I usually have a few jars of store-bought pasta sauce in the pantry, but, I’ve really been loving this clean eating marinara sauce recipe. It’s a quick alternative to premade sauces, and best of all, it’s totally delicious!

Clean Eating Marinara Sauce Recipe

Since this is closer to a classic marinara recipe, it’s not loaded with ingredients. In fact, you’ll just need a can of crushed tomatoes and a few other ingredients to make this clean eating marinara sauce.

If you’re new to clean eating (or you’re trying to please picky kids), you may find that you need to add a little honey to the recipe in the end to cut the acidity.

RELATED: Clean Eating Lettuce Wraps

Does this recipe require the addition of honey? No. Should a marinara sauce technically have added sugar, period? Probably not!

Here’s the thing, y’all… Every little healthy choice matters. Making your marinara sauce at home, using real ingredients is a great starting point. Don’t beat yourself up if you want to add a little honey to mellow out the flavor, especially if you’re accustomed to using the premade pasta sauces.

You may find that you can transition into making the recipe sans-honey in the future!

With that said, you should totally give this clean eating marinara sauce a whirl without added sweetener on the first go, especially if you’re using it as a pasta sauce. You probably won’t miss the sweetness at all.

I often use this quick clean eating marinara sauce on whole wheat spaghetti with some fresh basil, but it also makes a great dipping sauce.

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Clean Eating Marinara Sauce Recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Additional Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

This quick and healthy marinara sauce is easy to make and so versatile. It's definitely a wonderful clean eating recipe to have on hand!

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• (1) 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (sugar and salt free)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• optional 1-2 tablespoons honey

Instructions

1. In a medium pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add your minced garlic and sauté just until garlic becomes fragrant and slightly golden. Be very careful not to burn the garlic, as this can happen quickly.
3. Add the can of crushed tomatoes, dried herbs, salt and pepper. Stir to combine all of the ingredients and reduce your heat to low.
4. Cover the pot and simmer for at least 15 minutes or up to 30 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in fresh basil.
6. Optional, stir in 1-3 tablespoons of raw honey to balance the acidity.

Notes

When I first started eating clean, I found it difficult to adjust to some foods sans sweetener. Adding a tablespoon of honey to this sauce is still a healthy choice, so don’t feel bad if you find that you want to use it. As your palate adjusts to foods that are less sweet, you may find that you can drop the honey without missing it!