Prepare all ingredients before cooking. Chop the onion finely and mince the garlic.

Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add ground beef and Italian sausage, breaking the meat apart as it browns.

Once the meat is browned, remove it from the pot using a slotted spoon and drain all but 1 tablespoon of grease.

In the same pot, add the chopped onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add minced garlic and cook for another minute.

Return the browned meat to the pot. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a minute or two.

Crush the whole peeled tomatoes by hand and add them to the pot, along with tomato sauce, sugar, oregano, thyme, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Reduce heat to low and let the sauce simmer uncovered for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Just before serving, stir in fresh parsley and basil and adjust seasoning if needed.

While the sauce simmers, cook spaghetti noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente.