Suppose you’re feeling adventurous; try my meat sauce variation. You’ve never had pasta night like this before! Layer the sauce with decadent pasta, or use zucchini noodles for an extra dose of veggies.
Table of Contents:
Reasons to Eat Tomatoes
One of the main ingredients in this recipe is tomatoes. Tomatoes are a must-have in any kitchen. They’re versatile and can be used in Mexican, American, and Italian dishes. I grow tomatoes in my garden, and my return on investment is high every year!
Tomatoes aren’t just delicious, though. They’re full of many fantastic health benefits. The list could go on and on, but here are a few of my favorite things tomatoes bring to the table.
Tomatoes Can Improve Cardiovascular Health
This one should be easy to remember; red tomatoes improve heart health! It turns out that lycopene, the compound responsible for a tomato’s hue, can promote better heart health. Studies show that skimping on your lycopene consumption can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. (1)
Lycopene can also help reduce oxidative stress, which is another factor that contributes to heart problems and is brought on by several factors, including the presence of free radicals. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death across the board, and we must use the gifts God gave us to fight back. (2)
Tomatoes Can Boost Your Eye Health
Our society is technologically advanced, and while this provides us with many benefits, it also causes a lot of strain on the eyes. If you’re one of the many people who spend hours in front of blue-light screens every day, you may want to listen up.
Tomatoes are full of vitamin A, which your retinas need to function correctly. (3) Lycopene, which we already know promotes heart health, can also reduce your risk of macular degenerative eye disease. (4) What a tasty reason to eat Italian food!
Tomatoes Can Beautify Your Skin
One little-known fact about tomatoes is that they can help you look your best. One study showed that ingesting tomato paste with olive oil helped prevent skin damage and boosted collagen. (5) Another win for lycopene!
The antioxidants in lycopene attack free radicals that can prematurely age the skin and cause stress to cells. No matter how clean your environment is, you can’t totally eliminate free radicals. Including bioactive foods, however, can help reduce their effects.
Spaghetti Sauce Ingredient 101
You may be surprised to learn that homemade spaghetti sauce doesn’t require a ton of fancy ingredients. In fact, a couple of these ingredients come in a can! Here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll need to add to your shopping list.
Onion: I love the smell of sizzling onion! This ingredient adds bulk to your sauce and flavor to your plate. Onions are part of the Allium genus, and studies have shown that people who eat more veggies in this category are less likely to get gastric cancer. (6)
Garlic Cloves: A little garlic makes everything taste better. Back in the day, garlic used to be a cure-all. I’m sure your grandparents have touted its benefits! It turns out they were onto something. Central ingredients in garlic cloves can boost the immune system. (7)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Did you know that not all olive oils are created equal? It’s true! Many oils on the market are so adulterated that they don’t even resemble the real deal nutritionally. Always be sure to get the best olive oil you can, and stick with extra-virgin. It contains the best omega-3s!
Tomatoes: Using canned tomatoes creates an extra juicy sauce. Healthy shortcuts are a fantastic tool for any chef! In this recipe, I use a combination of jarred Roma tomatoes and Italian seasoned tomatoes for a burst of flavor.
Red Wine: Adding red wine to your sauces can bring out the flavor of olive oil! Many people have misunderstandings about adding wine to their culinary creations, but cooking it for as long as we do in this recipe (about 60 minutes!) evaporates all of the alcohol.
Sweetener: Many store-bought sauces are loaded with preservatives and sugar. Sweetener is a beautiful addition to pasta sauces because it helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes. In this recipe, we use maple syrup to sweeten our sauce. You can use liquid stevia if you’re on our Fast Track portion of the EO Diet plan.
Essential Oils: We use Italian-themed essential oils to amp up the health benefits and add an extra dose of flavor to this recipe.
Safety Note: Essential oils are safe to ingest; you just need to use wisdom! Whenever you add an EO to a recipe, you also need to add a dispersant. In this recipe, olive oil ensures our essential oils are distributed evenly. Without them, your mouth would get irritated. Remember: You never want to ingest any essential oil neat!
Herbs: Fresh herbs make my Spaghetti With Essential Oils to a whole different dimension! Basil, oregano, thyme, and parsley create one unique, aromatic dish. If you don’t have access to fresh herbs, you can always use dried ones.
Sea Salt: Traditional table salt is stripped of most health benefits due to rigorous processing. We love using Colima sea salt because it’s hand-harvested, leaving it as God intended.
Pasta: Breaking news, pasta can be healthy too! We recommend using almond flour or brown rice spaghetti to get your pasta fix. You can also use zoodles (spiralized zucchini) as a purist option.
We’ve also substituted baby spinach, spaghetti squash, or broccoli for noodles with great success. Always try to stay away from gluten-free pasta made with soy or corn.
Make Mama Z’s Sugar Free Spaghetti Sauce
I love how hands-off this recipe is! This recipe requires just 20 minutes of prep. You need to set some time aside to let the sauce simmer, giving it the best flavor.
