Homemade Spicy Marinara Sauce Recipe

Recipe posted in: Flex Meals & Snacks, Lunches & Dinners, Main Courses, Sides
Homemade Red Italian Spicy Marinara Sauce with tomatoes, basil and garlic

The best marinara sauce is homemade! Get our easy recipe for marinara sauce to add delicious and nutritious flavor to any Italian meal you’re making. Find out how to make the best marinara sauce that fits into your healthy diet.

Sure, you can easily by premade pasta sauce in a jar or can from your local grocery store. However, many store bought versions are sneaky sources of sodium and sugar. Once you take a taste of a homemade marinara, you’ll never go back! This zesty, herbaceous and easy marinara sauce recipe is the perfect pasta sauce for your favorite hearty dinners.

Can’t handle the heat? Feel free to make this recipe into a classic marinara by omitting the red pepper flakes. You can then add other Italian seasonings like oregano.

Use this healthy marinara sauce to make chicken parmigiana. You can also make a marinara meat sauce by combining it with cooked ground beef, ground turkey or even ground chicken. And of course, we know you’re going to be using it to make pasta with marinara sauce! Watching your carbs? Pour some of this delicious sauce over zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash for a healthy Italian-inspired meal.

This recipe makes 10 servings of pasta sauce. One serving contains just 60 calories and counts as one Extra and one Vegetable on the Nutrisystem weight loss plan. Keep track of your daily meal plan by logging your food intake in the NuMi app! NuMi can help you reach your weight loss resolutions by holding you accountable and providing an organized place to log your meals, vegetables, water, exercise and progress.

Pair this sauce with one of these other healthy recipes:

Is marinara sauce pizza sauce? It can be with this delicious recipe. Try it with this healthy and homemade Whole Wheat Pizza! >

Reach your weight loss goals with a convenient meal delivery service. Nutrisystem sends perfectly portioned meals and snacks directly to your door! We even have your favorite Italian dinners. Get started with a Nutrisystem plan today!

Servings: 10

Calories per Serving: 60

On Nutrisystem, Count As: 1 Extra and 1 Vegetable

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 10-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • 1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1 6-oz. can tomato paste
  • 4 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • ½ tsp. black pepper
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes

Directions:

  1. Heat pot to medium-high heat and add olive oil. Once hot, add the garlic and onions. Cook for 5 minutes.
  2. Pour in both cans of tomatoes, tomato paste, 3 tablespoons of basil, Italian seasoning, black pepper and red pepper flakes.
  3. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Occasionally stir the mixture and lightly mash the whole tomatoes to break them up a bit.
  4. Turn off heat and garnish with the remaining basil. Serve over whole wheat pasta or veggie noodles with your favorite protein and vegetables.
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