Low Carb Spaghetti Sauce - Easy Keto Recipe with Meat

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Even though traditional spaghetti isn’t keto, a keto spaghetti sauce recipe can help you feel like you’re cheating – while still getting results!

In fact, one of the first recipes I used to transition from low carb to a keto diet was this low carb spaghetti sauce recipe. Since then, I’ve gone on to lose 100 pounds with a low carb lifestyle I love – so I’d say this recipe is a keeper!

Keep reading to learn how you can combine low sugar spaghetti sauce with ground beef, veggies, and a few spices to create a keto friendly spaghetti sauce your whole family will love!

Is Spaghetti Sauce Keto?

So what’s the deal – can you eat spaghetti sauce on keto?

Let’s just say this low carb spaghetti sauce recipe was a weekly staple in my plan for the duration of my 100 pound weight loss. The trick with keto recipes is to find lower carb versions of the ingredients you love, and then build a keto friendly meal from there.

Of course, this may lead you to ask is there a low carb spaghetti sauce? Or do you have to make your own homemade keto spaghetti sauce from scratch?

The good news is you can do whichever you prefer! If you’re a lazy keto gourmet like me, there are plenty of low carb sauce options available at your local grocery store. If you’d rather whip up your own low-carb marinara sauce from scratch, grab some canned tomatoes and get to work!

Best Low Sugar Spaghetti Sauce Options

Finding the best keto friendly spaghetti sauce in a jar is all about the nutrition facts and ingredients label. Learn to analyze both when determining if an ingredient is right for your low-carb diet.

While it’s important to look for labels that say no added sugar, never end your search for the best keto spaghetti sauce there. Always dig deeper by looking at the remaining ingredients. Too many food manufacturers add inflammatory vegetable oils and other non-desirable ingredients to their low carb pasta sauce.

Which Spaghetti Sauce Has the Least Carbs?

With that said, it’s still important to keep carbs in mind. Below are a few of my favorite low carb spaghetti sauce keto friendly options. These sauces are low in grams of sugar, plus they have the best ingredients.

Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce: 90 calories and 4 grams of carbs per 1/2 cup.
Thrive Market Organic Marinara Sauce: 70 calories and 5 grams of net carbs per 1/2 cup.
Cucina Antica Tomato Basil Sauce: 35 calories and 4 grams of net carbs per 1/2 cup.
Primal Kitchen Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce: 50 calories and 7 grams of net carbs per 1/2 cup.
Yo Mama’s Original Marinara: 60 calories and 4 grams of net carbs per 1/2 cup.

Keto Spaghetti Sauce Ingredients

The main ingredients for this keto spaghetti sauce recipe include a pound of ground beef and a jar of low sugar spaghetti sauce. You’ll also need butter and olive oil to add flavor, plus a little more healthy fat. (This is a spaghetti sauce keto recipe, after all).

Speaking of flavor, I use a combo of minced garlic, ground cinnamon, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes to spice up the keto meat sauce. If you’re looking for even more Italian flavors, then fresh basil, Italian seasoning, and black pepper all work well in this low-carb spaghetti sauce recipe.

If you have time to shop for fresh herbs, that’s a great way to add more flavor. If you want to keep things lazy, this low-carb pasta sauce is still a great recipe with dried spices. Since I err on the side of lazy, the measurements in this recipe are for dried herbs.

Round out the ingredients for this easy keto recipe by chopping your favorite low carb vegetables. I love adding chopped onion, bell pepper, and diced zucchini into my homemade keto spaghetti sauce.

How to Make the Best Keto Spaghetti Sauce

The first step for this easy low carb spaghetti sauce is to brown the ground beef in a large skillet. Crumble the beef and season with oregano and a little bit of red pepper flakes while it browns.

Once the meat is partially cooked, add in the minced garlic and stir. Then top with the chopped vegetables.

If you love crisp vegetables in your keto meat sauce, then wait to add them until the end. Like soft veggies? Then add the chopped vegetables sooner in the ground beef browning process to allow them time to soften.

After the meat is fully browned, lower to medium heat and drain any excess grease.

Next, top the browned meat with butter. Stir the beef mixture with a wooden spoon, and then pour the low carb tomato sauce on top.

Once the sauce and meat are well combined, sprinkle cinnamon on top and stir. Then remove the keto pasta sauce from the heat and stir in the olive oil. Mix well and serve.

