This delicious copycat prego spaghetti sauce is a quick and delicious homemade sauce that is sure to please! If you want a healthier alternative to the traditional prego, or just don’t want to run to the store, make this simple sauce with ingredients you probably already have on hand!
Spaghetti sauce is a staple around here. It gets used for all types of dishes: meatball subs, casseroles, lasagna, and of course spaghetti. I grew up on the jar of prego and my taste buds just can’t waver from this trusty delicious sauce.
Is it worth making homemade spaghetti sauce?
While buying the jar is a few steps easier than making it from scratch. I had two motivators for creating my own homemade recipe.
- Homemade is healthier
- I don’t have to run to the store if I’m out of prego
Now, do I always make it homemade? No, I don’t, but I love to have the option to make one I love if I want to.
Does it taste just like the jar?
Short answer: yes and no. It tastes like a homemade version of the well known prego. Which is better than the stuff in the jar. With this copycat recipe you get the best of both worlds! A tasty sauce you’re familiar with, but with the homemade flair.
Ready to make this copycat prego spaghetti sauce?
Not ready? Pin for later!!!
For the rest of us, let’s get cooking!
Tools you will need:
- Medium pot
- Wooden spoon
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Knife
- Cutting board
- 32oz. jar if you plan to store for later
- Immersion blender
Ingredients
14 oz. can of diced tomatoes
7 oz. can of tomato sauce
7 oz. can of tomato paste
olive oil
Garlic clove
Onion
Dride basil
Dried parsley
Dried oregano
Salt
Pepper
Sugar
How to Make the Best Spaghetti Sauce
Step 1
Dice your onion in small pieces. Don’t stress over the size because you’ll be using an immersion blender to smooth it all out later.
Add olive oil to your pot and heat on medium/high heat.
Once it is hot, add diced onion and sauté until golden and fragrant. About 2-3 minutes.
After the onion is golden, add minced garlic and stir constantly for about 30 seconds. You don’t want to let the garlic burn or overcook.
Step 2
Reduce heat to low/medium. Add all of the tomato products. First add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water.
Then stir until tomato paste is well incorporated.
Step 3
Add basil, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, and sugar.
The great thing is you can leave the sugar out if you want to have a zero sugar sauce. It won’t affect the taste that much.
You can also leave the sugar out if you don’t like sweet sauce. To be honest, I don’t find this sauce to be particularly sweet.
Step 3
Reduce heat to low and simmer sauce for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent sticking or burning.
Additonally, be sure to scrape the sides and bottom well when stirring.
Step 4
Blend sauce with the immersion blender until your sauce is smooth. It took me about 2-3 minutes.
If you don’t have an immersion blender you can use a traditional blender.
Step 5
Allow sauce to cool and add to a jar or use immediately in the dish you are preparing it for!
If you want to add your hot sauce to the jar, I would first heat your jar to prevent breaking the jar.
Heat your jar multiple ways:
-Add water to your jar and microwave for 3 minutes
-Put your jar into boiling water for a few minutes
-Add hot tap water. This should heat it up enough that the tempter change won’t affect the glass.
How long will spaghetti sauce last in the fridge?
Your homemade spaghetti sauce should last 3-4 days in the fridge. However, it could potentially last closer to 7 days, but I would recommend checking for mold and doing a smell test before using in a meal.
Tips for making spaghetti sauce like a pro:
If you don’t have canned tomatoes or you don’t want to use an emersion blender, use canned crushed tomatoes instead.
If you don’t have an emersion blender, a regular blender will work too! Even a small smoothie blender will work, but you’ll just have to work in batches.
Make your sauce even healthier by adding veggies to your sauce. I like to add spinach or zucchini. I’ll add to my sauce and use an emersion blender to combine it. My family never suspects that they are eating extra veggies! Watch this Youtube short to see me add veggies to our spaghetti sauce.
Shop this post:
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
Pin It For Later
Prego Spaghetti Sauce Homemade Copycat
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 14 oz can of diced tomato
- 1 7 oz. can of tomato sauce
- 1 7 oz. can of tomato paste
- 3/4 tsp. dried basil
- 3/4 tsp. dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Dice your onion in small pieces. Add olive oil to your pot and heat on medium/high heat. Once it is hot, add diced onion and sauté until golden and fragrant. About 2-3 minutes.
- After the onion is golden, add minced garlic and stir constantly for about 30 seconds. You don't want to let the garlic burn or overcook.
- Reduce heat to low/medium. Add all of the tomato products. First add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water. Then stir until tomato paste is well incorporated
- Add basil, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, and sugar. Stir.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer sauce for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent sticking or burning.
- Blend sauce with an immersion blender until smooth. About 2-3 minutes.
- Enjoy! Use right away or add to a mason jar to save for later.
Leave a Reply