Low Sodium Spaghetti or Marinara Sauce - Recipe Diaries (2024)

Do you ever just get super annoyed at the grocery stores these days with all the crap and extra junk ingredients they add to stuff like spaghetti sauce? I do! You should make my recipe for this Low sodium spaghetti sauce. That's why I'm on a mission to just make certain foods at home now like this spaghetti sauce.

Everyone has their favorite marinara sauce but mine is from Rao's. It has 330 mg for ½ cup of sauce and that is quite a lot. No thanks, that is way too much salt for me. My recipe has only 26 mg of sodium!

If you like simple do it yourself recipes like this make Slow Cooker Homemade Applesauce (No Sugar) or Sugar Free Strawberry Sauce.

Ingredients Needed

• Chopped onions - When it comes to choosing the best onion for marinara sauce, many chefs and home cooks prefer using yellow onions. This is because yellow onions have a strong flavor that can hold up well against the acidity of the tomato sauce.
• No salt added tomato sauce - Tomato sauce can be found in many varieties, including chunky, smooth, spicy, and sweet. If the tomatoes are chunky just puree them in a food processor. If you can only find no salt added tomatoes just puree them in your blender.
• No salt added tomato paste - Is a thick and concentrated sauce made by cooking and straining tomatoes.
• Sugar - Use granulated white sugar
• Garlic, diced or minced - Chopped fresh garlic can take some time to chop so I often always use the freshly minced garlic that comes already made in a jar.
• Ground oregano - Is an herb that is commonly used in Mediterranean cooking and it belongs to the mint family. Oregano has a strong, slightly bitter taste and a pungent aroma.
• Dried basil is made by drying the leaves of the basil plant and can be found in most grocery stores.
• Crushed red pepper flakes - Are small pieces of dried hot peppers, typically made from cayenne, that are crushed or ground into small flakes.
• Water - This ingredient is free, you can find it in the sink in your kitchen. 😉
• See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

How to Make Low Sodium Marinara Sauce

Step 1: Spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray. Set to medium-low heat.Cook the onions until they're translucent.

Step 2: Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste; then water. Stir in all the spices, and let the sauce simmer on low for 30 minutes.

Recipe Tip: If you don't like chunky onions use a hand-held immersion blender to puree the sauce. A blender will also work.

What other ingredients can I add to marinara sauce?

Marinara sauce is a classic Italian tomato-based sauce that is used in a variety of dishes. The beauty of this sauce is that it can be customized to your liking. Here are some common ingredients that you can add to marinara sauce to enhance its flavor:

1. Garlic adds a pungent and slightly sweet flavor to the sauce. You can finely chop or mince garlic and sauté it in olive oil before adding the tomato sauce.
2. Onions add a sweet and savory flavor to the sauce. You can finely chop or dice onions and sauté them in olive oil before adding the tomato sauce.
3. Herbs: Fresh or dried herbs like basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary can be added to the sauce to give it a depth of flavor. Aldi has a basil stir in basil paste that's really low sodium. Homemade Pesto would also be good.
4. Red Wine: Adding a splash of red wine to the sauce can give it a rich and robust flavor.
5. Adding grated Parmesan cheese to the sauce can give it a nutty and salty flavor. Please note this will add more salt to the marinara sauce.
6. For a heartier sauce, you can add meat such as ground beef, sausage, or meatballs. Vegetables such as bell peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini can also be added for more texture and nutrition. Finally, if you want to add some creaminess to the sauce, you can stir in some heavy cream or grated Parmesan cheese at the end of cooking.
7. Protein: Lean ground beef, ground chicken, or turkey sausage would be a great option for protein.

What to serve with spaghetti sauce?

Make my Air Fryer Garlic Bread to serve on the side or Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread Sticks.

Sometimes I'll make a bag of Ceasar salad from the store as a side dish.

Marinara sauce and spaghetti noodles can be a quick meal to make at home. Add in some ground beef for some protein. I like to buy the 96% lean ground beef at Aldi to add to this pasta sauce. One 2oz serving of this sauce with the ground beef added is 2 smart points.

If you're vegetarian add in some soy crumbles. Banza pasta has a pretty decent source of protein in just the noodles.

Looking for other No Salt Added Recipes?

Low Sodium Taco Seasoning Homemade

Slow Cooker Taco Soup (Low Sodium)

Low Sodium Taco Salad

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