beef or pork) or omit mushrooms if you prefer. That flexibility makes it a timeless staple for every household.

Why You’ll Love This Sauce

Tomato-based sauces have been a centerpiece of Italian cooking since the 18th century, and meat sauce recipes were adapted by immigrant families in the U.S. to stretch harvests and feed large families. By the mid-20th century, pressure canning became the safest and most efficient way to preserve meat sauces for long-term storage. Today, home canners continue this tradition—balancing modern food safety with the comfort of old-world flavors.

Homemade spaghetti meat sauce isn’t just delicious—it’s also packed with nutrition and versatility. Tomatoes are naturally rich in vitamin C, potassium, and lycopene, a powerful antioxidant linked to heart health and reduced inflammation. By combining them with protein-rich beef and sausage, this pressure canned meat sauce becomes a hearty base for countless meals that go far beyond spaghetti night.

Use it in classic pasta dishes like lasagna, stuffed shells, or baked ziti, or spoon it over eggplant Parmesan and meatball subs for quick weeknight dinners. It also makes an excellent filling for homemade calzones, a flavorful base for shakshuka, or even a topping for rustic flatbreads. Having jars of this sauce in your pantry ensures you’re never more than a few minutes away from a wholesome, home-cooked meal.

Spaghetti Meat Sauce Pressure Canning Recipe

Yield:  Approx. 7 quarts or 14 pints

This is my go-to sauce when making a variety of meals requiring any red sauce base. My family’s favorite is Stuffed Shells using this sauce for the base and as its topper with cheese before serving. Prefer ground turkey rather than beef or pork, no problem, make the switch. Not a fan of mushrooms? No worries, remove them.  Enjoy making my family’s favorite spaghetti meat sauce pressure canning recipe – from my canner to yours.

Ingredients

• 30 pounds of Roma tomatoes, approx. a half-bushel
• 1 ½ pounds ground beef
• 1 ½ pounds Italian sausage
• 1 ½ cups onions, chopped (1 large)
• ½ cup green pepper, seeded and chopped (1 small)
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ pound mushrooms, sliced
• 6 tablespoons fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
• 4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped fine
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 4 teaspoons sea salt (optional)
• 3 teaspoons black pepper
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed

Instructions

1. Tomato Prep: Core and cut tomatoes into quarters and, while working in batches, purée in a food processor. Place purée in a large thick-bottomed stainless steel stock pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to avoid scorching. Once to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. In a second stock pot, cook sausage and ground beef on medium-high heat until cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain off any excess fat and return meat mixture to a clean stock pot. Add onions, green peppers, garlic, mushrooms, parsley, basil, oregano, salt and black pepper. Cook on medium-high heat until onions are translucent and peppers are soft, about 10 minutes. Stir often.
3. Add the meat and vegetable mixture to the stockpot of tomatoes, mix well.
4. Add the brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Boil for 5 minutes, continuing to stir. 
5. Using a funnel, ladle sauce into hot jars leaving a 1-inch headspace. Wipe each rim with a washcloth cloth dipped in vinegar. Place lids and rings on each jar and hand tighten. 
6. Process at 10 PSI or according to your elevation and canner type. Process quart jars for 70 minutes and pints for 60 minutes.

Ingredient Tip:  I have learned it takes approximately 18 average sized Roma tomatoes to equal 8 cups pureed tomatoes. If you decide to use traditional canning tomatoes, please be sure to do the following before pureeing: Blanch and remove skins; halve each blanched tomato, remove seeds and place in a colander to drain for up to 3 hours to remove excess liquid which may make your spaghetti sauce thin and runny.

Creative Ways to Use Spaghetti Meat Sauce

• Classic Spaghetti Night – Pair with noodles and a sprinkle of Parmesan.
• Stuffed Shells – Use as both filling base and topping before baking.
• Baked Ziti – Layer with pasta, ricotta, and mozzarella.
• Homemade Pizza Sauce – Spread on dough for a hearty pizza base.
• Meatball Subs – Simmer meatballs in sauce and serve on crusty rolls.

Spaghetti Meat Sauce Pressure Canning Recipe

Recipe by The Canning Diva

5.0 from 1 vote

Servings

7 quarts or 14 pints

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

This is my go-to sauce when making a variety of meals requiring any red sauce base. My family’s favorite is Stuffed Shells using this sauce for the base and as its topper with cheese before serving. Prefer ground turkey rather than beef or pork, no problem, make the switch. Not a fan of mushrooms? No worries, remove them.  Enjoy making my family’s favorite spaghetti meat sauce pressure canning recipe – from my canner to yours.

Ingredients

US Metric

• 30 pounds 30 Roma tomatoes, approx. a half-bushel

• 1 1 ½ pounds ground beef

• 1 1 ½ pounds Italian sausage

• 1 1 ½ cups onions, chopped (1 large)

• ½ cup green pepper, seeded and chopped (1 small)

• 8 8 garlic cloves, minced

• ½ pound mushrooms, sliced

• 6 tablespoons 6 fresh parsley, coarsely chopped

• 4 tablespoons 4 fresh basil, chopped fine

• 2 tablespoons 2 dried oregano

• 4 teaspoons 4 sea salt (optional)

• 3 teaspoons 3 black pepper

• ½ cup brown sugar, packed

Instructions

• Tomato Prep: Core and cut tomatoes into quarters and, while working in batches, purée in a food processor. Place purée in a large thick-bottomed stainless steel stock pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to avoid scorching. Once to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and set aside.
• In a second stock pot, cook sausage and ground beef on medium-high heat until cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain off any excess fat and return meat mixture to a clean stock pot. Add onions, green peppers, garlic, mushrooms, parsley, basil, oregano, salt and black pepper. Cook on medium-high heat until onions are translucent and peppers are soft, about 10 minutes. Stir often.
• Add the meat and vegetable mixture to the stockpot of tomatoes, mix well.
• Add the brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Boil for 5 minutes, continuing to stir.
• Using a funnel, ladle sauce into hot jars leaving a 1-inch headspace. Wipe each rim with a washcloth cloth dipped in vinegar. Place lids and rings on each jar and hand tighten.
• Process at 10 PSI or according to your elevation and canner type. Process quart jars for 70 minutes and pints for 60 minutes.

Notes

• Ingredient Tip:  I have learned it takes approximately 18 average sized Roma tomatoes to equal 8 cups pureed tomatoes. If you decide to use traditional canning tomatoes, please be sure to do the following before pureeing: Blanch and remove skins; halve each blanched tomato, remove seeds and place in a colander to drain for up to 3 hours to remove excess liquid which may make your spaghetti sauce thin and runny.

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About the Author:
Diane Devereaux, The Canning Diva®, is an internationally recognized food preservation expert, author, and educator with over 30 years of home canning experience. She’s the author of multiple top-selling canning books and teaches workshops across the U.S. Learn more at TheCanningDiva.com.

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