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    Home » Recipes » Sauces for Beef

    Sugo di Carne

    Published: Apr 21, 2023 Modified: May 15, 2023 by Isabel Laessig

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    Revolutionize how you cook meat sauce with my Sugo di Carne! The king of Italian meat sauces, this rich and ultra-flavorful sauce infuses peeled tomatoes and tender ground beef with red wine and herbs for an unforgettable flavor.

    a plate of sugo di carne on spaghetti with a basil leaf garnish
    Jump to:
    • Sugo di Pomodoro
    • What is sugo?
    • Italian Meat Sauce Ingredients
    • How to Make Sugo di Carne
    • Sugo Recipe Tips
    • Sugo Sauce FAQ
    • Beef Sauce Recipes
    • 📌 Pin it for later!
    • 📋 Recipe
    • 💬 Reviews

    Sugo di Pomodoro

    It's hard to call Sugo di Carne just a meat sauce! This Italian classic is hardly any old sauce- and when you try it, you'll understand. Loaded with whole peeled tomatoes, herbs, and lots of red wine to deepen the flavor, this sauce promises to be something special before you even add any beef.

    The secret is in the cooking time. By letting the sauce simmer in red wine for over an hour, the flavors merge together beautifully, becoming more intense and flavorful as time goes on. This is a sauce worth waiting for!

    And the best thing about it? Sugo di Carne is perfect for making ahead. Cook up a big pot of beef sugo at the start of the week and store it in the freezer in small portions, and you'll have days worth of easy dinners!

    a big pot of sugo di carne with basil leaf garnish next to bread, tomatoes, and extra parmesan cheese

    What is sugo?

    Sugo is an Italian tomato-based sauce made from ripe tomatoes, olive oil, onions, garlic, and seasonings. Variations on sugo include sugo di carne, which adds beef to the sauce. In this case, the name sugo essentially means "sauce", but it can also refer to the cooking juices from cooking down either meat or vegetables.

    Italian Meat Sauce Ingredients

    • Ground beef
    • Peeled canned tomatoes
    • Onion
    • Olive oil
    • Garlic
    • Red wine
    • Red pepper flakes
    • Basil
    • Salt and pepper
    • Pasta
    all the ingredients for sugo di carne in separate bowls with labels

    How to Make Sugo di Carne

    1. Heat oil over medium heat in a skillet. Once hot, add ground beef and brown until cooked through. Drain grease, remove beef from the skillet, and set aside.
      olive oil heating up in a dutch oven
    2. In a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat, heat the remaining olive oil. Once hot, add in onion and minced garlic. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until fragrant.
      onions and garlic sauteing in a large pot
    3. Pour in a can of whole peeled tomatoes and stir to combine. Mash tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon, if you prefer.
      a can of peeled tomatoes being added to the pot
    4. Pour in red wine and stir to combine.
      red wine being added to the in progress sugo
    5. Season the sauce with red pepper flakes and fresh basil. Stir to combine.
      basil and red pepper flakes being added to the pot of tomatoes and wine
    6. Add the browned ground beef with the sauce and combine well.
      the browned beef being added back into the pot
    7. Let the sauce simmer for at least 1 hour, covered, stirring occasionally. You can let it go longer if you'd like, it only gets better the longer it cooks!
      meat added to tomato sauce in a large pot to simmer
    8. Serve sugo di carne with pasta and enjoy!
      a completed plate of sugo di carne on spaghetti

    Sugo Recipe Tips

    • Use a good quality red wine for this recipe! The wine's flavor will only get stronger and more distinct as the sauce simmers, so it's important that the wine itself tastes good.
    • You can crush the tomatoes or not, depending on the consistency you enjoy most. I like crushing half of the tomatoes and leaving the rest whole for a chunkier sauce.
    • This is a great sauce for starting early, and making extra! Start a big batch, let it cook over an hour or more, and freeze in several-cup batches for easy dinners later on!
    • Make sure to cover the pot. If it's not covered, the liquids can boil off too much, and the meat will burn.

    Sugo Sauce FAQ

    What is sugo di carne?

    Sugo di carne is a traditional Italian sauce - the "sugo" - with added beef- the "carne"! This sauce is classically made with fresh or peeled tomatoes instead of pureed, cooked with red wine and spices for long periods to enhance the flavors.

    What's the difference between Sugo and Ragu?

