7 Simple Things To Save Your Bland Spaghetti Sauce

Spaghetti sauce is one of the easiest and most versatile meals to make, and it’s also one of the most popular comfort foods in Italy and America and has been around since the late 1800s.

If you have ended up with bland spaghetti sauce, it doesn’t mean that you have to throw it out.

Here are some tips on fixing your bland sauce and making it more flavorful without any hassle.

What is spaghetti sauce?

Spaghetti sauce is a tomato-based sauce that is commonly served over pasta.

It originated in Italian cuisine and has become famous all over the world.

Spaghetti sauce can be made from scratch or purchased in a jar and is often served with meatballs, sausage, and other ingredients.

It can be used as a topping for pizza and pasta.

Some people like to use fresh tomatoes, while others prefer canned tomatoes because they are much more convenient to make spaghetti sauce in no time.

Over time, there are many variations of spaghetti sauce with personal favorite ingredients added to the recipe.

However, the sauce always ends up with a beautiful red color, a rich flavor, and a thick texture.

Why is my spaghetti sauce bland?

So you’ve made the sauce, and now it tastes bland.

Why?

This is a common problem that several reasons can cause.

For example, you have under-seasoned the sauce.

If there is not enough salt or any other condiment, you can finish with a tasteless spaghetti sauce, despite the appealing red color.

Moreover, if your spaghetti sauce recipe doesn’t call for stock, it won’t have enough flavor to compensate for the lack of salt.

A bland spaghetti sauce might be a little disappointing, but don’t worry; there are numerous ways that can help you fix it.

So keep reading to figure it out!

7 tricks to fix bland spaghetti sauce

If you’re in a hurry or have a lot of time to solve this problem, you still have many choices.

Below are the most common methods to fix a tasteless spaghetti sauce effortlessly:

Add ground meat

In many parts of the world, spaghetti sauce means there is ground meat in it.

However, ground meat is not always included in this sauce recipe.

But do you know that adding some will literally make your spaghetti sauce much more flavorful and can fix the bland taste?

A little bit of meat goes a long way in fixing bland spaghetti sauce.

Ground chicken, pork, and veal are also good choices if you want to amp up the flavor even more.

If you’re not into eating animal products (or any at all), consider adding mushrooms, tempeh, or soy crumbles for a similar effect on taste and texture—and bonus points!

Spice it up

If the sauce lacks spice, then spice it up! You can make your spaghetti sauce more flavorful with a few simple ingredients.

If you want to add some cumin and paprika, that’s great—but don’t stop there.

You can also add a pinch of chili powder, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon; a sprinkle of nutmeg, allspice, and red pepper flakes will do wonders as well.

Add these spices in small amounts, so they aren’t overpowering.

Add red wine

Adding red wine is one of the favorite solutions to fix bland spaghetti sauce.

Red wine adds a lot of flavor, texture, and color to the sauce.

It can be added in many different ways at different stages of cooking.

When it comes to making spaghetti sauce with red wine, you don’t need to opt for the most expensive wine out there.

Just go with a good-quality one that is affordable for your budget.

It still works, indeed.

Simmer it

If you have time, you can reduce the sauce by simmering it for more time.

Letting the sauce simmer will break down the tomato pulp and help develop its flavor.

You can tell when your sauce is ready by feeling the bottom of your pot with a wooden spoon: if it feels slightly tacky but not wet, then you know it’s ready to eat.

If there’s still water in your pot after cooking for an hour or two, then you need to keep it simmering.

Add an acid

Sometimes, a bland spaghetti sauce doesn’t mean that it lacks saltiness but a kick of an acidic flavor.

You can try adding a bit of vinegar, lemon juice, or wine to the sauce and see how it turns out.

Adding even a small amount of these ingredients can help make up for blandness in sauces by giving them a tangier flavor profile.

Extra virgin olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil is a great way to add flavor to any dish, including spaghetti sauce.

It’s also better for you than regular olive oil because it contains more polyphenols, which have been linked to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Extra virgin olive oil is made from the first pressing of olives and has a higher smoke point (the temperature at which an oil begins to break down and lose its flavor) than most vegetable oils.

This means it can be used for cooking and baking at high temperatures without losing all of its nutrients or compromising its taste.

It makes the sauce or any dish taste richer and more nutritious.

Add cheese

Last but not least, adding cheese is also helpful in fixing bland spaghetti sauce.

Grate a cup of Parmesan or Romano, and add it at the end of cooking your sauce.

Don’t use too much cheese, though, or you’ll end up with an overly rich and thick sauce—just enough to give the sauce some flavor without overpowering it.

Also, be sure not to add your cheese until you’re ready to serve! The longer it sits in your pan unattended, the more likely it is that your pasta will become waterlogged and mushy from absorbing all those tasty liquids.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this article and found it helpful.

Now, don’t panic even if you have ended up with a bland spaghetti sauce because there are many ways to save it.