Homemade Keto Spaghetti Sauce Recipe - 2 Net Carbs • Low Carb with Jennifer (2024)

Servings: 12

|

Cals: 131

|

Fat: 9

|

Carbs: 5

|

Fiber: 3

|

Protein: 8

|

Time: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

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This homemade keto spaghetti sauce recipe is a great alternative to store-bought sauces that are expensive, or have added sugar. This one uses simple ingredients, but is so full of flavor. Serve over your favorite low-carb noodles for a complete keto meal.

Homemade Keto Spaghetti Sauce Recipe - 2 Net Carbs • Low Carb with Jennifer (1)

When you want to make a keto friendly spaghetti sauce recipe, you have to really consider what tomatoes you're going to use in order to make the carbs as low as possible.

Don't get me wrong, tomatoes are extremely nutritious and have a lot of vitamins, but there are different types of canned tomatoes and their carb counts vary quite a bit. From tomato puree and whole tomatoes to tomato paste!

You're in luck because I have done all of the research for you and I have found what tomato product to use for the least amount of carbs and the best keto spaghetti sauce recipe.

Ingredients

This easy low carb spaghetti sauce recipe uses simple ingredients, but I provide great options incase you want to make this recipe your own. The full printable recipe card with exact measurements is toward the bottom of the page.

Tomatoes: Let's talk about canned tomatoes for our keto pasta sauce. There are a few notable types we want to avoid and they are: crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, and tomato sauce. They all have too many carbs and the net carbs for the sauce would be over 10.

A great way to lower the carb count is to use whole peeled tomatoes. That would be canned or fresh tomatoes. Canned whole peeled tomatoes have on average 1 net carb per ounce, whereas crushed tomatoes have 50% more per ounce. As you can see, the whole tomatoes are the better option for the keto diet.

Salt pork: This is a traditional pasta sauce addition and for good reason. It really adds so much flavor to this keto friendly sauce. You can buy it at most large grocery stores and then you can freeze the leftovers for later use. You could also use bacon or pancetta, but if you just don't want to use it, just leave it out.

Ground beef: I don't know about you, but when I think of spaghetti sauce, I think of meat sauce. This recipe calls for ground beef, but you could easily use Italian sausage or ground turkey, or you could leave the meat out entirely.

The remaining ingredients needed are olive oil, onion, fresh garlic, a little sweetener, fresh basil (or dried), and dried oregano. You could also use red pepper flakes for a little spice.

Noodles: My favorite noodles to use for pasta sauce are spaghetti squash noodles. In fact, I used this sauce recently in my Italian Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Boats and they were amazing!

How to make homemade keto spaghetti sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Add the salt pork and cook until the fat is rendered. Remove the salt pork from the pan and discard, reserving the oil. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and sauté until translucent, about 5-8 minutes.

Homemade Keto Spaghetti Sauce Recipe - 2 Net Carbs • Low Carb with Jennifer (2)

Add in the ground beef and cook until the meat is crumbled and no longer pink. Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste.

Pro tip:

  • If you would like to not have a chunky sauce, transfer the tomatoes to a large bowl and puree them with an immersion blender or puree them in the blender.

Pour the tomatoes in with the ground meat and stir. Season with the sweetener, oregano and basil if using dried. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with a lid and let simmer for at least an hour.

Top the keto pasta sauce with fresh basil (if using fresh) and serve. I can guarantee you it is better than any low carb pasta sauce from the grocery store.

Homemade Keto Spaghetti Sauce Recipe - 2 Net Carbs • Low Carb with Jennifer (3)

Serving and storage for low carb spaghetti sauce

Serve the homemade sauce with zucchini noodles, roasted spaghetti squash (my favorite), shirataki noodles, or my keto meatballs.

Your keto spaghetti sauce will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4 days. It also freezes really well for up to 3 months.

More favorite recipes

  • Creamy Keto Tomato Soup
  • Homemade Keto Marinara Sauce
  • Crustless Pizza
  • Chicken Parm Meatballs

Homemade Keto Spaghetti Sauce Recipe - 2 Net Carbs • Low Carb with Jennifer (4)

Homemade Keto Spaghetti Sauce Recipe - 2 Net Carbs

This homemade keto spaghetti sauce recipe is a great alternative to store-bought sauces that are expensive, or have added sugar. This one uses simple ingredients, but is so full of flavor. Serve over your favorite low-carb noodles for a complete keto meal.

5 from 2 votes

Course: dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 131

Author: Jennifer Banz

This post may contain affiliate links

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Add the salt pork and cook until the fat is rendered. Remove the salt pork from the pan with a slotted spoon and discard, reserving the oil. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and sauté until translucent, about 5-8 minutes.

  • Add in the ground beef and cook until the meat is crumbled and no longer pink. I leave the fat because it adds so much flavor. You can discard it if you like. Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste.

  • Note: (If you would like to not have a chunky sauce, transfer the whole tomatoes to a large bowl and puree them with an immersion blender or puree them in the blender). Pour the tomatoes in with the ground meat and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then stir in the sweetener, oregano and basil (if using dried basil). Cover with a lid and let simmer for at least an hour.

  • Top the keto pasta sauce with fresh basil and serve.

