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    Home » Main Dishes » Meaty Marinara Pasta Recipe

    Published: Dec 5, 2022 by Cari · This post may contain affiliate links. · Leave a Comment

    Meaty Marinara Pasta Recipe

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    This meaty marinara pasta is a weeknight staple in my home. It's ridiculous easy to make, great for family meal prep and great for sneaking in vegetables for picky eaters.

    This is a delicious recipe that uses tons of fresh ingredients and is a million times better than the old school pizza hut pasta.

    Why you'll love it

    • Easy recipe that's perfect for weeknight dinners
    • Kid friendly and family favorite dish
    • Delicious and packed with flavor
    • Easily customized

    Ingredients

    Crushed tomatoes
    Garlic cloves
    Onion
    Salt
    Smoked paprika
    Red pepper flakes
    Black pepper
    Oregano
    Fresh basil
    Fresh sage
    Fresh parsley
    Fresh thyme
    Olive oil
    Balsamic vinegar
    Lean ground beef
    Favorite pasta shape like
    rotini pasta, spaghetti noodles or even macaroni
    Parmesan cheese & fresh parsley for garnish

    Instructions for this meaty marinara pasta recipe

    Make your pasta sauce

    • In a dutch oven, add your olive oil and onion over medium heat. Stir constantly to avoid any burning
    • After about 3-5 minutes when all of your onion is translucent add in your garlic and cook for another minute.
    • Then add in your crushed tomatoes, smoked paprika, red pepper flake, black pepper, balsamic vinegar and oregano. Drop the heat to low, cover and allow to simmer for about 3 minutes.
    • The add in your basil, sage, parsley and thyme. Stir to combine, cover and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.

    Cook your meat

    • While your tomato sauce is simmering, start cooking your meat. In a large frying pan set to medium heat, add your lean ground beef, 1 teaspoon of salt and Italian sausage.
    • Cook your meat until all of it is well cooked and brown. Once it's well cooked, you're going to add all the meat and the meat drippings to your pasta sauce.
    • Stir to combine the meat and sauce. Cover and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes while you cook your pasta.

    Cook your pasta

    Cook your 16 oz of pasta per the instructions on the packaging. Once your pasta is al-dente, drain your pasta.

    You can either serve the pasta with the meaty marinara laddled over the top or you can add the drained pasta to the pot with the meat sauce. I prefer adding the pasta to the meat sauce, giving it a good stir and letting the pasta absorb some of the tomato sauce.

    • Garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.

    Variations/Substitutions

    • Have picky eaters that don't like seeing vegetables in their food? Run the onions, garlic and even the herbs through a food processor. You can even sneak in some veggies like carrots, bell peppers, fresh mushrooms or even zucchini.
    • Don't consume beef or pork? You can opt for lean ground turkey and turkey Italian sausage.
    • Don't want to make your own tomato sauce? Use 28 oz of your favorite store bought jar of marinara.
    • Want to make this dish spicy? Give your homemade spaghetti sauce a little kick by opting for hot italian sausage and add more red pepper flakes.
    • Want a gluten free meal? Opt for 16oz of gluten free pasta or zucchini noodles
    • Want to make this extra cheesy? Place this delicious pasta and meaty sauce in an oven-safe dish and top with your choice of cheese like ricotta cheese or layer with a generous amount of mozzarella cheese. Pop it in the oven and broil for 1-2 minutes.
    • Don't have fresh herbs? Opt for dried herbs instead like dried basil. If using dried herbs, I recommend adding about ½ a teaspoon more than whats listed in the recipe card.

    Storage

    Store leftover meaty marinara pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

    Reheat your pasta in the microwave. I like to get a paper towel and damp it with some water then place it over the pasta so it doesn't dry out.

    I do not recommend freezing this pasta.

