One Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce (made healthier!) - The Recipe Rebel (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to spaghetti to make it healthier? ›

Thanks to the iron and protein from the beef, lycopene from the tomato sauce and energy-producing carbs from the pasta, this dish a healthy trifecta. If you stick to modest portions and lean beef, you can enjoy its benefits without overdoing it.

Spaghetti, with tomato sauce and meat, homemade (1 cup) contains 49.9g total carbs, 45.9g net carbs, 3.5g fat, 9.2g protein, and 265 calories.

Pureed vegetables: Pureed vegetables such as cauliflower, zucchini, or squash can be mixed with tomato paste or crushed tomatoes to create a flavorful and nutrient-dense sauce. Pesto: Pesto is made from basil, garlic, pine nuts, and olive oil, which makes it a great low-calorie option.

There are plenty of ways to make pasta fit into your diet. For example, choose whole-grain or bean varieties more often, bulk it up with veggies and protein, and choose sauces with less sodium. If you're gluten-free, you can cook with gluten-free pasta—which has come a long way.

Fresh herbs make all the difference in any pasta sauce, so if you have some lying around, they will really perk up a jarred sauce. Obviously, basil is classic, but thyme, rosemary, sage, marjoram, and oregano are all great in pasta sauce. Fresh parsley also makes anything sing, as do chives.

Great tomato flavor is all about balancing acidity and sweetness. Too much of either can leave you with asauce that tastes one-dimensional. Many sources recommend adding a pinch of baking soda to a sauce that's overly tart, which raises the pH and makes it less acidic.

This authentic Italian Pasta Sauce recipe is filled with fresh herbs and Italian tomatoes. The addition of carrots gives the sauce the perfect amount of sweetness without needing sugar. This tomato sauce recipe goes great with your favorite type of pasta and is perfect for Sunday dinners.

Meat lovers – Add some lean poultry to pasta for an extra protein boost. In addition to a high protein content, chicken and turkey also provide a number of vitamins and minerals like B vitamins (especially B6 and niacin) and selenium and zinc.

The key to eating pasta every day is to limit your portion size and supplement your pasta bowl with essential nutrients. The recommended portion size is two ounces of dry pasta or one cup of cooked pasta. To create a balanced and healthy pasta meal, try adding vegetables, chicken, or fish.

Is pasta healthier than a burger? ›

It depends on the ingredients used to make the burger and pasta. Generally, pasta is considered a healthier option because it is usually made with whole-grain flour, which is high in fiber and nutrients. However, a burger made with lean ground beef and whole-grain buns can also be a healthy option.

Controlling cholesterol is easy when pasta is served with tomato sauce. That`s because pasta and most tomato sauces contain no cholesterol. But even meat-based sauces generally are low in cholesterol. One-half cup of Ragu Homestyle Spaghetti Sauce Flavored with Meat has only 2 milligrams of cholesterol.

When you make pasta sauce from scratch, you can have more control over how much salt, fat and calories are in it. Try this simple recipe at home using canned tomatoes. If you are buying a jarred or canned sauce, choose a tomato-based (marinara) sauce rather than a creamy sauce.

Nutrition Facts

There are 670 calories in a 1 serving (554.000g) serving size of Restaurant, Italian, spaghetti with meat sauce. The calorie breakdown is 27% fat, 54% carbs, and 19% protein.

Load it with veggies.

Make it more about the vegetables than the pasta and you're already off to a great start. Try to add enough vegetables to the dish that they're in the majority, whether that means sautéing a few additional handfuls of spinach or roasting extra cauliflower.

Beans. Mixing cannellini beans or chickpeas, or any type of bean for that matter, into your noodle dishes can help add 6 to 8 grams of protein per 1/2-cup serving.

Eating simple pasta without any veggies would mean loading up on carbs. Instead, add lots of sautéed veggies to your pasta, such as corn, broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers, onions, olives and jalapeños. This will also reduce your overall consumption of carbs-loaded pasta and increase your fiber intake.