How Should I Serve Low Carb Spaghetti Sauce?

There are several ways to enjoy this versatile sauce:

Serve the original recipe in a bowl and enjoy it like a chili.
Pour this easy keto spaghetti sauce on top of zucchini noodles.
Serve with alternative keto-friendly noodles like shirataki noodles.
Pour this chunky sauce over cooked spaghetti squash.

Spaghetti Meat Sauce FAQs

How many carbs in spaghetti sauce?

Typical spaghetti sauces contain around 16 grams of carbs per cup serving. A low sugar spaghetti sauce has around 4 grams of net carbs per serving. This keto spaghetti sauce recipe has 7 grams of net carbs per serving.

How long does meat sauce last in the fridge?

Spaghetti meat sauce stays good for 3-5 days when stored properly in an airtight container in the fridge.

What’s the difference between marinara vs spaghetti sauce?

Marinara sauce is a plain tomato red sauce with herbs and spices added. Spaghetti sauce is marinara sauce mixed with meat and vegetables.

Is it OK to make my own sauce instead of using a low sugar spaghetti sauce from the store?

Yes, you can use canned or fresh tomatoes to make your own keto marinara sauce recipe at home. Use whichever is the best sauce option for you.

Can I use Italian sausage in place of ground beef?

Of course. Replace ground beef with any ground meat you desire, including Italian sausage, lamb, or ground turkey.

How to make thick spaghetti sauce?

With the addition of meat and vegetables, this low carb spaghetti sauce recipe is thick. If you want even more thickness, you can add more tomato sauce. Keep in mind, this adds more carbs. You can also allow the sauce to simmer longer in order to boil out some of the liquid.

Can you freeze spaghetti sauce with meat?

You can cook a big batch for food prep since keto spaghetti sauce can be frozen and thawed when you need it.

How long can you freeze meat sauce?

Store your homemade sauce in a freezer safe container for up to 4-6 months.

Keto Spaghetti Sauce Wrap Up

The great thing about keto is it’s easy to turn traditional high carb recipes into low carb staple meals with just a few swaps.

Looking for more easy keto recipes your whole family will love? Check out this creamy spaghetti sauce. With so much flavor, they won’t even know it’s keto-friendly!

Garlic basil chicken is another simple recipe that my family can’t get enough of. Serve it as it’s own meal, or on top of low carb noodles. Melt cheese on top for a keto meal you’ll crave.

If you’re still working on your transition from low carb to keto, these are all great meals to help you take the leap. Italian dishes have so much flavor that you won’t even miss the carbs!

Save this recipe to your easy keto meals Pinterest board for next time. Share on social media too!

Scroll down for nutrition info and the recipe card.

Make Keto Easy

Speaking of taking the leap, if you want the best results on keto – why not take the course that’s helped hundreds of women finally lose weight with a low carb diet? Many students rave that this course helped, even after other keto plans failed.

Check out the Keto Quick Start Course to learn the tricks I used to lose 100 pounds with a keto lifestyle I love!

Low Carb Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

More Easy Keto Meals:

Big Mac Salad (Keto Copycat Recipe)

Sausage Crust Pizza

Easy Keto Taco Salad

Sweet and Spicy Spaghetti Sauce

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

An easy low carb spaghetti sauce recipe that your whole family will love. This keto meat sauce is great when served by itself in a bowl, or over zoodles. Double the batch and freeze some for easy keto meal prep!

Author: Nissa
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Category: Keto Dinner Recipe
Method: Stove top
Cuisine: Keto / Low Carb
Diet: Diabetic

Ingredients

Scale

1 lb 80% lean ground beef
1 jar low sugar marinara sauce
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Oregano and crushed red pepper to taste

Instructions

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet. Season generously with oregano while browning the beef. Add in crushed red pepper to taste.
While browning the meat, stir in the chopped peppers, onions and minced garlic.
Once the meat is fully browned, turn the heat to medium. Drain any excess grease.
Add in the butter. As the butter melts, add in marinara sauce and stir.
Sprinkle the cinnamon over the sauce.
Remove from heat and stir in the olive oil.
Mix well and serve in a bowl.

Notes

Make a double batch for easy leftovers later in the week.
Heat leftovers in a pan on the stovetop for best flavor.
Serve as is in a bowl, or pour this chunky sauce on top of low carb noodles, like zucchini noodles.
You can choose to buy a low sugar spaghetti sauce, or make your own sauce at home.