Healthy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce recipe has no added sugar! It’s meaty, thick, full of Italian flavor and great served over traditional pasta or spaghetti squash for a low-carb meal.
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Healthy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
My hubby and I have done several Whole30 eating plans. Ever heard about it? You can find out all about it here but to sum it up, you eat meat, veggies, fruit and certain nuts & fats for 30 days. No sugar, no grains, no dairy. Yea…it was rough. I can leave grains and dairy behind any day… but I like my sugar.
We decided to do this as a kick start to healthier eating. I didn’t like how I was always craving sweet stuff. I guess having a food blog will do that to ya. This Healthy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce recipe is a staple in our home. We love our Italian food here, and I had to find a way to still be able to get that good Italian taste!
Low Carb Spaghetti Sauce
This spaghetti sauce has no added sugar, but is full of flavor. Find a tomato puree that has an ingredient list of one thing…tomatoes. Yes, tomatoes have some naturally occurring sugars, but as long as there is not sugar listed in the ingredients, you’re golden and will end up with a deliciously low carb spaghetti sauce.
Plus, it is hearty…full of meat and petite diced tomatoes. The kids don’t even mind the diced tomatoes…but they have to be “petite diced” so they are not so noticeable.
Freezing Spaghetti Sauce
You’ll love this healthy homemade spaghetti sauce recipe because it makes a big batch…you can freeze the leftovers to pull out at another time. And when you are trying to eat “real” food, anything that saves time is so helpful! To freeze this sauce, allow it to cool completely, then divide it into containers that will seal tightly for the freezer.
Spaghetti Squash
Serve this healthy past sauce over spaghetti squash for a low-carb, low-sugar meal, or use it as you would any spaghetti sauce!
Healthy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce recipe has no added sugar! It's meaty, thick, full of Italian flavor and great served over traditional pasta or spaghetti squash for a low-carb meal.
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 cans tomato puree 29 ounces each
- 2 cans diced tomatoes, with juice 14.5 ounces each
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 teaspoons basil
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
In a large saucepan, brown the ground beef along with the garlic. Drain.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a low boil, stirring often.
Once the sauce is heated through and at a low boil, reduce the burner temperature to low and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes.
Serve immediately or allow the sauce to cool, then package it in freezer-safe containers for easy storage.
Gary Allen says
Spaghetti Sauce – even better replace water with dry red wine
Lizzy T says
Sounds like something to try, Gary! Thanks!
Michelle says
I don’t see any water used, do you use water at all in this recipe?
Julie Clark says
My original recipe had about a cup of water in it. Some commenters complained that it was too runny, so we experimented at home with leaving the water out and it definitely made it thicker. So you can add it in if you’d like!
Monica says
Just wondering, what is the purpose of the olive oil? Can I leave it out?
Julie Clark says
You can leave it out if you’d like. It’ just for flavor.
Amy says
Hi Lizzy! The recipe says 15 servings. Is that 1/2 cup serving each? Thanks!
Julie Clark says
It’s a little less than 1 cup per serving. Probably about 3/4 cup.
Amy says
Thank you!
Ashlie says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I am always looking for easy and delicious ways to use whole foods when cooking but I do get bored with the same old recipes, so I am really excited to try something new for dinner tomorrow night!
Lizzy T says
Enjoy, Ashlie! We freeze big batches of this. It’s nice to have it on hand for so many different dishes!
NIchole says
Your Sugar free spaghetti sauce is not TRULY sugar free. the tomato puree has 21.9g of sugar per serving. that’s a huge 43 grams per serving. you have to whatch for hidden sugars as well.
Lizzy T says
Hi there, Nichole! In our family, we try to eat as naturally as possible for our dinners. We do use canned tomato puree, but only the kinds that say that the ingredients are tomatoes and sometimes citric acid. The tomato puree we use has 1 gram of sugar per 1/4 cup serving. With as hard as it is to feed a family of 5 in the healthiest way possible, we think we’re doing pretty good by steering clear of added sugars. Thanks for stopping by!
