If you need a simple, quick, and low sodium spaghetti sauce, look no further! This sauce takes just 20 minutes, but only tastes complicated. We use either fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes, so it works year round. And since it's a low sodium marinara sauce, you can feel good about enjoying as much as you want! On your favorite pasta, with meatballs, or any other Italian-inspired dish you like, this sauce is a must-make!
How to make low sodium spaghetti sauce
I kept this homemade healthy spaghetti sauce recipe easy and simple, and you can use either fresh or canned tomatoes. If you use canned tomatoes, find the no added salt varieties. That's what is going to keep this a heart healthy spaghetti sauce!
I start with sauteing a good amount of garlic. You've probably heard that garlic is healthy, but did you know it may help lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and improve immunity (1)? Plus, it's SO DELICIOUS!
Once the garlic is sauteed, we pop the tomatoes and herbs into the pan for a quick simmer, and then it all goes into the blender. This makes the whole sauce the same consistency. You can blend it smooth, or leave it chunky to your liking!
If it's too watery, try one of these methods to thicken your no salt spaghetti sauce quickly and easily!
Always taste it before you serve it. Now you can add a little salt if you think it needs it. Some people also like to add sugar to their sauce, but I find this low salt marinara sauce is fresh tasting and delicious without it. In general, the less added sugar and salt you eat, the less you will feel the need to add to food. If you are just starting out on your heart healthy journey, consider adding a bit of sugar if the sauce seems too acidic to you. Reduce the amount you use over time, until you don't need any at all!
What are low sodium pasta sauce brands?
I get it. You don't always want to make everything from scratch. Sometimes you just want to buy a jar of sauce that won't spike your blood pressure, right?
In general, look for a pasta sauce that's less than 150mg sodium per serving. That still may be higher than you want, but you won't break the sodium bank with that amount. You also want to check out the added sugar amount. Ideally, there would be none (and my recipe doesn't have any!), but look for one that's as low as you can find. There's usually sugar added to jarred marinara sauce, but not always. Here are some brands to consider:
- Silver Palate Low Sodium Marinara Sauce (115mg sodium per serving) - available at some Giant Eagle locations and Amazon
- Victoria Low Sodium Marinara Sauce (120mg sodium per serving) - available at Walmart
- Yo Mama's Pasta Sauces (all 130mg sodium per serving or less, except Velvety Vodka Sauce) - available online
Tips and Substitutions
Depending on how much water is in your tomatoes, your sauce may be too watery - or it might just be thinner than you prefer! Either way, the good news is this is an easy fix using one of a few easy methods:
- Simply boil off the extra liquid. Simmer the sauce with the lid off until enough liquid has evaporated to make it the consistency you prefer.
- Stir in about a tablespoon of no added salt tomato paste, and simmer for a few minutes to allow it to thicken, and cook off the "metallic" taste of the tomato paste. Add more if it's still not thick enough.
- Add some tomato sauce. Doing this may dilute the taste, so you may want to add some additional herbs and spices. Remember to look for no added salt tomato sauce.
- Mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 or 3 tablespoons of cold water, and add it, little by little, to the sauce. Stir and allow it to simmer and thicken between additions of the cornstarch mixture to avoid thickening it too much!
If you prefer using fresh herbs, you will want to wait to put them in right before you blend your sauce. Use 4 tablespoon fresh basil, and 2 tablespoon fresh oregano.
Try some of our other low sodium sauce recipes, too:
- Salsa Verde
- Cilantro Lime Sauce
- Low Sodium Enchilada Sauce
- Salt Free Ketchup
- Healthy Italian Dressing & Marinade
Do you need recipes for your low sodium spaghetti sauce? I recommend serving this marinara sauce with Zucchini Lasagna Rolls, Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers, Italian Style Black Bean Meatballs, or simply over your favorite whole grain pasta.
Please let me know if you make this low sodium marinara sauce in the comments below!
📖 Recipe
Low Sodium Spaghetti Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon Olive Oil
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 5 lbs Fresh Tomatoes chopped (56 oz canned Crushed Tomatoes, No Added Salt)
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Dried Basil
- 2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- Pinch Salt if needed
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and add the minced garlic.
- Saute about a minute, until very fragrant, and add the tomatoes, basil, oregano, and salt.
- Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover, and continue simmering for 15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, uncover, and allow the sauce to cool a bit to avoid burns.
- Carefully, transfer the sauce to your food processor or blender. Process until the sauce is the level of smoothness you prefer. Be sure to vent the food processor or blender to allow the steam to escape.
- Return the sauce to the pan to warm through, if needed. Use as desired.
Nutrition
*Nutrition information is an estimate, and will change based on the brand and individual ingredients and amounts you use. This is provided for your convenience only.
