Spaghetti is one of those classic childhood comfort foods that never seems to get old.
It requires basically no cooking skills, it’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser, and it can be modified in a million different ways to suit your tastes and dietary preferences.
And as you’ll see with these 10 spaghetti recipes, it can even be “macro friendly.”
For example, check out the 5-Ingredient Tomato Sauce from Scratch for a delicious, lower-calorie take on classic marinara sauce; if you want something I guarantee you haven’t tried before, then give the Baked Goat Cheese Marinara Dip a whirl; and if you’re looking to meal prep with almost no “prep,” try the Simple Slow Cooker Marinara.
Enjoy!
This homemade basil spaghetti sauce starts with fresh ingredients, so it’s the opposite of any tomato sauce you’ll buy in a jar. Yet when you keep it simple like this, spaghetti sauce from scratch doesn’t require much prep. The hardest part – peeling the tomatoes – isn’t hard at all. Slice an x in a bunch of fresh tomatoes, and place them in boiling water for a few minutes. The tomato skins will slide right off, and then you can chop or crush them for sauce.
145
Calories4 g
Protein19 g
Carbs8 g
Fat2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 large tomatoes
1 cup Italian basil leaves, loosely packed
1 tsp. dried Italian herbs
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. salt
Get the Recipe
Pasta sauce is great when it can sit on the stove for a while, but you have to remember to check in every now and then. Otherwise it can burn on the bottom or cook down too long ‘til it’s super thick. If that happens, you can add water and continue simmering until the sauce is how you like it. But your best bet on a busy day is to make the spaghetti sauce in a crock pot. Then it can be left all day to do its thing and wind up exactly how you like it.
45
Calories1 g
Protein7 g
Carbs2 g
Fat1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large cans (28 oz. each) diced tomatoes
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. brown sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Dash of crushed red pepper
Get the Recipe
Want the flavor of spaghetti, but without the pasta? This spaghetti sauce dip is the answer to your cravings. Once you get it together on the stove, the tomato sauce is spooned over some goat cheese and baked in the oven for an incredible dip. Serve with fresh Italian bread or your favorite crackers.
216
Calories13 g
Protein9 g
Carbs15 g
Fat2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 oz. goat cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
Get the RecipeIf you’re adding your own favorites to jar spaghetti sauce, you may as well learn to make your own. This is a basic marinara recipe using fresh tomatoes – and you only need five ingredients. From here, you can tailor the recipe to your tastes to have your perfect homemade spaghetti sauce from scratch.
60
Calories2 g
Protein10 g
Carbs2 g
Fat8 lbs. ripe tomatoes
1 onion, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. salt
Get the RecipeThe best meat sauce for spaghetti has to cook for a while. Otherwise the flavors won’t develop as much, and it won’t taste like what homemade spaghetti sauce should taste like. The result will be more like crumbled hamburger covered in crushed tomatoes. But if you use a slow cooker for meaty marinara, the ground beef will break down, become tender, and cook to perfection.
413
Calories27 g
Protein51 g
Carbs11 g
Fat2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 onions, diced
2 lbs. ground beef
1 cup red wine (or broth)
2 large cans (28 oz. each) crushed tomatoes
4 Tbsp. tomato paste
3 beef bouillon cubes, crushed
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried thyme
3 dried bay leaves
2 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 lb. spaghetti
Get the RecipeEver have more vegetables than you know what to do with? That’s the perfect time to make some tomato sauce. And if you have enough ingredients for a double or triple batch, it’s easy to freeze or even can your homemade spaghetti sauce to last for months.
242
Calories8 g
Protein36 g
Carbs9 g
Fat1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 package (10 oz.) Portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 package (10 oz.) fresh spinach, destemmed and chopped
1 bunch parsley, destemmed and chopped
1 large can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 large can (28 oz.) tomato puree
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. pure honey
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Get the RecipeSome recipes call for just a tablespoon of fresh herbs, and then what do you do with the rest? Make spaghetti sauce, that’s what. This homemade marinara uses all fresh ingredients, including garlic, tomatoes, oregano, and more. But if you just have the basil and want to use dried herbs for the rest instead, that’ll work in a pinch.
138
Calories3 g
Protein19 g
Carbs7 g
Fat5 lbs. fresh tomatoes, peeled and deseeded
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium onions, diced
8 cloves garlic, minced (or more to taste)
1/3 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
1 sprig fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1 sprig fresh oregano (or 1 tsp. dried)
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs parsley (or 1 tsp. dried)
1 tsp. sea salt
1 carrot, 1/2 grated
1 Tbsp. pure honey (optional)
Get the RecipeNot all tomato sauce has to be cooked. This traditional Italian spaghetti sauce is like a pesto, but not the bright green one you’re used to. Called pesto trapenese, it still uses fresh basil. Yet instead of pine nuts, you’ll need a bunch of almonds, plus fresh tomatoes and grated Parmesan. Blend it all with olive oil in a food processor, and serve with spaghetti. It’s the best summer spaghetti sauce recipe.
420
Calories16 g
Protein51 g
Carbs18 g
Fat3/4 cup slivered almonds
1 large handful fresh basil
2 large cloves garlic
Sea salt to taste
6 ripe plum tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup (about 2 oz.) grated Parmesan
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. linguine
Get the RecipeTo pack the most flavor and nutrition into a spaghetti sauce, you’ll need to go beyond tomatoes and basil. This sauce has everything you’d want in marinara, including the ground meat (or vegan sausage) of your choice. It’s also loaded with bell peppers, onion, and mushrooms. And if that’s not enough wholesome ingredients, add a shredded carrot to this tomato sauce recipe, and reduce the amount of brown sugar.
180
Calories16 g
Protein16 g
Carbs6 g
Fat1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups onion, chopped and divided
5 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 lbs. lean ground beef (or turkey)
1 red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 can (12 oz.) tomato paste
1 tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 tsp. dried oregano
3 tsp. dried basil
1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 cans (14 oz. each) Italian-style diced tomatoes
2 large cans (28 oz. each) crushed tomatoes
8 oz. mushrooms, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef stock
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Get the RecipeWhen you want a hearty spaghetti sauce without any meat, use mushrooms. This one uses a whole pound of them, which adds potassium and vitamins along with flavor. They’re also filling, which means cooking up this mushroom spaghetti sauce may mean you eat less pasta – and don’t crave dessert after dinner.
139
Calories3 g
Protein14 g
Carbs7 g
Fat1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onions, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 cloves garlic, pressed
6 medium tomatoes, diced
2 cans (15 oz. each) Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 cup red wine
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp. salt
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup chopped fresh basil
Get the RecipeWho knew quarantine cooking could be so tasty?
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That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!
Okay, so we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters. So, if you’re outside the USA, your order ships free when it’s over $299.
Why the restriction on international orders? Unfortunately, shipping abroad is very expensive, and if we didn’t require a minimum order size, we’d lose a lot of money. But! We're also hustling to improve our international logistics and will be passing our savings along to our international customers.
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