Gege says
I used crushed tomatoes instead with only ingredient tomatoes and salt.
Randytew says
That’s what I used
taylor says
Thanks for the great recipe. Could you tell me what brand of tomato puree and diced tomato you use? The only ones I can find have 3 grams of sugar per serving each, thanks!
Lizzy T says
Taylor, Contadina brand tomato puree only has 1 gram of sugar per serving. I hope that helps!
Brian Heeley says
I notice, sodium is not good for you , with a two cans of tomatoes and two tsp of salt this recipe would be high in sodium I have a heart condition and i watch my sodium but it sure looks good
stephanie raley says
we use hunts puree it only has 4 g of sugar and I use low sodium diced tomatoes
Katie says
Dicing your own tomatoes only takes a few minutes and doesnt require any special equipment or expertise, so you can save on sugar and sodium there. I diced my own tomatoes, but used a canned puree that was low in sugar (only 1g per serving) and sodium to save on time. In a batch that yielded about 7 pints, this sauce ended up being much lower in sugar and sodium per jar than any other store bought sauces I’ve seen.
Lizzy T says
Did you have problems with the skins coming off the tomatoes or did you peel them? I was worried I’d have skins floating in my spaghetti sauce. You’re right though, dicing tomatoes takes no time at all. Thanks so much for those hints!
Katie says
I made this sauce tonight and it is delicious! I used a tomato puree and diced tomatoes with the lowest amounts of sugar and sodium available at my grocery store, and I think that with that small compromise, its healthy enough and yummy enough to become a staple during my Whole30 starting tomorrow. I’m making your slow cooker paleo stuffed peppers tomorrow with this and later this week I’ll be pouring it over some zoodles. Since I’m cooking for one right now, I think this will last most of the month. Thank you! 🙂
Lizzy T says
Great, Katie! I don’t know what I’d do without this sauce. I’ve been known to eat it by the spoonful for a quick afternoon snack. 🙂 Good luck with your Whole30!
Katie says
I have to admit that I love this so much I’ve stolen a few spoonfuls of it as a small snack already. I could see that turning into a habit. Haha!
Robin says
I made this for the first time tonight and had to say, it was SO good! It was a hit with my whole family! Thank you!
Lizzy T says
Great! I hope your family continues to enjoy it!
Tawnya says
The spaghetti sauce was a runny, horrible mess! The instructions call for way too much purée, water, and juice from the petite tomatoes. It ruined this recipe which would probably taste good if it wasn’t basically tomato water. I even added an extra pound of meat just to try and absorb some of the wetness and it was just horrible.
Lizzy T says
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this. We’ve made this for years, served it to guests, and it always gets rave reviews. I hope you find a recipe you like!
Beth says
For my adjustments. I used 3 quarts of canned tomatoes ,1 pint of canned tomato juice instead of water and 1-6 oz tomato paste Helped to thicken it up some. Used balsamic vinegar instead lemon juice. Used Italian seasoning instead of the 3 spices. Added 5 tsp minced onions. Love that there is not any sugar. Cooked in crock pot 4 hrs cooled put into several freezer containers and froze. Thanks so much for a healthy and easy recipe.
Lizzy T says
Thanks for sharing your version, Beth!
Heather Johnson says
Made it last night and it was a hit! LOVE It! Froze extras for another time. Thanks for a great recipe!
Lizzy T says
You’re welcome! Thanks for the feedback!
Rose says
I just made this and it was amazing! I didn’t have any thyme or Basil though so I didn’t get to add that. I also didn’t have tomato paste so I just added the tomatoes, I didn’t add extra water either. It was a little spicy which I like but also a little salty. I still loved it but next time I might not add as much salt. Wonderful! thank you!
Julie Clark says
Great! One thing I love about this recipe is that it is very versatile. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
AshleyC says
I made this last week and am making it again tonight for the dinner with friends that we are hosting! My husband and one-year-old both loved it as well! So, so good!