- 1 medium organic onion, chopped or 1 ½ tablespoons dried onion
- 2 medium garlic cloves, pressed
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 (28-ounce) can or jar organic Roma tomatoes
- 1 (28-ounce) can or jar organic Italian-seasoned tomatoes
- 1 (6-to 8-ounce) can organic tomato paste*
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 tablespoons Grade A Dark Amber organic maple syrup**
- 2 large organic carrots, or a handful of organic baby carrots, and/or ½ large organic beet
- 1 drop basil essential oil
- 1 drop oregano essential oil
- 1 drop thyme essential oil
- 1 drop parsley essential oil (optional)
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pink Himalayan salt or sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh basil, or ½ tablespoon dried
- 1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, or ½ tablespoon dried
- 1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, or ½ tablespoon dried
- 1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, or ½ tablespoon dried
- 1 (16-ounce) package fresh, dried, or frozen almond-flour spaghetti or zoodles (spiralized zucchini), seeded if large***
- 1 pound fresh organic baby spinach, rinsed and spun dry (optional)
- Supplies:
- Large pot
- Immersion blender
- In a large pot over low heat, sautè the onion and garlic in the olive oil. When the vegetables are lightly browned, add the Roma and seasoned tomatoes, tomato paste, and red wine, and stir to combine.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce to the desired consistency (omit this step if you prefer a chunky sauce).
- Bring the sauce to a low boil over medium heat and cook, stirring every 15 minutes, until the alcohol from the wine has evaporated, eliminating any acidity, about 60 minutes.
- Turn the heat down to low and add the maple syrup, carrots, the essential oils, bay leaf, sea salt, white pepper, and the dried basil, oregano, parsley, and thyme. (If you are using fresh herbs, hold off and add them 10 minutes before the sauce is done.)
- Let the sauce simmer for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours for the most robust flavor. Cover and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, adding a little sea salt. Add the spaghetti and a little olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking.
- Cook the minimum time indicated on the package.
- Remove from the heat, let the spaghetti sit for a few more minutes, and then drain it in a colander. Return the spaghetti to the empty pot with a little more olive oil to prevent it from sticking. (If you're using zoodles, cook them for 2 minutes in boiling water and drain immediately.)
- To serve, remove the bay leaf from the sauce and discard. Place a portion of pasta on each plate, followed by a large handful of spinach, if using, and ladle the sauce over it.
- Alternatively, serve the sauce over a bed of fresh greens or spiralized raw zucchini or with a fresh side salad.
- To store leftovers, mix plenty of sauce with the pasta and top it with extra sauce.
- To serve, preheat the oven to 325F and cook, covered, for 15 to 30 minutes. Or refrigerate the sauce for up to a week or freeze it for up to a month to make Mama Z's Lasagna another time.
**Use 2 dropperfuls liquid steviawhile on Fast Track
*** If you can find fresh almond flour pasta or brown-rice pasta, go for it. Republic of Pasta sells both fresh and frozen pasta at Whole Foods in the chilled and frozen food aisles. It absorbs less moisture giving it a nice "tooth." DeBoles is another option. Avoid gluten-free products made from corn or soy.
Variation:
Instead of one or both cans of tomatoes, use an equivalent amount of pureed garden-fresh, juice-extracted, and cooked-down tomatoes.
Step One: Sautè the Onions and Garlic
In a large pot over low heat, sautè the onions and garlic in the olive oil. Add the Roma and Italian seasoned tomatoes, tomato paste, and red wine when the veggies are lightly browned. Stir well to combine.
If you prefer a smooth sauce, you can use your immersion blender to blend the mixture to your desired consistency. If you prefer a chunky sauce, leave it as is! If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can gently scoop the tomatoes from the sauce and combine them in a food processor or large blender.
Bring the sauce to a low boil over medium heat and cook, stirring every 15 minutes, until the alcohol from the wine has evaporated. This should take about 60 minutes.
Step Two: Add Essential Oils
Turn the heat down to low and add your sweetener of choice, carrots, essential oils, bay leaf, thyme, sea salt, white pepper, and the dried basil, oregano, parsley, and thyme.
Note: If you’re using fresh herbs, hold off and add them 10 minutes before the sauce is done, or they will get extremely soggy.
Let the sauce simmer for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours for the most robust flavor. Cover and set aside.
Step Three: Prepare the Pasta
If using almond flour pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a little sea salt. Add the noodles and a little olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking.
Cook the minimum time indicated on the package. Remove from the heat, let the pasta sit for a few more minutes, and then drain it in a colander.
Return the spaghetti to an empty pot with a little more olive oil to keep it from sticking.
If using zoodles: Cook them for 2 minutes in boiling water and drain immediately. I like to let my zoodles sit in the colander for a while to get as dry as possible.
Step Four: Serve Mama Z’s Sugar Free Spaghetti Sauce and Store Leftovers
To serve: Remove the bay leaf from the sauce and discard. Place a portion of pasta on each plate, followed by a large handful of spinach, if using, and ladle sauce over it.
Or, you can serve the sauce over a bed of fresh greens or spiralized raw zucchini or with a fresh side salad. We also like serving this meal with a gluten-free baguette.
To store leftovers: Mix plenty of sauce with the pasta to keep it moist. I also like to top it with extra sauce. Preheat the oven to 325°F and cook to serve leftovers, covered for 15 to 30 minutes.
If you have leftover sauce but no pasta, you can refrigerate the sauce for up to a week or freeze it for up to a month. This sauce is also used in my lasagna.
Meat Sauce Variation:
If you prefer your sugar free spaghetti sauce with meat, you can brown 1 pound of grass-fed ground beef or free-range ground turkey with the onion and garlic, then continue with the recipe.
Italian food is the best, but often it’s filled with gluten and sugar. I’ve spent years perfecting healthy Italian recipes that taste delicious and authentic. Who said you have to give up your favorite foods to be healthy?
I’m giving you an inside look at how I make my top 3 most popular recipes in my exclusive Gluten-Free Italian Cooking Class. You’ll walk away with the confidence to create wonderful, nutritious meals that your family will love!
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22158914/
- https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3546623/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12921892/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20854436/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25215621/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32836826/
