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 tomatoes, fresh, or 2 cups canned plum tomatoes with juice
- 2/3 cup carrot, chopped
- 2/3 cup celery, chopped
- 2/3 cup onion, chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, extra-virgin
- salt, to taste
- 1 pound whole-wheat pasta, cooked
- parmesan cheese
Sauce Add-in Options:
- ground beef
- ground turkey
- sausage
- mushrooms, diced
- herbs, dried
Instructions
-
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Recipe Notes
* For a gluten-free meal, serve over spaghetti squash or gluten-free whole grain rice noodles.
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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!
Have you tried Daisy Sour Cream? It is the only kind I buy..two ingredients! All Natural!!
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! https://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!
Could this recipe be canned or frozen? I am trying to use up my tomato crop before they all spoil.Thanks! Love your blog
Hi Rachel. I freeze tomato sauce all of the time so I don’t see why you couldn’t freeze this recipe. Jill
I saw where you stated this recipe can be frozen. I am wondering if anyone has ever canned it and had success?
I made this to use up some garden tomatoes today. I knew my brother and dad wouldn’t like the hunks of vegetables so after I finished I puréed the sauce. Now it’s a little more orange than red but I think it will still pass picky eater inspection!! Trying to get more veggies in for boys that eat fried foods multiple times a week!
Disappointed that an alternative to using fresh tomatoes in this recipe is canned ones. There is no way these could fit into your ‘real food’ classification. The amount of BPA in all canned foods is well known and most definitely unhealthy and not okay in a healthy lifestyle.
Hi Anne-Marie. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. There are actually some companies who are now using BPA free cans, including Muir Glen tomatoes. It’s definitely harder to find, but there are some out there who are avoiding BPA. Jill
I combined your recipe with another recipe that a commenter left and let me tell you! YUM! The carrots add a sweetness that I love! I have been unsatisfied with the red sauce recipies out there, however, this turned me into a believer! I combined this with your yummy meatballs. My two year old and my husband gobbled them up! Simple, healthy and delicious. That’s my kind of food.
Made this and put it on spaghetti squash! Made a yummy veggie dinner! Also the long cooking time required for then sauce made my house smell so delicious!
How do you freeze your left over sauce? Jars? Bags? And then how do you defrost? Thinking I might brave some homemade sauce…but if I do, I’m making enough for a few meals :). Thanks!!
Hi Meaghan. Lisa uses freezer safe canning jars/jelly jars and typically allows them to thaw overnight in the fridge. ~Amy
Hi Amy! With all the facts about staying away from canned tomatoes (bpa in lining,etc), are the organic canned tomatoes canned differently? Thank you-
Hello Deb. Only if they are marked BPA free. You can also find tomatoes in both glass jars and boxes. :)~Amy
Lisa, I love your recipes only 1 thing …. You still use wheat or should I say gluten contaminated ingredients . I substitute w/gluten free ingredients so I can still enjoy your delicious recipes. As for gluten it was a freak thing my wife and daughter wanted to try the PALEO DIET and that was the beginning of it all. We did it for 3-4 months but I need dairy so being the chef I found it was gluten they was bothering me after I trie to eat board walk pizza and was sick for 3 days anyways keep it up delicious and yummy recipes. Don’t try gluten free unless you are sure your ready for a life change but ALL FOR THE GOOD IN SO MANY WAYS!!!
;))
I made this recipe a few days ago. I wanted something except pasta to put it on. I used some small cauliflower florettes slightly steamed. It turned out quite tasty.
I wanted to do some canning this summer and wanted to use this sauce but i wasnt sure if i could. Do you know if that is possible or if i have to use specific recipes?
Hi Amanda. Lisa freezes her sauce but has not canned it. She’s only dabbled, so far, in canning a few items. Maybe this blogger’s post will help: http://foodinjars.com/2010/08/canning-101-why-you-cant-can-your-familys-tomato-sauce/. :) ~Amy
Sorry about my English. the canned is not good. Use the real tomatoes and they are better tasty and more health than the canned.
Believe me.. Many European like me used the real tomatoes and no canned. Thats why they made awesome tasty than canned is a yucky.
Can this also be used as pizza sauce?
Hi Mary. Sure, you could if like the consistency. ~Amy
I have made my own sauce for over 25 years. I haven’t tried this sauce yet but I know when I make sauce the oil goes in the pot first and the meat is browned before I add anything. It takes away that tangy taste (that many people love), if you like a sweet sauce, brown the meat first.
How long will the sauce last in the freezer?
Hi Mary. I’ve kept sauce for up to 6 months.
Does this read that its an easy recipe but “suprisingly, not delicious”? I read that four times…still sounds like its an easy but not great recipe lol
I think it is: “not surprisingly, delicious”. :)
I just found your page while searching for a homemade sauce that I can sneak veggies into. I’m trying to get more veggies into my daughter who doesn’t like them very much. Any other ideas on how to get some veggies into my family where they will eat it is always welcome. I plan to check out your blog when I am done here. I wanted to know if adding the veggies in this recipe alters the taste to where they would be able to pick them out and also you said that you can puree the veggies if you wanted, where would that step go in the recipe? Thanks.
Hi Melissa. I don’t think the flavor is altered much and, in fact adds depth, to the sauce. The veggies should be pureed before cooking. :) ~Amy
Hi!
If I’m using fresh tomatoes, would 2 lbs = 2 cups? Or about how many cups of fresh tomatoes & juice should I use?
Thank you!
Hi. Yes, 2lbs of fresh tomatoes is what Lisa used, too.
I have a bunch of very small cherry tomatoes that I would like to use up for this recipe, but peeling them seems impossible because of their size. What happens if I leave the skins on and just use an immersion blender to try and break them down?
Hi Jennifer. We’ve not tried a skin-on version so we can’t be sure of the results.
I always out the tomatoes in my vitamix with the skins on and the sauce turns out just the same.
What kind of juice are you talking about? Is it the juice from where you boiled the tomatoes
Jennifer, if you want, you can try doing what I usually do, Rinse them the day before you’re going to use them, pat them dry, place into a zip lock bag and into the freezer. The next day, as soon as you put them under the tap with warm water their skins slides off easily.
Are there any store bought sauces that are OK?
I would like to know too please :)
There are several organic brands that are tasty and fit the real food bill. I like Amy’s. Here is the ingredient list: ORGANIC TOMATO PURÉE, FILTERED WATER, ORGANIC ONIONS, ORGANIC EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, ORGANIC BASIL, SEA SALT, ORGANIC GARLIC, ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, ORGANIC BLACK PEPPER. I’ve tried several that I really like.
What kind of herbs (and how much) would you add to this? Never made homemade spaghetti sauce. Very excited to try this but I’m assuming you’d add some garlic and some kind of green herbs?
Your preference, really. Garlic, basil, oregano or an Italian blend of seasonings.
I have an allergy to wheat. Can substitute spelt or other flours into the recipes.
I was eating rice crackers but they are a no, no. Any other suggestions?
Thanks, Pat