Made with lean bison or kept meatless, this healthy homemade pasta sauce is my go-to healthy spaghetti sauce recipe. Get it now!
Until I met my husband I was perfectly happy with canned sauce. Sure, I’d add a little extra basil depending on the brand, but otherwise I had no issue unscrewing the lid, heating it up and pouring it over my pasta dish.
But then he introduced me to true, homemade Italian sauces and suddenly those jarred sauces just couldn’t cut it anymore.
This healthy homemade spaghetti sauce can be ready in just an hour and packs a serious punch of flavor. For a meat-based sauce, I recommend using lean bison, but feel free to keep it vegetarian!
Either way, I promise it’ll become your family’s favorite recipe as well!
Growing up in Colorado, eating bison was perfectly normal. However, when I was living in Boston I quickly realized that not everyone is as familiar with it.
Besides liking the flavor better, bison is also a healthier option with 4-ounces of ground bison providing 203 calories, 9.7 grams of fat, 4 grams saturated fat, and 29 grams of protein.
In comparison, 4-ounces of 80% lean ground beef provides 280 calories, 22 grams of fat, 9 grams saturated fat, and 20 grams of protein.
So, not only is bison lower in calories, total fat, and saturated fat, but it’s also higher in protein!
Plus, due to federal regulations, all bison have to be raised without any hormones or antibiotics, so you don’t have to worry about reading your labels quite as closely.
Absolutely! This sauce is unique in that it already uses some canned tomato products. While I like to use roma tomatoes, especially when they’re in season, you can still get a delicious sauce using canned diced tomatoes.
To substitute in canned, use 1 14.5-ounce can of regular diced tomatoes in place of 1 pound of roma tomatoes.
If there’s one “rule” with this pasta sauce, it’s using really good canned tomato sauce. As tempting as it can be to buy generic or whatever’s on sale, the quality varies greatly.
My go-to is Muir Glen tomatoes; however, I know others swear by Cento San Marzano.
Start by dicing you shallot and tomatoes and mincing the garlic. Measure out remaining ingredients.
Place a heavy-bottom pot or large saucepan over medium heat and add oil. I like to use a large saucepan as I find the sauce reduces and thickens better.
Once oil is hot, add diced shallots and saute until softened and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Add ground bison and minced garlic. Cook until bison is browned, breaking it up into crumbles, about 4-5 minutes. It’s okay if the bison is sitll a little pink – it has hours left to finish cooking.
If making vegetarian, just sauté the garlic for about 1 minute.
Add remaining ingredients to pan and increase heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for at least 1 hour, but ideally 2-3 hours, until thickened.
Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Use sauce immediately or store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Just like how lasagna usually tastes even better the second day, this spaghetti sauce only gets better with a night spent in the fridge.
Here are some healthier recipes to use it in:
Let me know how you end up using this sauce by tagging @TheHealthyToast_RD on Instagram, and don’t forget to share this recipe on Pinterest!
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Growing up we only ever had bison to make “buffalo burgers.” I never thought of using it for anything else let alone a meat sauce for pastas. Sounds so good I can’t wait to try it!
It’s so good! As bison can dry out easily, using it in a sauce it the best way to keep in all that flavor and moisture. Hope you enjoy it!
This recipe has come just at the right time… I actually have a pound of ground bison and was just looking for something to make with it! Love this recipe.
Perfect! Let me know how it turns out!
Gave this a try for dinner last night and it did not disappoint! Easily, a new favorite recipe in my home; the whole family loved it!
I’m so glad to hear that Sara!
I don’t know why but I got a strong desire to make pasta.. Well, I do know actually – this meat sauce is amazing!
So glad you loved it!
My family and I loved this delicious sauce! The kids enjoyed it over traditional pasta noodles and my husband and I did it over zoodles and it was so good!