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This healthy No Meat Spaghetti Sauce comes together quickly and easily, packed with fresh basil, olive oil, onions, garlic, and no refined sugar—one of my favorite go-to recipes for the family.
Rich, flavorful, and versatile, this homemade sauce pairs perfectly with Healthy Air Fryer Eggplant or Keto Cloud Bread for a guilt-free way to savor every bite without the carbs from traditional pasta or garlic bread. Want to add a meat option? Try it with my Instant Pot Meatballs for a hearty twist everyone will love.
Why Make Homemade No Meat Spaghetti Sauce?
My no meat spaghetti sauce is healthier than store-bought options because it contains no preservatives, refined sugar, or highly processed oils.
I love how quickly it comes together and how easy it is to tweak for your taste—you can add red pepper for a little heat, Parmesan for cheesiness, or even a splash of red wine for extra depth. Plus, it’s versatile enough to serve over pasta, zucchini noodles, or use as a base for casseroles and pizza peppers.
Enjoy!
– Becca
Ingredients in this Spaghetti Sauce
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Olive Oil: Olive oil adds a rich, smooth base to this sauce, but any healthy oil (like avocado or coconut oil) will work in a pinch.
- Canned Whole Tomatoes: Whole tomatoes give the best flavor and texture. If you prefer a smoother sauce, blend them before adding to the pot. Fresh tomatoes also work beautifully when they’re in season.
- Honey (optional): A touch of honey helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes, but feel free to skip it or use your favorite natural sweetener instead.
- Fresh Basil: Fresh basil gives this sauce its vibrant flavor. If you only have dried basil on hand, that’s perfectly fine—just use about one-third the amount.
How to Make Spaghetti Sauce
Step 1: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 5–6 minutes until translucent. Stir in the tomato paste and garlic, cooking until fragrant. Add the tomatoes (blend them first if you prefer a smooth sauce), honey (if using), salt, and pepper. Bring to a low boil and stir for 3–5 minutes.
Step 2: Add the chopped basil and stir to combine.
Step 3: Let the sauce simmer for 10–15 minutes, or longer if you’d like.
Step 4: This no-meat spaghetti sauce keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 6 days.
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Recipe Tips
- Storage: This no-meat spaghetti sauce keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. Store it in an airtight container or glass jar to maintain freshness.
- Freezing: You can easily freeze this sauce for later! Let it cool completely, then portion it into freezer-safe bags or containers. It’ll keep for up to 3 months—perfect for quick weeknight dinners.
- Reheating: Thaw the sauce overnight in the fridge, then warm it on the stove over low heat. If it’s a little thick after thawing, add a splash of water or broth to loosen it up.
No Meat Sauce FAQs
Absolutely! This no-meat spaghetti sauce makes a great base for adding your favorite protein. You can brown ground turkey, beef, or chicken separately, then stir it into the finished sauce. If you prefer to cook everything together, sauté the meat first in your pot, drain any excess fat, and then follow the recipe as written. Once your sauce is ready, serve it over pasta — you can even try it with Instant Pot Spaghetti for a quick, hands-off dinner that everyone will love.
Definitely! This sauce is a great base for extra veggies. Try adding diced zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, or carrots for more flavor and nutrients.
Yes, this recipe is perfect for meal prep. You can make it up to a few days in advance and store it in the fridge, or freeze it for later. For more make-ahead inspiration, try my Easy Healthy Meal Prep Recipes.
Yes, spaghetti without meat can be healthy, especially if you choose whole-grain or legume-based pasta and pair it with plenty of vegetables and healthy fats. A meatless pasta dish can be a good source of fiber, protein, and complex carbohydrates.
Healthy Eating Plans
21 Day Fix Containers
1 cup counts as 1 1/2 Green Container & 1 sweetener teaspoon.
If this recipe looks familiar, it’s because it’s very similar to the Fixate Grandma’s Tomato Sauce recipe. The Fixate Spaghetti Sauce recipe has inaccurate counts in the first version or two of the cookbook and I’m aware that my counts above are a little different than the Fixate version–I’m confident in my counts.
Weight Watchers Points
1 cup counts as 3 2025 Plan Points
Healthy Vegetarian Dinner Recipes
If you tried this recipe for No Meat Spaghetti Sauce or any other recipe on my site please leave a rating and let me know how it went in the comments!
No Meat Spaghetti Sauce
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Equipment
- Stock Pot
- Kitchen Knife
- Cutting Board
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 6 oz can tomato paste no salt added
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 28 oz cans canned whole tomatoes peeled
- 2 tbsp honey or agave
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp basil finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. 2 tbsp olive oil
- Add onion to the hot pot, stirring frequently. Cook 5 to 6 minutes until the onion is translucent. 1 medium onion
- Add tomato paste and garlic. Stir often, if this sticks to the pot it makes a mess. Cook for 3-4 minutes. 1 6 oz can tomato paste, 4 cloves garlic
- Feel free to blend or chop tomatoes to your liking before the next step. If you prefer chunky sauce, leave it as is right out of the can. 2 28 oz cans canned whole tomatoes
- Add remaining ingredients (except basil) and bring to a rolling boil. After you boil, reduce the heat and let simmer while stirring for about 3 minutes. 2 tbsp honey, 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Garnish with the basil and mix together. The longer you let this sauce simmer, the better the tastes blend together. Ideally, let the sauce simmer for 10-15 minutes. 3 tbsp basil
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Make This Recipe?
Make sure to follow on Pinterest @bludlum and on Instagram @beccaludlum
Can this recipe be pressure canned for preserving?
We’ve never tried preserving this sauce but would love to hear how it goes if you do!
If I wanted to use fresh tomatoes, how many and would I do anything different?
Hi Stephanie, You’ll want about 60 ounces of tomatoes, cooked and peeled.
I am confused the Fixate cookbook says 1/2 cup is 3 greens and 1tsp.
Hi Kim,
This recipe is a bit different, and I always triple check the counts in the Fixate books because they’re not always calculated correctly :)
If I added carrots to the mix and no agave would the 21 day fix cup count still be the same? This is going to be my first 21DF recipe! So I’m basically clueless
Carrots will bump up your green counts, and no agave will remove the teaspoon. I think this video might help you: https://youtu.be/uPl0bUExHe4 And there’s an entire playlist dedicated to the Fix: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLprwSHTg6Ys_ywJNV5BnhmCHD_0XQDUzR
How long will this hold up in the refrigerator in a mason jar? :)
In a sealed mason jar I’ve kept it about a week!
My family absolutely loved this spaghetti sauce! Great flavor and I especially liked the fresh basil. YUM!
This sauce looks super delicious, yummy!
Been looking for an amazing spaghetti sauce. Super excited to try this one. I am wondering if I can substitute the agave nectar with carrots that are micro planned. I do not like the taste of agave nectar or coconut.
You can definitely skip the sweetener completely, or you can add the carrots!
This sounds awesome can’t wait to make it. I do not have agave so could I replace this with coconut palm sugar?
Thanks
Yes, or honey! Or, you could definitely leave it out entirely.
Absolutely delicious!! I’ve alrwady made it twice. The whole family loves it! It’s gust for the 21 day’ers :)