Try this thick and hearty Healthy Spaghetti and Meat Sauce -- sure to impress and satisfy!
In my post on how to make spaghetti squash noodles, I shared how to make low-carb spaghetti squash noodles by roasting spaghetti squash. Today, I want to give you a delicious and healthy spaghetti and meat sauce recipe from scratch to go with those tasty low-carb noodles.
Sound good? Awesome!
In This Post You'll Find:
Ingredient Notes
So, let's talk about the meat part of this sauce. Because it is good and meaty.
- Ground Beef: I use lean ground beef, often 94%-96% lean, because the Italian sausage will add additional fat to the sauce.
- Italian Sausage: For this recipe, I prefer regular Italian sausage to sweet Italian sausage to keep it more savory.
- Yellow Onion: This can be replaced with onion powder, but the diced onion does add to the heartiness of the spaghetti sauce.
- Garlic Cloves: This can also be subbed with garlic powder, but the flavor won't be as pungent.
- Tomato Sauce: I use my homemade simple tomato sauce for this recipe, but you can also use store-bought tomato sauce -- look for one with simple ingredients and no added sugars. I prefer Rao's brand. Wanna see how easy this simple tomato sauce is to make for the healthy Spaghetti And Meat Sauce? Watch me make the whole thing from scratch in this video right here.
- Parmesan Cheese: This can be omitted for non-dairy peeps, and can also be substituted with nutritional yeast.
- Spaghetti Squash Noodles: I use spaghetti squash noodles instead of regular spaghetti for this sauce. This sauce would also be amazingly delicious served over zucchini noodles or homemade pasta.
Watch Me Make The Spaghetti And Meat Sauce Noodles
Enter this healthy spaghetti with meat sauce from scratch I made the other day. Oh my goodness...this is a double meat spaghetti recipe right here. This is a good one, folks. This is the kind of recipe Dustin and I realize I've nailed the moment we take our first bite.
The combination of the Italian sausage and lean ground beef really work well together. Add that all together with some tasty tomato sauce and freshly picked herbs from our garden and you have a meal that we'll enjoy every week.
How To Make Healthy Spaghetti And Meat Sauce
Now...the from scratch part. This is fully from scratch. Meaning I use my own simple tomato sauce as the base. When I make the tomato sauce, I double or even triple the recipe so I can freeze 2-cup portions that can be poured straight into the pan once defrosted. It's such tastiness and such goodness.
For the healthy spaghetti with meat sauce, here's how you make it:
- Heat olive oil in a fry pan and cook the ground beef and italian sausage over medium-high heat until the meat starts to brown on all sides, about 7-10 minutes.
- Once the meat is brown, add the onion and cook mixture until the onions are tender, approximately 8-10 minutes longer.
- Add the garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer and reduce to medium-low heat.
- Add the spices and herbs, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Serve hot, preferably over these spaghheti squash noodles.
How To Make Without Meat
Yes, this spaghetti sauce can be made without meat. To do so, skup the first step of browning the meat, and instead start with browning the onion. All the remaining steps can be followed.
Pro Tip: If making wihtout meat, I recommend adding another veggie with suubstance, like creminin mushrooms, to the sauce to make it taste heartier.
How To Store
Fortunately, this spaghetti sauce stores very well, and can easily be reheated.
Refrigerator Storage
To store the healthy spaghetti sauce, simple transfer to a glass meal prep container of air-tight container. Place in the refridgeratire and store for up to 5-6 days. I recommend using glass storage containers so the acid in the tomato sauce doesb't stain the plastic.
Freezer Storage
You could also freeze the sauce in a freezer-safe container forup to 3 months.
More Spaghetti Recipes You Might Like
Spaghetti should be its own food group! If you agree, here are more recipes for you to enjoy.
Healthy Spaghetti And Meat Sauce From Scratch
Equipment
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper plus more to taste
- 8-10 fresh basil leaves finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano chopped
- 4 cups simple tomato sauce get the recipe here
- optional: parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a fry pan and heat over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground beef and italian sausage to the pan and cook until the meat starts to brown on all sides, about 7-10 minutes. Once starting to brown, add the onion and cook mixture until the onions are tender and the meat is well-browned, approximately 8-10 minutes longer.
- Add the garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes.
- Add the sauce and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer and reduce to medium-low heat.
- Add the spices and herbs, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Serve hot, preferably over these spaghheti squash noodles.
El
This as soooo good. And even better the next day. My daughter didn’t like having onions in her sauce so I’ll just chop them finer next time 😉 definitely going into rotation
Lacey Baier
Woot! That's what I love to hear!
Dustin
great dinner
Lacey Baier
So glad you think so 🙂
Bonnie Hicks
Is there a way to use leftover spaghetti sauce for homemade pizza? I don't know the difference in ingredients. Thanks. Bonnie
Lacey Baier
I have never tried to use spaghetti sauce on pizza, but I usually reserve some homemade tomato sauce (the same I put into the spaghetti) for my pizza. It's wonderful.
Lisa
Hi, I made this for a group of us on Halloween, before we took the kids out. Really good flavor and super easy. I escpecially like knowing what's in the sauce, I made the simple version. The kids loved it too. Thanks!
Lacey Baier
So glad you all liked the spaghetti, Lisa. Thanks for sharing!
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking
This is my ultimate comfort food, and you just made me crave it like crazy! What a delicious looking dish. Thanks for sharing! You have a beautiful blog, Lacey, and I'm looking forward to exploring your recipes.
Lacey Baier
Thanks, Georgia! Hope to see you around 🙂