Julie Clark says
Great! We’ve served this to guests, too. We love it!
Brandon says
This is now my go-to sauce recipe! I double the crushed red pepper (we like it spicy), but other than that — perfect! Thanks so much.
Julie Clark says
I love that you double the spice! I would, but when we serve it to other families they usually think it is too spicy as is. So we just add extra when we feel like it. 🙂 Thank you!
Christina says
Hi Lizzy T,
If I omit the meat will it change the flavor very much?
Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Julie Clark says
We often make it without meat. 🙂
Alison Soles says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I knew I had to make my own spaghetti sauce when I found out the only Whole30 compliant sauces in the store were almost $7 each! It takes a few to feed my large family! This sauce was perfect and was a hit with the family! I added onions and peppers and will probably also add mushrooms next time! I’m excited that I had enough to freeze! Now I have an emergency meal when needed!
Julie Clark says
I love that you added veggies! Thank you!
Bre says
I made this recipe for my family last night and everyone loved it! I love that it’s healthier than using store bought sauce, yet it’s simple enough to make when short on time. It’s also very affordable, which is a must for our large, hungry family! Thank you for taking the time to share your recipe… We will be making it many times!
Julie Clark says
Yay! You’re welcome!
Tonnya says
Hi – I’m really looking forward to making this, it sounds delicious. Quick question – and I hope it’s not a stupid one – when it says, Yields 15 – is that 15 cups?
Thank you!!
Julie Clark says
Tonnya,
Good morning! Honestly…I forget what I was thinking when I put that “15” in there! I would definitely say it serves 15. It makes a large batch of sauce. I’ll measure it out by cups next time I make it to be for certain, then update the recipe!
Tonnya says
Thank you!!
Michelle | A Dish of Daily Life says
We often make our own spaghetti sauce…it’s so easy and tastes so good! I’m excited to have a new recipe to try!
Nicole Straszewski says
I’ve been using a OAMM meals for a few months already and we LOVE IT! It is the BIGGEST timesaver for busy people/families. I can tell you when they say to set aside a whole day, BELIEVE it! Soooooo worth it!!!
Julie Clark says
Yes!! I’m setting a day aside next week to get caught up. Looking forward to having those meals ready! I’m glad you love it. 🙂
Roberta says
Delicious! So easy! Thank you so much!
Meagen Sweeney says
Hi, just curious on what you consider a serving size for this, and if you happen to know the nutrition information, per your recipe? Thanks!
Meagen
Julie Clark says
Hi there! I’m working on updating my recipes to all show calories per serving so I took a few minutes to do this for you. 🙂 This is just based on a nutritional calculator, but it shows 147 calories per serving. We get about 15 servings from this pot of spaghetti sauce, which would be about 1/2 to 3/4 cup per serving. I’ll measure the exact amount next time I make it. (which will be soon!) 🙂
Taylor Geller says
I’m sorry if I missed it, but how many servings does this recipe make? Thanks so much!
Julie Clark says
I’d say about 15 servings.
Sam Campbell says
Will try this. My spaghetti sauce comes out so thick it just sits on top of the pasta.
Hopeful Kimberly says
It’s on my stove now! It’s awesome. I didn’t add the olive oil but had to replace the diced tomatoes with tomato sauce. That’s what I get for assuming I know what I have. LOL.
I went “no added sugar” in July, as well as no milk or bread. Dropped 15 lbs. I have added back in Ezekial bread. It definitely required a learning curve in the beginning. Thank you so much.
Christina says
Tried this for the first time tonight. It turned out scrumptious!! I had to make a few adjustments, I hope you don’t mind…I added some diced onion while browning the meat, used 1 lb ground beef and 1/2 lb spicy Italian sausage, and added a little fresh parsley from my garden near the end of cooking. The result was a delicious, thick & rich, easy to make sauce. My picky hubby loved it too. Yea! Thanks for the great recipe.
Julie Clark says
I love that you made it your own! Thanks for sharing your hints!