Lesa says
can you freeze this sauce
Laura Yautz says
Hi Lesa! Yes, this sauce freezes well! 🙂
Jasmine Baker says
Can this be frozen?
If so for up to how long can it be frozen?
What storage containers for freezing do you recommend?
Laura Yautz says
Hi Jasmine! Yes, this marinara sauce can be frozen for at least 6 months. You can get longer out of it if it's continuously in a deep freeze. I recommend using glass containers for tomato sauce products. They are fine to use in the freezer, as long as you thaw the product completely in the refrigerator before heating it.
If you only have plastic, cool the sauce completely before putting it in the container, and thaw completely in the refrigerator before reheating in a different vessel (like a pot on the stove or glass container in the microwave). Hope this helps!
Brad says
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I used canola oil since I buy big bottles of it and used heaping measurements for everything. Also added 1 tsp of dark brown sugar to cut the acid taste that I was getting at the end. Did not add any salt. I will never consider buying store brands again. Thanks!
Laura Yautz says
Thanks for your great review, Brad! I'm so glad you loved the marinara sauce!
Ashley says
Can this recipe be safely canned?
Laura Yautz says
Hi Ashley,
This recipe hasn't been tested for safe canning, so I don't recommend it. It can be safely frozen for 6-12 months for long-term storage. Hope this helps!
Susie Federer says
Tried this last night. Best spaghetti sauce ever! Added only 1 tbs dried parsley, to combat the garlic smell afterward. This goes in the perfect recipe box. Thank You
Laura Yautz says
Wow Susie, thank you so much for this glowing review! I am thrilled you liked the sauce and that it has earned a recurring spot on your table!
GEORGE M says
This recipe is great and easy to make. I do have the following question: Which of the ingredients can be replaced and/or reduce to in turn reduce the sugar content of the final product? I would love to have a low sodium/low sugar salsa.
George
Laura Yautz says
Hi George - I'm glad you liked the recipe! Thanks for your comment! To answer your question about the sugar - the only sugar you are seeing on the nutrition label is natural sugar from the tomatoes. There is no added sugar in this recipe. So there isn't a way to reduce the total sugar and still use tomatoes, since if you reduce the amount of tomatoes you'll just have less sauce. I hope this helps. Thanks for stopping by!
auntysam says
Is it okay to add a pound of ground beef to this sauce?
Laura Yautz says
I don't see why not. If you are concerned about heart health, opt for a very lean beef, or a low sodium ground turkey or chicken may be better. You could also add cooked lentils, or slightly crushed chickpeas for a meatless option. Enjoy!
Lonnie says
I just made this sauce & it's so easy & delicious! Glad this recipe is exists! It's going to be my go to! Used canned tomatos, came out perfect. Only put a portion of the sauce in the blender because sometimes I'd rather have some chunkiness to it. Maybe next time I might add just a touch of brown sugar. Thank you for awesome recipe!
Laura Yautz says
Thanks so much for your review, Lonnie! I'm glad you loved the sauce, and a chunkier version sounds great! 🙂
Dr. Barbara R Edwards says
Spaghetti sauce and pasta are a popular pairing, and why not indulge in a low-sodium option to make yourself feel better? Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
B Crawley says
How long does the sauce last in the refrigerator?
Laura Yautz says
Hi! You can get 5-7 days in the refrigerator out of this sauce. For longer storage, it can be frozen for up to 6 months.
John L. says
Thank you so much for this recipe! Taste similar to store bought (aside from the low salt obviously). Will definitely be making this again in the future!
Laura Yautz says
I'm delighted to hear you liked the sauce John! Thanks for trying it, and for your comment. Enjoy! 🙂
Scott says
Can this be canned? I have a lot of tomatoes growing, and am wanting to make more than just my salsa.
Laura Yautz says
Hi Scott! Let me start by saying that, while I do dabble in canning some homegrown produce, I am by no means an expert. I do think this recipe could be pressure canned, but I can't recommend processing times or much else. I really recommend following thoroughly tested recipes from trusted canning sources for safety. This recipe has not been tested in this way. You might try some of these tomato canning recipes instead: https://www.healthycanning.com/tomatoes
Happy canning! 🙂
Heidi says
The nutrition information following the recipe says it has 899.5mg of sodium per serving. I’m guessing that’s not the correct info for the recipe since it’s supposed to be a low sodium sauce. Any idea what the real nutrition information is for this recipe?
Laura Yautz says
Hi Heidi - Yikes! Thank you so much for mentioning that! That's definitely not right, and I'm going to fix that ASAP! The amount per serving of sodium should be around 19 mg, give or take, depending on how big your "pinch" of salt is.
Jason says
Would it be unwise to leave out the pinch of salt? Thank you!
Laura Yautz says
You can definitely leave out the pinch of salt if you prefer!