Making spaghetti sauce from scratch is surprisingly easy, and not surprisingly, delicious (especially if made with locally grown or homegrown tomatoes). 
While this dish takes a little bit of time to prepare, it takes very little skill. I recommend to double (or even triple) this recipe for lots of leftovers with little additional effort. The extra sauce can be thrown in your freezer for another day. Now that I have spoiled my family by making this sauce with tomatoes from our garden, I am going to have to load up at the next farmer’s market and freeze enough sauce to last us until the next tomato season. Wish me luck with that one!
Also, if you think your kids will detect and detest the veggies in this sauce then try puréeing them in the food processor for a better disguise. Or you could just leave them out and increase the onion if necessary. My kids like it when I serve a side of garlic toast (whole-wheat toast topped with butter & garlic powder and toasted) with this dish.
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh, organic, ripe tomatoes (or 2 cups canned plum tomatoes with juice)
- 2/3 cup chopped carrot
- 2/3 cup chopped celery
- 2/3 cup chopped onion
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt, to taste
- 1 to 1 ½ pounds cooked whole-wheat pasta
- Optional: ground beef, turkey, sausage, and/or diced mushrooms
- Parmesan cheese
Directions
- If using fresh tomatoes drop them into boiling water for 1 minute. Drain them and peel off the skin (when they are cool enough to handle). Once they have been boiled the skin comes off very easily (pictured). Cut canned or fresh tomatoes into coarse piece and reserve juice.
- Add the tomatoes with juice, chopped carrot, celery and onion to a large saucepan on low heat. Cook uncovered at a slow simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the olive oil and bring sauce to a slightly stronger simmer for 15 more minutes. Stir frequently and mash tomatoes with the back of a spoon.
- Taste and add salt as needed. I usually add a bit of salt myself.
- Combine with cooked ground beef, ground turkey, sausage, diced mushrooms and/or fresh or dried herbs if desired and serve over whole-wheat pasta. Top with Parmesan cheese.
Yield: 4 – 5 servings
I have a question unrelated to this recipe, but related to pasta in general. For pasta dishes that are cream-based, what would you use for the cream, to make it an “approved” pasta dish? I just love those cream pasta dishes, and usually stay clear of them in general, but there HAS to be a healthy alternative!
Cream is technically not “highly processed” therefore it is okay to still use. I would just use it in moderation. There are many ways to define eating “healthy” (I will address this in a future blog post) and those on a “low fat” diet may avoid cream all together. I don’t really see cutting out processed foods as a diet though it is a more of a new lifestyle where cream is acceptable, but should be used in moderation (just like natural sweeteners, oils, etc.). I hope that helps!
Yes, it helps, thank you!
To me, this sounds more like a vegetable sauce than a traditional marinara or “spaghetti” sauce. Here’s how I make mine:
1 medium onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
28 oz can Muir Glen tomato puree
1/2 cup red wine
Fresh basil from my garden
Salt & Pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Saute onion in oil until softened, add garlic and cook for a minute. Add wine and cook until almost all the liquid is gone. Add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Sometimes I add a pat of butter or two at the end – it really rounds out the flavors and mellows the sauce if it’s too acidic. I also like to add chopped fresh tomatoes, if they are available from my garden. I add them when I add the puree.
This sauce is amazing! It’s honestly the best marinara sauce my husband and I have ever had. We use it for pasta as well as pizza sauce.
Yes, you are right it is more of a vegetable tomato sauce. I guess being a mom of little ones I am always trying to fit veggies in whenever I can! I just printed your recipe and look forward to trying it as well. Thank you!
Lisa, I am really loving your blog! I found it on a Food Inc fb post! i was inspired by you and made whole wheat asparagus pancakes with ww flour, baking powder, fresh locally grown asparagus, organic eggs, organic grass fed skim milk, salt pepper and organic cheddar cheese. I used ffree greek yogurt with tequilla lime seasoning i got from whole foods to dip. YUMMY! Did I get all the rules right? Ok now that I have gotten off track, let me get back to my original question…I have tons of home grown Rutgers tomatoes, can I make “gravy” with that too?
Thank you for the comment and it sounds like you are on the right track with all of your ingredients! Also, I think any variety of tomatoes would be good in the sauce it would probably just slightly alter the end result depending on what you use. Any homegrown tomatoes would be delicious in there though!
Thank you for the comment and it sounds like you are on the right track with all of your ingredients! Also, I think any variety of tomatoes would be good in the sauce it would probably just slightly alter the end result depending on what you use. Any homegrown tomatoes would be delicious in there though!
A good alternative for a “creamy sauce” is tofutti sour cream with herbs/cheese…it is a lot better for you while adding in the cream you so desire.
Do you have a recipe you can share?
Hi Lisa!
I am brand new to your blog and I must say the more I read the more I want to cry out of joy that I am not the only person/ mom that is trying to go back to REAL food!
You are an inspiration and thank you for posting all these amazing recipes!
I also turned my family’s traditional and wonderful sauce into my sneaky vegetable spaghetti sauce. The main difference is that I use summer squash and zucchini chopped up and thrown in after everything else is ready to stew. It looks like it will never blend in but give it a couple of hours. Not much left for the kids to gripe about, especially when we use it for extra cheesy baked ziti/ penne the second night!
Grateful in Florida,
Lacie
So glad you found us!!
Hi Lisa,
Do you have a pizza sauce recipe or do you modify this one at all for pizza?
Thanks and I continue to love your blog!
Karen
I actually buy our pizza sauce at our farmer’s market…are you in the Charlotte area? If so it’s at the Matthews Market and it is so good!!
Obsessed with your blog! I make a similar spaghetti sauce, but ALWAYS add a little red wine to the mix. The alcohol cooks out, but the flavor it adds is amazing.
Question: I am obsessed with your blog as well and have tried several of your recipes and have told all my friends they have to try cause everything has been amazing and a HUGE hit with my family…..SOOOO on to my question…..I always hear that when making spagetti sauce it takes hours could this be done in a crock pot????
So glad you like the blog and the recipes! I have not tried this particular recipe in the crock pot, but I have heard of “spaghetti sauce” recipes that work in the crock pot. Maybe google some of those recipes, compare it to this one and come up with your own version that works!
To me this recipe looks great. But my husband doesn’t eat chunks of tomatoes and I don’t have anyway to puree them myself. Any suggestions?
You don’t have a blender you could use?
Hi Lisa, LOVE,LOVE,LOVE, this Spaghetti sauce! I have a son and I am also always trying to get as many veggies in him as possible. I made this for dinner tonight, and it was a huge success. I didn’t have celery, so I substituted it for green pepper instead. I must say both me and my husband were a little leery about the carrots (I almost didn’t add them), I’m happy I did! Thank you~Breann
I love your website and I am always looking for ways to have my family eat better, but I am new to this whole website so any beginner ideas you can give would be very much appreciated!!
I just added a “start here” page for those who are new! http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/start-here/
I love this recipe! I use canned tomatoes though. But do you have any suggestions about brands? All the ones I find have calcium chloride added, which I guess helps keep the shape and prevent the tomatoes from breaking down in the sauce. And citric acid, although it says “naturally derived.” Are these still considered “real foods?”
Try to find canned versions with the least amount of additives possible. There will be better options at health food stores and also with organic brands. If you don’t have good options locally you can always order online.
I just made this sauce tonight and it was fabulous! Thank you for these great tips and recipes!
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