Healthy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Recipe | The Rustic Foodie® (2024)

This Healthy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce recipe is meatless and made from scratch with fresh tomatoes! It's vegetarian and uses fresh herbs.

You'll never go back to jarred once you learn how to make this Healthy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce. It's made without meat with fresh tomatoes and herbs.

Summer gardening season is ramping up and many of us find ourselves staring at a huge stack of tomatoes not entirely sure what to do with all of them.

There are so many options - Tomatoes can be jarred, frozen, dried, pureed, or chopped. One of my favorite things to do is to turn them into spaghetti sauce.

Homemade spaghetti sauce sounds a little intimidating, but I assure you it's not. I was pleasantly surprised to find out how easy it was to prepare.

Once you get a taste of that earthy fresh flavor, you'll find yourself wishing for a stack of tomatoes all year round.

What Is Spaghetti Sauce Made Out Of?

This Healthy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce contains a few basic ingredients. The main ones being fresh tomatoes, garlic, shallots or onions, tomato sauce, fresh herbs like basil, oregano, and thyme along with a couple others.

It's light and full of simple, clean flavors. This spaghetti sauce is ready in less than an hour - It is not the variety that cooks for hours on end which results in a heavy, bold sauce.

It's actually more of a marinara sauce, which means it is thinner in texture than a traditional spaghetti sauce and it's made without meat. This sauce is meant to be enjoyed right away and not meant to be jarred or canned.

I just add it to the top of some freshly cooked pasta along with freshly shaved Parmesan cheese and eat to my heart's content.

Ingredients For Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Here's what you'll need to make it.

• 6 cloves Garlic
• 2 Shallots (or 1 small onion)
• 12 Roma Tomatoes or San Marzano Tomatoes (equals 2 - 2 ½ lbs.)
• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 8 oz. can Tomato Sauce
• ¼ cup Basil (fresh minced)
• 1 tsp. Oregano (fresh minced)
• 1 tsp. Thyme (fresh minced)
• 1 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
• 2 tsp. Sugar
• ½ tsp. each Kosher Salt and Pepper
• 1 package Gluten Free Pasta (any variety - can use regular pasta if not gluten free)
• Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

Which Tomatoes Are Best For Spaghetti Sauce?

The best tomatoes for making homemade pasta sauce are those of the paste variety. Paste tomatoes include roma, San Marzano, margherita, and Amish paste.

These varieties have a meaty texture, low water content, and relatively few seeds. They are low in acidity and high in sweetness making them ideal for turning into sauces.

San Marzano is the quintessential 'sauce tomato' in Italian cuisine but this variety may be difficult to locate in your local grocery store. I have always used roma tomatoes when making this recipe and am consistently pleased with the results.

How To Blanch Tomatoes

This spaghetti sauce is made by blanching fresh tomatoes. Blanching is a simple process wherein the tomatoes are placed in boiling water for a few minutes until the skin breaks open.

The tomatoes are then transferred to an ice bath which stops the cooking and allows the skin to be easily removed.

I used 12 roma tomatoes for this recipe, which equals roughly 2 - 2 ½ pounds and amounts to about 2 ½ cups of spaghetti sauce.

1. To blanch the tomatoes fill a large pot with water, place the pot on the stove top, and bring the water to a boil.
2. Once the water is boiling, carefully drop 12 roma tomatoes into the pot using a Spider strainer or slotted spoon (being careful not to splash yourself with boiling water).
3. Lower the heat a bit and boil the tomatoes for 3-4 minutes, or until the skin begins to break open.

How To Peel Tomatoes For Pasta Sauce

It's important to peel the tomatoes before turning them into sauce as the skins may create a chunky, uneven texture in addition to adding extra bitterness.

Peeling the tomatoes is easy once they have been blanched in boiling water and shocked in an ice bath.

1. Fill a large bowl with ice water.
2. Once the skins have begun to split as the tomatoes are boiling, carefully remove each tomato with a Spider strainer or slotted spoon and place them in the ice bath.
3. Allow the tomatoes to cool completely in the ice water and discard the hot water that was used to boil the tomatoes.
4. Once the tomatoes are cool to the touch, carefully peel the skin from each one and discard.
5. Remove the core from the top of the tomatoes using a paring knife or small metal scoop.

How To Make Healthy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Once the tomatoes are blanched and peeled, it's time to sauté them along with some garlic, shallots or onions in olive oil. Sautéing the tomatoes in this manner will allow them to break down as they begin to form a sauce.

1. Mince 6 cloves of garlic and 2 shallots (or 1 small onion).
2. Place a large pot on the stove top and heat to medium. Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil.
3. Once the oil is heated add the garlic and shallots. Sauté for 5-6 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add the peeled and cored tomatoes to the pot and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring often.

• I recommend using shallots instead of onions if you can find them. Shallots have a milder flavor and are slightly sweeter than onions resulting in a smooth, silky sauce.
• You can definitely use an onion if you prefer. I recommend a lighter variety of onion such as white onions.

How To Achieve The Best Texture When Cooking Spaghetti Sauce

Spaghetti sauce is one of those things that is subjective and everyone has their own ways of enjoying it. Some sauces are thick and chunky and others are smooth and silky.

You can customize this recipe a bit according to your tastes. It can be left thick and chunky or cooked down and pureed for a smoother texture.