Notes

  • Salt pork: This is a traditional pasta sauce addition and for good reason. It really adds so much flavor to this keto friendly sauce. You can buy it at most large grocery stores and then you can freeze the leftovers for later use. You could also use bacon or pancetta, but if you just don't want to use it, just leave it out.
  • Ground beef: I don't know about you, but when I think of spaghetti sauce, I think of meat sauce. This recipe calls for lean ground beef, but you could easily use Italian sausage or ground turkey, or you could leave the meat out entirely.
  • Nutrition:calculated using 90/10 ground beef and includes the rendered fat from the salt pork. One serving equals approximately ½ cup or 130 grams.

Servings: 12

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 131 | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 9g | Fiber: 3g

Nutrition is provided as a courtesy only. Please re-calculate on your own with the ingredients and amounts you used for the most accurate data.

Keyword :homemade keto marinara sauce recipe, keto spaghetti sauce, low carb spaghetti sauce

Homemade Keto Spaghetti Sauce Recipe - 2 Net Carbs • Low Carb with Jennifer (2024)

FAQs

How many net carbs are in homemade spaghetti sauce? ›

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Meat Vegetable (1 cup) contains 14g total carbs, 10.5g net carbs, 16g fat, 20g protein, and 127 calories.

What type of pasta is lowest in carbs? ›

What type of pasta is lowest in carbs? "Vegetable-based pastas, such as zucchini noodles or hearts of palm noodles, tend to be lowest in carbs and calories," says Sassos. "They are also packed with nutrient-dense vitamins and minerals and are naturally gluten-free.

How much spaghetti can I eat on keto? ›

If you're overcome with carb cravings, here's a bit of unfortunate news: pasta is completely off-limits on the keto diet. Even though conventional nutrition tells you complex carbohydrates like whole wheat and whole-grain breads and pasta are “healthy” alternatives, the carbs in pasta are simply too high.

How do you eat spaghetti on a low carb diet? ›

Subtract the grams of Fiber from the grams of Total Carbs to get the net carbs — how many “carbs” the sauce contains. Serving lower carb sauces, like many spaghetti sauces, with low carb vegetables is a great way to jazz up the veggies. Or serve spaghetti sauce over shirataki noodles.

How many net carbs are in 1 cup of tomato sauce? ›

Tomato Sauce Canned (1 cup) contains 13g total carbs, 9.3g net carbs, 0.7g fat, 2.9g protein, and 59 calories.

How many net carbs are in Prego spaghetti sauce? ›

Prego Traditional Italian Tomato Sauce (120 ml) contains 13g total carbs, 10g net carbs, 1.5g fat, 2g protein, and 70 calories.

What is the best pasta to eat on keto? ›

Shirataki pasta is low in carbs and calories. Vegan, gluten-free, keto-friendly, and suitable for most diets.

How many carbs a day on keto? ›

The ketogenic diet typically reduces total carbohydrate intake to less than 50 grams a day—less than the amount found in a medium plain bagel—and can be as low as 20 grams a day. Generally, popular ketogenic resources suggest an average of 70-80% fat from total daily calories, 5-10% carbohydrate, and 10-20% protein.

What is a good substitute for spaghetti pasta? ›

Zucchini is a popular noodle substitute because its texture makes it easy to spiral out into spaghetti-like shapes. This summer squash, also called a courgette, consists of about 95% water and has just about 25 calories in each small zucchini. It's also virtually fat-free and cholesterol-free.

What kind of spaghetti sauce is keto friendly? ›

There are several substitutes for tomato sauce that you can use on the ketogenic diet, such as pesto sauce, alfredo sauce, or a homemade low-carb marinara sauce using crushed tomatoes and herbs. These alternatives provide flavor and texture without the high sugar content of traditional tomato sauce.

Is 100 carbs a day still keto? ›

Not technically. The goal is to get your body into a state of ketosis where fat is your primary fuel source and ketones are used by the brain. Carbs need to make up 5% of your caloric intake so if you're consuming 50–100 grams of them it means you'll need a huge amount of calories from fat and then from protein.

Can I have 100 carbs a day on keto? ›

According to a 2018 review of the different types of ketogenic diet, a person should consume up to 50 grams (g) of carbohydrates per day to stay in ketosis. A female on a keto diet should consume 40–50 g of protein per day, while a male should consume 50–60 g of protein daily.

Can you eat pasta once a week on a low carb diet? ›

Though guidelines can vary, low carb diets typically limit foods high in carbs or added sugar. A low carb diet restricts carbohydrates, such as those found in pasta, bread, and sugary foods. It's high in protein, fat, and vegetables.

How many carbs are in homemade spaghetti sauce with meat? ›

Spaghetti sauce with meat, homemade, without added fat (0.5 cup) contains 5.9g total carbs, 3.9g net carbs, 6.8g fat, 10.4g protein, and 125 calories.

How many carbs in 1 cup of homemade spaghetti with meat sauce? ›

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.

How many carbs are in 1 cup of cooked spaghetti with sauce? ›

Spaghetti With Tomato Sauce (1 cup) contains 55.2g total carbs, 50g net carbs, 7.8g fat, 9.4g protein, and 332 calories.

How many carbs are in a cup of homemade spaghetti? ›

Carbs. Made from grain, spaghetti is energy-dense, with more than 200 calories per cup. It is a good source of complex carbohydrates, with more than 40 grams of carbs in one serving.

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