    Sugo can refer to several different things: the liquids from cooking meat (like meat drippings), any sauce added to pasta, or specifically a simmering sauce made from tomatoes (as in this recipe). Ragu, however, is specifically a mince-based sauce. This variety of sugo di carne using ground beef in tomato sauce is technically also a ragu.

    How do you make meat sauce taste better?

    The secret to a delicious meat sauce is red wine and a long cook time! By adding red wine, the flavors of the tomatoes and herbs will be enhanced by the natural flavor and sweetness of wine. It also pairs beautifully with beef and helps the entire sauce merge together, aided further by letting it simmer for an hour or more!

    Beef Sauce Recipes

    • Carne Picada
    • Instant Pot Lasagna
    • Carne Alla Pizzaiola
    • Spaghetti Meat Sauce
    • Beef Bolognese

    Try my One Pot Spaghetti for another great beef pasta recipe!

    sugo di carne and spaghetti on a plate with a bread roll in the background

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    📋 Recipe

    a white dinner plate filled with pasta topped with sugo di carne
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    5 from 1 vote

    Sugo di Carne

    My Italian Sugo di Carne recipe will change the way you think about meat sauce! This is the only meat sauce for pasta you'll ever want.
    Prep Time5 minutes mins
    Cook Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
    Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
    Course: Ground Beef Recipes, Sauce
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: sugo, Sugo di carne, sugo recipe, sugo sauce
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 226kcal
    Author: Isabel Laessig

    Equipment

    • Dutch oven or large soup pot
    • Skillet

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb Ground beef
    • 28 oz Peeled tomatoes one large can
    • 1 small Onion chopped
    • 3 Tablespoons Olive oil divided (1 and 2 Tablespoons)
    • 3 cloves Garlic minced
    • ½ cup Red wine
    • 1 pinch Red pepper flakes
    • 4 leaves Basil fresh, chopped
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    See our Beef Temperature Chart for helpful tips on cooking any cut of beef!

    Instructions

    • Heat 1 Tablespoon oil over medium heat in a skillet. Once the oil is hot, add the ground beef and brown until cooked through. Drain grease, remove beef from the skillet, and set aside.
      3 Tablespoons Olive oil, 1 lb Ground beef
      olive oil heating up in a dutch oven
    • In a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat, heat the remaining 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Once hot, add in onion and minced garlic. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until fragrant.
      1 small Onion, 3 Tablespoons Olive oil, 3 cloves Garlic
      onions and garlic sauteing in a large pot
    • Pour in a can of whole peeled tomatoes and stir to combine. Mash tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon, if you prefer.
      28 oz Peeled tomatoes
      a can of peeled tomatoes being added to the pot
    • Pour in red wine and stir to combine.
      ½ cup Red wine
      red wine being added to the in progress sugo
    • Season the sauce with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste, and fresh basil. Stir to combine.
      1 pinch Red pepper flakes, 4 leaves Basil, Salt and pepper
      basil and red pepper flakes being added to the pot of tomatoes and wine
    • Add the browned ground beef with the sauce and combine well.
      the browned beef being added back into the pot
    • Let the sauce simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally. You can let it go longer if you'd like, it only gets better the longer it cooks.
      meat added to tomato sauce in a large pot to simmer
    • Serve sugo di carne with pasta and enjoy!
      a completed plate of sugo di carne on spaghetti

    Video

    Notes

    • Use a good quality red wine for this recipe! The wine's flavor will only get stronger and more distinct as the sauce simmers, so it's important that the wine itself tastes good.
    • You can crush the tomatoes or not, depending on the consistency you enjoy most. I like crushing half of the tomatoes and leaving the rest whole for a chunkier sauce.
    • This is a great sauce for starting early, and making extra of! Start a big batch, let it cook over an hour or more, and freeze in several-cup batches for easy dinners later on!
    • Make sure to cover the pot. If it's not covered, the liquids can boil off too much, and the meat will burn.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 226kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 182mg | Potassium: 385mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 123IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 3mg

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    About Isabel Laessig

    Isabel Laessig, better known as Family Foodie and the founder of the Sunday Supper Movement, is passionate about food and family! She is the author of the Boujee Steak Cookbook, and makes regular television appearances to spread her mission of bringing Sunday Supper back around the family table in every home.

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    Hi! I’m Isabel Laessig, also known as Family Foodie. Welcome to my beef-obsessed recipe website!

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