Do you ever just get super annoyed at the grocery stores these days with all the crap and extra junk ingredients they add to stuff like spaghetti sauce? I do! You should make my recipe for this Low sodium spaghetti sauce. That's why I'm on a mission to just make certain foods at home now like this spaghetti sauce.
Everyone has their favorite marinara sauce but mine is from Rao's. It has 330 mg for ½ cup of sauce and that is quite a lot. No thanks, that is way too much salt for me. My recipe has only 26 mg of sodium!
If you like simple do it yourself recipes like this make Slow Cooker Homemade Applesauce (No Sugar) or Sugar Free Strawberry Sauce.
Jump to:
- Ingredients Needed
- How to Make Low Sodium Marinara Sauce
- Flavor Hacks for Low-Sodium Sauce
- Shopping for Low-Sodium Sauce: What to Look For
- Top Store-Bought Contenders
- What to serve with spaghetti sauce?
- Looking for other No Salt Added Recipes?
- Recipe FAQs
- Other Recipes to Try
- Low Sodium Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients Needed
- Chopped onions - When it comes to choosing the best onion for marinara sauce, many chefs and home cooks prefer using yellow onions. This is because yellow onions have a strong flavor that can hold up well against the acidity of the tomato sauce.
- No salt added tomato sauce - Tomato sauce can be found in many varieties, including chunky, smooth, spicy, and sweet. If the tomatoes are chunky just puree them in a food processor. If you can only find no salt added tomatoes just puree them in your blender.
- No salt added tomato paste - Is a thick and concentrated sauce made by cooking and straining tomatoes.
- Sugar - Use granulated white sugar
- Garlic, diced or minced - Chopped fresh garlic can take some time to chop so I often always use the freshly minced garlic that comes already made in a jar.
- Ground oregano - Is an herb that is commonly used in Mediterranean cooking and it belongs to the mint family. Oregano has a strong, slightly bitter taste and a pungent aroma.
- Dried basil is made by drying the leaves of the basil plant and can be found in most grocery stores.
- Crushed red pepper flakes - Are small pieces of dried hot peppers, typically made from cayenne, that are crushed or ground into small flakes.
- Water - This ingredient is free, you can find it in the sink in your kitchen. 😉
- See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make Low Sodium Marinara Sauce
Step 1: Spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray. Set to medium-low heat. Cook the onions until they're translucent.
Step 2: Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste; then water. Stir in all the spices, and let the sauce simmer on low for 30 minutes.
Recipe Tip: If you don't like chunky onions use a hand-held immersion blender to puree the sauce. A blender will also work.
Step 3 While your sauce is simmering, check your pasta box! Most dry pastas are naturally sodium-free but if you’re using fresh store-bought pasta or certain egg noodles, they can sneak in up to $50 per serving.
Top Picks for 2026:
- Standard: Barilla or Whole Foods 365 Spaghetti
- High Fiber: Jovial Brown Rice Pasta
- Protein Boost: Banza Chickpea Pasta
Flavor Hacks for Low-Sodium Sauce
- The Power of Acid: If your sauce tastes "flat," add a splash of balsamic or red wine vinegar, or even a squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end. Acid tricks the palate into thinking there is more flavor than there is.
- Aromatics are Key: Don't skimp on the base. Sautéing plenty of garlic, onions, and even celery or carrots (soffritto) in olive oil builds a deep, savory foundation that compensates for the lack of salt. Add in some fresh
- Herbs and Spices: Lean into fresh herbs like basil, oregano, and parsley. Dried spices like red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, or a little bit of cinnamon can add complexity and warmth. Weight Wathchers Pesto
- Umami Boosters: Since you aren't using salt, use ingredients that provide natural glutamates. A tablespoon of tomato paste, some roasted mushrooms, or even a splash of coconut aminos (which has less sodium than soy sauce) can add that "meaty" depth.
- Use High-Quality Tomatoes: Start with "no salt added" crushed or whole peeled canned tomatoes.
Shopping for Low-Sodium Sauce: What to Look For
When you’re in a pinch, not all "heart-healthy" labels are created equal. Here is how to spot the winners:
- Check the "No Salt Added" Label: This is the gold standard. These sauces usually contain only the sodium naturally found in tomatoes (around 35mg–50mg per serving).
- The 5% Rule: A quick pro-tip for your readers—look at the Daily Value (DV) percentage. If a serving has 5% DV of sodium or less, it’s considered low-sodium. If it has 20% or more, put it back!
- Watch for "Hidden" Sodium: Even if the front says "organic" or "natural," check the back for ingredients like celery salt or parmesan cheese, which drive up the count.
Top Store-Bought Contenders
You might want to mention a few reliable brands that consistently offer low-sodium or salt-free versions:
Silver Palate Low Sodium Marinara~115mg
The Silver Fork - No Salt Added Marinara~35mg
Lucini - Savory Golden Tomato~120mg
Amy’s Kitchen - Light in Sodium Marinara~290mg (Higher, but still "reduced")
What to serve with spaghetti sauce?
Make my Air Fryer Garlic Bread to serve on the side or Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread Sticks.
Sometimes I'll make a bag of Ceasar salad from the store as a side dish.
Marinara sauce and spaghetti noodles can be a quick meal to make at home. Add in some ground beef for some protein. I like to buy the 96% lean ground beef at Aldi to add to this pasta sauce. One 2oz serving of this sauce with the ground beef added is 2 smart points.
If you're vegetarian add in some soy crumbles. Banza pasta has a pretty decent source of protein in just the noodles.
Looking for other No Salt Added Recipes?
Low Sodium Taco Seasoning Homemade
Slow Cooker Taco Soup (Low Sodium)
Recipe FAQs
Always store leftovers in clean, food-grade containers. The type of container doesn’t really matter. Use zip lock, glass, plastic, whatever! Make sure to store any leftovers in an airtight container.
Other Recipes to Try
If you tried this Low Sodium Spaghetti Sauce or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Follow along on Tiktok @jennarecipediaries
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Low Sodium Spaghetti Sauce
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
If you ever went looking for a low sodium jarred marinara sauce at the grocery store and didn't have any luck, you can easily make your own at home.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup chopped onions
- 15 oz no salt added tomato sauce (canned)
- 8 tablespoons of no salt added tomato past (Hunt's)
- 1 ½ tablespoons sugar
- 3 tsps garlic, diced or minced
- 1 ½ tsps ground oregano
- 2 tbsps leaves basil (dried)
- ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 ½ cups of water
Instructions
- Spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray. Set to medium-low heat.
- Cook the onions until they're translucent and add the tomato sauce and tomato paste; then water. Stir in all the spices, and let the sauce simmer on low for 30 minutes. Adding in ground beef is optional.
- Serving size: ½ cup.
Notes
My WW Personal Points: 2 Click here to see in recipe builder (will have to log in)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ cup
- Calories: 35
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 26mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 8g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 1g
Tom says
Can you please tell me the phosphate and potassium amounts?
Juck Pulver says
Thank you for and easy and straight-to-the-point recipe.
Connor says
Forgot to add: definitely use the sodium free chicken broth instead of water. It is great. I threw in some ground turkey, too. Delish.
Connor says
AMAZING... I made this last night! Yea, it might not be as flavorful as the common alternatives. However, in a unique way, it is so much better than the prego/ragu you get at the store! (which have 2400mg of sodium in the jar!)
I added a whole white onion and some extra pepper flakes. It added a really good spice, while still being balanced with the sweetness of the sauce and sugar. I will be making this all the time. As someone who loves pasta, it is a relief to have found something with just 50ish mg of sodium per batch!
Dennis says
Thank you for this recipe. I love traditional spaghetti, and when I began researching store sauce labels with an eye to sodium reduction, I became rather discouraged. I decided to try this and I like it, but I think it needs a little more flavor for my old taste buds. I think I'll try the point about using wine or low sodium broth in place of water.
Shane says
Amazing recipe. I use it whenever I make pasta. However my question is, why 1 can of tomato sauce, then 1 can of tomato paste+1 1/2 cups of water? Why not just 2 cans of tomato sauce? A 6oz can of tomato paste, when combined with 1 1/2 cups of water, becomes the equivalent of a can of tomato sauce.
Bob says
Sorry, please disregard my previous email. I ready the article and it’s 21 mg.
Bob says
Sorry for a stupid question, but under Nutrition it says Sodium 21. Is that 21 mg, or 21% ?
Thanks
Jenna says
Thanks Linda! I still hardly go out to eat and cook at home.
Linda W Flood says
Thanks for the recipe! I also agree with you about restaurant food and sodium levels. I no longer love going out to eat as everything tastes too salty. Cooking more at home. Thanks again!