This all-vegetable version of traditional spaghetti gives the option of using traditional grain pasta (I like brown rice pasta), or using fresh zucchini "noodles," which are easily created using a mandolin (a type of vegetable slicer) or spiral slicer.
Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 (makes about 4 ½ cups sauce) 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- For the pasta:
- 1 package spaghetti pasta (12 ounces) or 6 medium zucchini (about 7 inches each)
- 1 ounce walnuts, cashews, or pine nuts, ground (about ¼ cup; for optional garnish)
- For the Marinara Sauce:
- 8 medium cremini or white mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups)
- 1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (4 or 5 medium cloves)
- 2 cans diced tomatoes (14.5 ounces each; about 3 cups total), undrained
- 1 can tomato paste (6 ounces)
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian herb seasoning
- ½ cup loosely packed fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of water in a large frying pan or soup pot over medium-high heat. When the water starts to sputter, add the mushrooms and onions, and cook while stirring for about 5 minutes, adding a little water, as needed, to prevent sticking. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes (including liquid), tomato paste, and Italian herbs. Reduce the heat to low, then cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the sauce is simmering, prepare the noodles. If you are using a whole-grain pasta, cook it according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse with cool water, and set aside. If you are making zucchini noodles, see step 4.
- Use a mandolin or spiral slicer to create thin, matchstick-sized zucchini strands. If you want to cook the zucchini "noodles" slightly (you can also eat them raw), place them into a pot of low-boiling water, and cook for 1 to 3 minutes, or until they are tender but not falling apart (undercooked is better than overcooked). Drain and set aside.
- Stir the basil into the sauce. You can add the cooked pasta or zucchini noodles to the simmering sauce, or keep the noodles and sauce separate, ladling the sauce over each plate of noodles just before serving. Serve as is or topped with finely ground nuts (use a rotary cheese grater to create a parmesan cheese-like topping).
Notes
The nutrition information provided below is for zucchini noodles with optional nut garnish (first), and pasta with optional nut garnish (second).
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ recipe, 1 cup sauce
- Calories: 226
- Sugar: 22.1g
- Sodium: 72.9mg
- Fat: 6.4g
- Saturated Fat: 0.9g
- Carbohydrates: 37.5g
- Fiber: 9.8g
- Protein: 11.1g
- Cholesterol: 0
Above: Ingredients prepped and ready to go!
Above: The sautéed onion, mushrooms, and garlic in step 1.
Above: The completed sauce.
This looks awesome Cath! I will have to try it sometime.
We were short on time so we used store bought spaghetti sauce, but the zucchini noodles were delicious! We were sceptical, but had an abundance of zucchini from our CSA, so thought we would give it a try. Would reccomend to anyone!! Do be careful not to over cook, as I think they would be gross. We kept them a little on the crunchy side and they were great! Thanks so much for the idea.
Hi Molly, Yeah, the zuch noodles can get really soft, and just kind of dissolve if overcooked. Thanks for the comment! 😉
Made this 2 nights ago and it was great! The leftovers were even better because the zuchinnis were softer. Thanks again Cathy! 🙂
I used this sauce for quinoa spaghetti and it turned out great! I didnt have fresh basil so I topped it with some red pepper flakes to give it a kick and then some nutritional yeast as vegan parmesan.
Sounds yum! 🙂 Thanks Sophie!
Traditionally I was taught to put a little sugar to cut the bitter taste of the tomatoes. What do you suggest to use instead of sugar to get rid of that bitter acidic taste
I usually add a bit of balsamic vinegar; you could also try apple juice. 🙂
my go-to marinara now! so simple!
The sugar content is high, but you didn't use any sugar.
Hi Barbara! Did you mean the sodium content is high? I agree 400mg seems too high, so I reviewed the nutritional breakdown and there was indeed an error. The correct sodium per serving of 1/4 recipe (1 cup sauce) is 72.9mg. Hope that helps.
Hi, I'd like to try cooking this for my diabetic friend (sugar restrictions), who also has heart restrictions (oil and sodium). I am confused about the nutrition info though. It appears as though the zucchini version is higher in the bad stuff like sugar and sodium, while the pasta version is higher in the good stuff like fibre and protein. Seems counter-intuitive...Just checking before cooking, thanks!
Hi Mo, thanks for your note. Yes, the zucchini is only slightly higher in sodium (0.9 mg), and the sugar by 7.4 grams. This is due to the zucchini version being more food by weight than the pasta version (690 g for zucchini 1/4 of recipe, and 480 g for 1/4 of recipe of pasta version). So you're probably fine, as there is no real "added" salt to this recipe (unless salt has been added to your pasta). If you wanted to decrease naturally occurring sodium, however, you could just use the diced tomatoes and leave out the tomato paste (or use less). 🙂
Another excellent recipe from this website! I tried it out today and was pleasantly surprised. I'll keep this one in mind for more romantic occasions.
Thanks Miles! 😉
The only marinara recipe I like to make, it’s easy and delicious (my family absolutely loves it !