• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Easy and Delish logo

  • About
    • Meet Denise!
    • COOKBOOK
    • Contact
    • Press
  • All Recipes
  • BRAZILIAN FOOD
  • Conversions
    • How Many Sticks of Butter in a Cup?
    • How Many Teaspoons in a Tablespoon?
    • Temperature Conversion (Chart & Calculator)
    • US Cups to Ounces to Grams for Common Ingredients (Charts)
    • Volume Conversions (Table for Dry & Liquid Ingredients)
    • Baking Substitutions (with Charts & Tables)
  • Shop
  • Videos
  • Português
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Página Inicial
  • About
  • Sobre Mim
  • All Recipes
  • Todas as Receitas
  • Shop
  • Conversions
  • Vídeos
  • Português
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home > Easy Keto Recipes

    Published: Mar 6, 2023 by Denise Browning · "This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission." · Leave a Comment

    Healthy Hearty Marinara Sauce (Keto, Low-Sodium, and Low-Calorie)

    Gluten FreeDairy FreeLow CarbVegetarianVeganPaleoKeto

    Jump to Recipe ↓
    close up of a half skillet of healthy marinara sauce with fresh herbs on top.

    This easy and healthy hearty marinara sauce has a loose, slightly chunky consistency with a fresh tomato taste, making the best quick sauce for spaghetti, pizza, meats, and fish, and also as a dipping sauce. It is keto, low-calorie, and low-sodium!

    close up of halp pan of healthy hearty marinara sauce.

    What is marinara sauce?

    Known as all marinara in Italy, it is a traditional 17th-century Italian tomato sauce made with onion, garlic, tomatoes, basil, and oregano, used originally as a pasta sauce.

    Variations also include olives, capers, and salted anchovies.

    Italians use it for spaghetti and vermicelli as well as with meat or fish.

    As for texture, marinara is a loose, spreadable sauce with a smooth, slightly chunky consistency usually cooked in 30 minutes or less on the stovetop. This means, it is a quick sauce that is much looser than tomato sauce like Pomodoro sauce, which is a thick, smooth, long-simmered sauce. 

    It has a deep red color and tastes like fresh tomatoes! 

    Ingredients and Substitutions 

    For the Hearty Marinara Sauce:

    • 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or another other vegetable oil)
    • ¼ small yellow onion, small diced (or white onion)
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced
    • 4 cups crushed tomatoes
    • 1 teaspoon granulated stevia, or sugar if you're not on a  keto diet to balance acidity
    • Table salt to taste (for a low-sodium marinara sauce, add only a pinch)
    • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

     

    ingredients on a table

    How to make marinara sauce at home

    1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil, and cook the onion for about 3-4 minutes or until softened, stirring now and then. PIC. 1 Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute or until fragrant, stirring occasionally. PIC. 2
    2. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, dried basil, and oregano. PIC. 3 Reduce the heat to medium-low, bring the mixture to a simmer, and let it cook, covered, for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until slightly thickened. PIC. 4
    3. You can serve our hearty marinara sauce with spaghetti or any other round, long pasta or noodles such as vermicelli, or with meat or fish such as this Italian baccala or to dip fried foods such as fried cheese sticks or pasta chips.

     

    step by tep recipe directions.

    What to serve healthy marinara sauce with

    Italians traditionally use marinara in pasta or on pizza. But nowadays, it has also been used to dip in many fried foods, including seafood. 

    What's the difference between a marinara sauce and tomato sauce?

    Tomato sauce is a broad term including all sorts of red sauces. Classic tomato sauce, for example, is more labor intensive and can use different forms of tomatoes (puréed, diced, whole, etc). Some types like Pomodoro sauce are thick and smooth while others include more ingredients like vegetables (carrots, onion, and celery), ground meat, and wine such as ragu alla bolognese, being not as thick yet chunky. In addition,  they will usually simmer for a longer period of time so the sauce reaches deeper flavors and a thicker consistency.