1. Once the tomatoes have sautéed for 4-5 minutes, it's time to smash them with a potato masher (or some similar kitchen tool).
2. Cook the tomatoes on medium heat for another 10 minutes, smashing them often with a potato masher. They will begin to break apart and look more like a sauce.
3. After 10 minutes or so add 1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce, 2 tsp. sugar, ¼ cup fresh chopped basil, 1 tsp. each of fresh oregano and thyme, and ½ tsp. kosher salt and pepper.
4. Cook for another 5 minutes, all the while continuing to mash the tomatoes with a potato masher.
5. Add 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter to the sauce and simmer for a few more minutes on low or until the butter has melted.
6. If the sauce is still too chunky for your tastes feel free to pulse it with an immersion blender until it reaches your desired consistency. Be very careful when using an immersion blender in hot spaghetti sauce! Be sure to turn the heat off before using an immersion blender in a pot of sauce on the stove top.

Why Add Sugar To Tomato Sauce?

It may seem weird to add sugar to spaghetti sauce but it's an important component of the dish. Tomatoes and tomato products are high in acid and the sugar helps to balance out the acidity, resulting in better flavor.

Adding sugar balances the whole thing out.

Can I Sub Dried Herbs For Fresh?

Yes! Dried herbs work great when the fresh ones just aren't available.

I would recommend decreasing the amount of dried herbs if using in place of fresh.

Use 2 Tbsp. dried basil in place of ¼ cup fresh basil and ½ tsp. each of dried oregano and thyme in place of 1 tsp. of the fresh stuff (alternately you can use 1 tsp. Italian seasoning in place of fresh oregano and thyme).

Why Is My Spaghetti Sauce Watery?

I've never had an issue with watery spaghetti sauce using this recipe but it's always a possibility. There are a few tricks you can use to prevent watery pasta sauce.

If the sauce is watery, it's possible that the tomatoes used were a variety that holds a lot of water.

• To remedy a sauce that is too watery, simply allow it to simmer for a longer period of time on the stove top and the excess water will evaporate.
• Alternately, you can add 1-2 Tbsp. of tomato paste. Tomato paste is a natural thickener and will thicken the spaghetti sauce when added. Be sure to allow the tomato paste to mix into the sauce so there are no chunks.

Keep in mind that this variety of spaghetti sauce is more like marinara and it's meatless so not thick like a Bolognese. It may seem a bit lighter than the store-bought varieties.

Love pasta? Don't miss these recipes!

• Chicken Sausage Spaghetti
• Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs
• Chicken Marsala Pasta
• Vegetarian Mediterranean Pasta
• Mushroom Olive Pasta
• One Pot Veggie Pasta
• Spinach Walnut Pesto

What To Serve With Meatless Spaghetti Sauce

Prepare your favorite brand gluten free pasta according to the package directions and drain. You can make some fresh pasta if you're feeling really ambitious (I totally recommend this if you have the time).

The great thing about this sauce is that it's super versatile. You can serve it on top of your favorite variety of noodles. Spaghetti, linguini, farfalle, penne, or ravioli are all delicious choices.

You can use it any way you would store-bough tomato spaghetti sauce. Feel free to top this sauce with sautéed mushrooms, grilled chicken, shrimp, meatballs, or sautéed vegetables of choice like zucchini or greens.

If you'd like to keep things low-carb you can opt for zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash.

For a salty or briny kick feel free to add chopped Kalamata olives or capers to this pasta.

I love a generous amount of freshly shaved Parmesan, Romano, or Parmigiano-Reggiano along with some minced basil.

For a side dish I love pasta served alongside balsamic green bean salad, marinated tomato basil salad, minty fresh pea salad, and pickled beet salad.

Can Spaghetti Sauce Be Frozen?

Yes!

I do recommend enjoying this Healthy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce right away as it contains so many fresh flavors and ingredients but you can freeze it if you prefer.

How To Freeze

• Prepare the sauce according to instructions. Allow the pasta sauce to cool completely before transferring to the freezer for storage.
• Pour the cooled sauce into plastic containers or heavy-duty freezer bags (removing any excess air with your hands), label the containers, and freeze up to 3 months.

How To Reheat

• Transfer the containers to the fridge 24 hours before reheating and allow to thaw.
• Place the thawed sauce in a pan on the stove top and cook until heated through.

How Long Does It Last In The Fridge?

Any leftover sauce may be stored for 3-4 days in an airtight glass container in the fridge.

Be sure to allow the sauce to cool completely before transferring to the fridge for storage.

Can This Sauce Be Canned?

This spaghetti sauce is meant to be enjoyed fresh and may not be canned or jarred!

Canning or jarring spaghetti or tomato sauce requires a few extra steps in order to safely consume. Do not can or jar this sauce!

Love Italian dishes? Check out these recipes!

• Italian Grilled Chicken Sandwiches
• Chunky Italian Vegetable Soup
• Sheet Pan Italian Chicken
• Baked Eggplant Parmesan
• Skillet Chicken Parmesan
• Spinach Basil Pasta Sauce
• Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan Fries

Looking For More Homemade Pasta Sauce? Don't miss these recipes!

Easy Napoli Sauce

Zucchini Mushroom Pasta Sauce

Bolognese Sauce