Healthy marinara sauce is simple and quick to throw together, making it the perfect weeknight sauce to toss with a fresh bowl of pasta. This recipe puts a fresh spin on traditional marinara sauce by using carrots to add subtle natural sweetness and fire roasted tomatoes to deepen the robust tomato flavor.
When it comes to sauces, marinara sauce is hands down the most versatile. I have this healthy marinara sauce up my sleeve for everything from spaghetti and turkey meatballs to pizza or lasagna. At any given time I will have a batch in my fridge and another batch in my freezer.
This recipe was originally published in January 2020. We updated the post in January 2024 to include new pictures and more helpful information for the reader, like ingredients list, ways to use this sauce, and an FAQ section.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Made with basic ingredients – this sauce can be made with just a handful of pantry staples, like garlic, onion, olive oil, canned tomatoes, and basic spices. The only thing you may need to pick up is a few carrots and a can of fire roasted tomatoes!
- Quick to make – this is super simple and easy to throw together, taking just a few minutes to prepare the veggies and 25 minutes to simmer the sauce.
- Easily prepared ahead of time – you can make this sauce well ahead of when you need it. It keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days or the freezer for 3 months. We personally love to make our sauce the morning we need it and let it simmer on low all day for extra depth.
- Naturally sweetened – we use carrots to naturally sweeten this sauce, keeping it sugar-free.
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Ingredients
- Olive oil – rich in flavor and healthy fats. Used to saute the onions, garlic, and carrots.
- Yellow onion and garlic – forms the fragrant, pungent base for this sauce.
- Carrots – for natural sweetness (no granulated sugar needed!) and an extra dose of veggies.
- Crushed tomatoes – a simple pantry staple that shines in this sauce.
- Fire roasted tomatoes – for a dose of richer flavor
- Seasonings – dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and pepper are the basic herbs and seasonings for this simple sauce.
Marinara vs. Spaghetti Sauce vs. Pizza Sauce
Marinara is a type of spaghetti sauce, but differs in several key areas. Marinara is a simple and quick sauce that does not require a ton of ingredients or a long cook time. Spaghetti sauce, on the other hand, requires a long simmer time, resulting in a much thicker consistency. Spaghetti sauce is also more heavily seasoned with Italian herbs like oregano, basil, and thyme while marinara uses minimal herbs and seasonings.
Pizza sauce is similar to marinara, but it is thicker in consistency since it is made with tomato pastes or purees to keep the moisture content down, while marinara is made with crushed tomatoes. Pizza sauce is often tangier than marinara as well.
How to Make Healthy Marinara Sauce
Heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute, or until the garlic is fragrant. Add the onions and carrots and saute for 4 to 5 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften.
Recipe note: I alternate between finely dicing and shredding the carrots. If I want a chunkier sauce, I will finely dice the carrots. If I prefer a smoother sauce, I will shred the carrots and then use an immersion blender or food processor to smooth out the sauce.
Add the tomatoes and spices, stirring well to incorporate. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover the sauce and let simmer for 25 minutes. I prefer to let my marinara simmer for 2 to 3 hours to give the vegetables more time to break down and to get a better depth of flavor.
Make sure to stir your sauce every so often while it simmers to prevent burning.
How to Use Healthy Marinara Sauce
- Twirl into fresh pasta. Try it with our homemade potato gnocchi or cauliflower gnocchi.
- Layer into lasagna.
- Slather on grilled chicken, like our bruschetta breaded chicken, Italian herb chicken, or chicken Parmesan.
- Mix into oven-baked favorites, like turkey stuffed peppers, pizza zucchini boats, or vegetarian stuffed zucchini
- Dipping sauce for mozzarella sticks, garlic bread, or breadsticks
- Side sauce for appetizers, like turkey meatballs
Frequently Asked Questions:
Marinara will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Pizza sauce and marinara are similar, but pizza is thicker in consistency due to it being made with tomato purees or pastes, while marinara is made with crushed tomatoes. Pizza sauce is also less seasoned and made with minimal water to prevent pizza crust from getting soggy.
While similar, marinara sauce is a type of spaghetti sauce. Spaghetti sauce is cooked for a longer period of time, resulting in a thicker consistency and it is also more heavily seasoned with herbs than marinara sauce.
Healthy Marinara Sauce (with Carrots)
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 medium carrots, finely diced or shredded
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, low sodium
- 1 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp sea salt, more to taste
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper, more to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute, or until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the onions and carrots and saute for 4 to 5 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Stir to incorporate. Reduce heat to simmer. Simmer covered for 25 minutes before serving. Season with more salt and pepper, according to taste. For a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender or food processor to blend the sauce to desired consistency.
Notes
- If you prefer a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender or food processor to blend the sauce to desired consistency.Â
- For richer “spaghetti sauce” type consistency and flavor, simmer for 3-4 hours on low heat to allow the sauce to thicken and the ingredients to meld more.
I love a good chunky sauce and this looks amazing. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! I hope you get to try it! It’s a family favorite 🙂