    On the other hand, a hearty marinara sauce is a type of tomato sauce made with a few simple ingredients such as crushed tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, and basil and is simmered in under 30 minutes. The reason why has a bright red color and a fresh tomato taste.  Also, it has a thin or loose consistency and it can be left chunky.

    What is the difference between marinara sauce and spaghetti sauce?

    Basically, marinara sauce takes less time to simmer (under 30 minutes), requires fewer ingredients, and calls for neither extra veggies nor ground meat. It has a thinner consistency and can also be used as a dipping sauce while spaghetti sauce cannot! 

    On the other hand, traditional spaghetti sauce requires more ingredients including ground meat and some other veggies, takes more time to simmer on the stovetop, and has a deeper flavor and thicker consistency. 

    Pizza Sauce vs Marinara sauce

    Although pizza sauce and marinara sauce are similar, they are not the same. Pizza sauce is thicker and usually smooth while marinara sauce is thinner and slightly chunky. 

    Pizza sauce is present in our Margherita pizza, kitchen blender pepperoni pizza, shrimp pizza, and breakfast pizza. 

    Expert TipS FOR MAKING KETO MARINARA SAUCE

    half pan of ragu with dried herbs on top.
    • Cut down some prep time by using canned crushed tomatoes instead of peeling and chopping fresh tomatoes. 
    • Choose a different type of canned tomato, depending on if you want a chunkier or smoother hearty marinara sauce.
    • Simmer the sauce a little longer to make it thicker.
    • Adjust the herbs and spices to your taste!
    • Add some type of sweetener to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.  
    • Simmer the sauce over medium to medium-low heat and cover with a lid to avoid mess easily. 

    Is this healthy marinara sauce keto, low calorie, and low sodium?

    Yes! It is keto because it uses stevia instead of sugar, low-sodium because it calls for a pinch of salt, and has much fewer calories than most of the marinara sauces out there that require no-healthy ingredients.

    Storage 

    • FRIDGE: Store this healthy marinara sauce recipe in an airtight container or in a Mason jar for about 7-10 days. 
    • FREEZER: Or, you can make it ahead and freeze it in an airtight container for 3 months. 

    Other Recipes with Tomato Sauce

    • Spaghetti with meat sauce
    • Bow tie pasta with tomato basil sauce
    • Keto cabbage rolls
    • Mediterranean pizza toasts
    • Cheesecake Factory four cheese pasta
    • Gigi Hadid pasta
    • Gluten-free chicken Parmesan
    • Penne Pomodoro 
    • Turkish aubergine with tomato sauce

     

    PIN & ENJOY! 

     

    close up of a half skillet of healthy marinara sauce with fresh herbs on top.
    close up of a pan with healthy hearty marinara sauce and fresh herbs with some ingredients on the side.
    Print SAVE Saved Recipe! Pin
    5 from 1 vote

    Healthy Hearty Marianra Sauce (Keto, Low-Calorie and Low-Sodium)

    This easy and healthy hearty marinara sauce has a smooth, slightly chunk consistency with a fresh tomato taste, making the best quick sauce for spaghetti, pizza, meats, and fish, and also as a dipping sauce. It is keto, low-calorie, and low-sodium!
    Course:Sauce
    Cuisine:Italian
    Keywords:easy recipe, healthy recipe, keto, low-calorie, low-sodium, marianara sauce, tomatoes
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Total Time 25 minutes
    Servings 5 cups
    Calories66.1 kcal
    Author Denise Browning
    Cost $ 0.45 per cup

    Equipment

    • 1 large skillet
    • 1 wooden spoon
    • 1 cutting board
    • 1 Chef's knife

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or another other vegetable oil
    • ¼ small yellow onion small diced (or white onion)
    • 4 cloves garlic minced
    • 4 cups crushed tomatoes
    • 1 teaspoon granulated stevia or sugar if you're not on a keto diet to balance acidity
    • Table salt to taste for a low-sodium marinara sauce, add only a pinch
    • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
    • 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

    Instructions

    • Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil, and cook the onion for about 3-4 minutes or until softened, stirring now and then. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute or until fragrant, stirring occasionally.
    • Stir in the crushed tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, dried basil, and oregano. Reduce the heat to medium-low, bring the mixture to a simmer, and let it cook, covered, for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until slightly thickened.
    • You can serve it with spaghetti or any other round, long pasta or noodles such as vermicelli, or with meat or fish such as this Italian baccala or to dip fried foods such as fried cheese sticks or pasta chips.

