Smoked Italian Spaghetti Sauce
Regular spaghetti sauce is transformed thanks to the magic of the smoker or Traeger pellet grill, let me show you how with this recipe for Smoked Italian Spaghetti Sauce!
I took my traditional (well, traditional for me… which is admittingly not traditional 😉 ) recipe for pasta sauce and slow cooked it for hours with just a hint of smoky wood fired flavor.
Not overwhelmingly smoky… just a subtle somethin’ somethin’ that makes it extra special.
Another bonus of cooking this on the smoker, it doesn’t make your kitchen super hot while it cooks on the stove.
How to make Smoked Italian Spaghetti Sauce
This is a great mix of homemade and also taking help from store bought ingredients.
I am using two jars of pasta sauce as a shortcut, and because my kids prefer it.
If you’d rather use two large cans of crushed tomatoes for a fresher sauce with less added sugar, be my guest.
First put some olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot.
Along with a large diced onion and a pound of Italian sausage.
Break the sausage apart into smaller pieces, and if your sausage came in casings just remove those.
Then season with kosher salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning.
Set your smoker or Traeger pellet grill to 225 degrees and place the pot on the grill grate for 30 minutes to start.
If you have a super smoke setting on yours, go ahead and turn it on.
After 30 minutes, add LOTS of fresh minced garlic.
Then let it go another 30 minutes on the smoker or pellet grill.
Break apart the sausage with a spatula, I recommend wooden for best results.
You can break into larger chunks, or smaller ones… whatever you prefer.
Next add two 24 ounce jars of pasta sauce, or crushed tomatoes, like we talked about earlier.
Add a half cup of either chicken broth or water to each jar after you’ve poured the sauce.
Shake the jars, with the lids on of course 😉 and pour into the sauce.
This will get all the sauce from the jars, and the extra liquid helps with the sauce consistency.
Also add in some fresh chopped spinach and basil leaves.
And season with kosher salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and grated parmesan cheese.
Stir the sauce and let it go on the smoker or pellet grill for another 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring a few times.
Taste Smoked Italian Spaghetti Sauce for seasoning before serving 🙂
You may need to add more kosher salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and/or Italian seasoning.
This is great served over pasta or as a dipping sauce.
If you don’t use it all, it stays good in the freezer for up to 2 months.
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If you like Smoked Italian Spaghetti Sauce, you might also like these smoker recipes…
Smoked Jerk Chicken Dip
Traeger Smoked Veggie Manicotti
Smoked Poblano Salsa
Traeger Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
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Smoked Italian Spaghetti Sauce
Equipment
- Smoker
- Traeger/Pellet Grill
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage (remove casings if needed) cut or torn into smaller pieces
- kosher salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning
- 7 to 9 cloves garlic minced
- 2 24 ounce jars pasta or marinara sauce (or two 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes)
- 1 cup chicken broth (or water)
- 6 ounces chopped, fresh spinach
- 1 cup chopped, fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Put the olive oil, diced onions, and pieces of sausage in a large Dutch oven or large soup pot. Season with kosher salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning.
- Set the smoker or pellet grill to 225 degrees, turn super smoke on if you have that option. Put the pot on the grill grate for 30 minutes. Add the garlic and let smoke another 30 minutes.
- Break the sausage apart in the pot (I used a wooden spatula) and add the pasta/ marinara sauce, spinach, basil, parmesan cheese, and more kosher salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning. Pour 1/2 cup of the chicken broth or water into the empty pasta sauce jars, shake with the lid on, and pour into the sauce (this will get all of the sauce from the jar and help with sauce consistency).
- Leave the sauce on the smoker (still at 225 degrees) for another 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring a few times. Taste for seasoning and add more kosher salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and/or Italian seasoning if needed.
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