    Check out these other recipes

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      Pan Con Bistec
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    • Cuban Media Noche Sandwich
    Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Meaty Marinara Pasta Recipe

    This meaty marinara pasta is a weeknight staple that's ridiculous easy to make and great for family meal prep.
    Prep Time5 minutes mins
    Cook Time30 minutes mins
    Total Time35 minutes mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 738kcal
    Author: Cari

    Ingredients

    • 1 can of crushed tomatoes
    • 10 garlic cloves minced
    • 1 onion minced
    • 2.5 teaspoon of salt separated
    • ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika
    • Pinch of red pepper flake
    • ½ teaspoon of black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon of oregano
    • 2 tablespoon of fresh basil minced
    • 1 tablespoon of fresh sage minced
    • 2 tablespoon of fresh parsley minced
    • 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme minced
    • 2 tablespoon of olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
    • 1 lb of lean ground beef
    • 1 lc of italian sausage
    • 16 oz package of preferred pasta

    Instructions

    • In a dutch oven, add your olive oil and onion over medium heat. Stir constantly to avoid any burning
    • After about 3-5 minutes when all of your onion is translucent add in your garlic and cook for another minute.
    • Then add in your crushed tomatoes, smoked paprika, 1 ½ teaspoon salt, red pepper flake, black pepper, balsamic vinegar and oregano. Drop the heat to low, cover and allow to simmer for about 3 minutes.
    • The add in your basil, sage, parsley and thyme. Stir to combine, cover and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.
    • to medium heat, add your lean ground beef, 1 teaspoon of salt and Italian sausage.
    • Cook your meat until all of it is well cooked and brown. Once it's well cooked, you're going to add all the meat and the meat drippings to your pasta sauce.
    • Stir to combine the meat and sauce. Cover and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes while you cook your pasta.
    • Cook your 16 oz of pasta per the instructions on the packaging. Once your pasta is al-dente, drain your pasta.
    • You can either serve the pasta with the meaty marinara laddled over the top or you can add the drained pasta to the pot with the meat sauce. I prefer adding the pasta to the meat sauce, giving it a good stir and letting the pasta absorb some of the tomato sauce.
    • Garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.

    Notes

    Variations/Substitutions

    • Have picky eaters that don't like seeing vegetables in their food? Run the onions, garlic and even the herbs through a food processor. You can even sneak in some veggies like carrots, bell peppers, fresh mushrooms or even zucchini.
    • Don't consume beef or pork? You can opt for lean ground turkey and turkey Italian sausage.
    • Don't want to make your own tomato sauce? Use 28 oz of your favorite store bought jar of marinara.
    • Want to make this dish spicy? Give your homemade spaghetti sauce a little kick by opting for hot italian sausage and add more red pepper flakes.
    • Want a gluten free meal? Opt for 16oz of gluten free pasta or zucchini noodles
    • Want to make this extra cheesy? Place this delicious pasta and meaty sauce in an oven-safe dish and top with your choice of cheese like ricotta cheese or layer with a generous amount of mozzarella cheese.
    • Don't have fresh herbs? opt for dried herbs instead like dried basil. If using dried hers, I recommend adding about ½ a teaspoon more than whats listed in the recipe card.

    Storage

    Store leftover meaty marinara pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
    Reheat your pasta in the microwave. I like to use a damp paper towel placed over the pasta so it doesn't dry out.
    I do not recommend freezing this pasta.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cup | Calories: 738kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 1192mg | Potassium: 679mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 253IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 4mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @FatGirlHedonist or tag #fatgirlhedonist!
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    My name is Cari and I'm the person behind FatgirlHedonist.com. I'm born and raised in Miami (Hialeah if you'd like specifics) and proud Latina. I'm a single mom to a very curious toddler. I completed a culinary program in high school that made my love of food blossom, but my career went in a very different direction. No matter what turns my life has taken, cooking, baking and eating have always been three of my favorite activities. I'm lucky enough that I can have this blog as an outlet for those three passions.

    More about me →

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