No-Sugar Marinara
A simple, slow-simmered tomato sauce with garlic, olive oil and basil — balanced with a knob of butter instead of added sugar.
Nutrition per serving
⅓ cup- Net carbs
- 2.3g
- Calories
- 69kcal
- Protein
- 0.9g
- Fat
- 6g
- Total carbs
- 4.2 g
- Fiber
- 1.9 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Puttanesca: The salty, punchy Neapolitan sauce, made by melting anchovies into the oil and adding olives and capers. It needs no added sugar at all.
- Add the anchovies with the garlic and stir until they dissolve into the oil, about 1 minute, then add the tomatoes.
- Stir in the olives and capers for the last 10 minutes of simmering. Taste before adding any salt.
Meat sauce: A pound of browned ground beef simmered right in the sauce for a hearty, Bolognese-style sauce. Each serving is closer to ½ cup.
- Brown the beef in the pan over medium-high heat first, breaking it up, until no pink remains (160°F/71°C), 7–8 minutes. Spoon off the excess fat.
- Add the oil and onion to the pan with the beef and continue as written, simmering the meat in the sauce for the full 25–30 minutes.
Creamy vodka sauce: A splash of vodka and some cream turn the marinara into a silky, blush-pink vodka sauce.
- After the garlic, pour in the vodka and let it bubble 1–2 minutes, until the sharp alcohol smell fades, then add the tomatoes and simmer as written.
- Blend the sauce smooth, then stir in the cream off the heat and warm through gently without boiling.
- Also add
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Estimated cost $4.30 for 9 servings ($0.48 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
-
Pour the tomatoes into a bowl and crush them with your hands (or a potato masher) into rough, bite-size pieces.
-
Warm the olive oil in a wide saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook 4–5 minutes until soft and translucent, then add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute more, until fragrant but not browned.
-
Add the tomatoes and their juices, the oregano and salt. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and cook uncovered for 25–30 minutes, stirring now and then, until thickened and the oil begins to pool at the edges.
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Stir in the butter and torn basil. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Leave chunky, or blend smooth with an immersion blender.
Tips for success
-
Many jarred sauces add sugar to tame acidity; here slow simmering and a little butter do the job instead. - Read labels: the best canned tomatoes list only tomatoes, tomato juice or purée, and salt. San Marzano-style tomatoes are naturally sweeter.
- Use it with meatballs, zucchini lasagna, eggplant Parmesan or on a fathead pizza.
Nice to have, not needed
- An immersion blender makes a smooth sauce right in the pot — leave it chunky if you don’t have one.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 5 days in the fridge
- Freezes up to 3 months
Reheat: Simmer gently on the stove, or microwave covered, stirring halfway.
Prep tip: Double the batch and freeze 1-cup portions flat in freezer bags; they stack neatly and thaw in minutes.
Refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months.
Variations
3 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosPuttanesca
FlavorThe salty, punchy Neapolitan sauce, made by melting anchovies into the oil and adding olives and capers. It needs no added sugar at all.
- + 3 anchovy fillets
- + 15 Kalamata olives
- + 2 tbsp capers
2.6 g net · 80 kcal · 1.4 g protein · 6.8 g fat · ≈$0.70 per serving (+0.3 g net carbs vs the original)
Meat sauce
ProteinA pound of browned ground beef simmered right in the sauce for a hearty, Bolognese-style sauce. Each serving is closer to ½ cup.
- + 1 lb ground beef (80/20)
2.3 g net · 198 kcal · 9.6 g protein · 16 g fat · ≈$1.24 per serving (same net carbs as the original)
Creamy vodka sauce
FlavorA splash of vodka and some cream turn the marinara into a silky, blush-pink vodka sauce.
- + 2 tbsp vodka
- + ½ cup heavy cream
2.7 g net · 122 kcal · 1.3 g protein · 11 g fat · ≈$0.65 per serving (+0.4 g net carbs vs the original)
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