    Recipe Notes

    Storage 
    • FRIDGE: Store this healthy marinara sauce recipe in an airtight container or in a Mason jar for about 7-10 days. 
    • FREEZER: Or, you can make it ahead and freeze it in an airtight container for 3 months.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 66.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 7.3g | Protein: 1.4g | Fat: 4.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3.1g | Sodium: 14.2mg | Potassium: 290.5mg | Fiber: 1.3g | Sugar: 3.2g | Vitamin A: 592.3IU | Vitamin C: 28.3mg | Calcium: 31.9mg | Iron: 1.3mg

    ** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.

    Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.

    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Comment and rate the recipe. Also follow us on Pinterest at @easyanddelish for more delish recipes.

    « Cabbage Steaks (Oven, Grill, or Air Fryer)
    Caprese Pasta Salad »

    Filed Under: Easy Keto Recipes, Easy Vegetarian Recipes, Quick & Easy Recipes Tagged With: dairy-free, gluten-free, low-calorie, low-carb, low-sodium, paleo, vegan

    Subscribe

    for your weekly recipe fix.

    Please read our privacy policies before subscribing

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




     

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Denise Browning!

    photo of Denise Browning smiling
    I'm a professional Chef with an expertise in Brazilian food. I am also a busy mom of two girls, living in Texas. Here you will find budget-friendly, healthy Brazilian and Global Recipes made Easy and Delish! I'd love to help you feed your family healthy dinners (many low carb) with a few splurges because life is all about balance! Join our community and happy cooking!

    About Me

    ORDER NOW!

    Cover of The Complete 5-Ingredient Cookbook by Denise Browning

    GET YOUR COPY NOW!

    The easy keto dessert ebook cover
    Subscribe for FREE Email Updates
    Receive EASY & DELISH recipes for free every week! Please check our PRIVACY POLICY!

     

    Marketing by
    Click here & join us on PINTEREST
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • PortuguêsPortuguês
    Portrait of Denise Browning, author of Easy and Delish

    Hi, I'm Denise Browing a professional chef and cookbook author. My mission is to help you cook budget-friendly, healthy global meals for your family with some occasional splurges. They are sure to bring a lot of excitement to your table

    More about me →

    Popular

    • A close up of beef brisket with veggies
      Easy & Juicy Beef Brisket Recipe
    • A bowl of cabbage soup
      The BEST Cabbage Soup Diet Recipe and 7-Day Diet Soup Chart (Printable)
    • A pot of shrimp in coconut sauce
      One Pot Shrimp in Coconut Sauce
    • close up de camarao internacional sendo regado com o molho
      Honey Garlic Butter Shrimp Skillet Recipe (5-Ingredient)

    Order Now!

    Cover of The Complete 5-Ingredient Cookbook by Denise Browning

    Get Your Copy Now!

    The easy keto dessert ebook cover
    Click Here & Join Us on Pinterest

    Seasonal

    • close up of an Easter bundt cake amde with sour cream and chocolate, topped with chocolate ganache, and decorated with Easter eggs.
      Easter Bundt Cake
    • close up of a sheet pan with keto chicken fajitas garlished with lime wedges.
      Keto Chicken Fajitas (Skillet or Sheet Pan)
    • close up of a jar with maple dijon vinaigrette and a spoon pouring the dressing into it.
      Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
    • several slices of air fryer garlic bread in a tray with a bowl of melted garlic butter on the side.
      Air Fryer Garlic Bread

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Recipes | Brazilian Recipes | Contact | Privacy Policy

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Easy and Delish