Hearty, Easy Paleo and Keto Marinara Sauce

This homemade keto-friendly marinara sauce is just the best!! It is hearty, can be made using canned or fresh tomatoes, and is so easy to make. Flavors of basil, garlic, and tomatoes are simmered to robust perfection. This recipe is also paleo, whole30-friendly, with no added sugars, and gluten-free so those with food sensitivities can also enjoy it, without having to worry.

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One of my favorite things to do is to make different types of sauces from scratch. They are great for a variety of foods and make any dish taste much better. If you love them as much as I do, then you certainly want to check out these flavorful and fresh Moroccan chermoula and cilantro chimichurri sauces (both keto and paleo-friendly). They are always great additions to most savory meals.

Jump to:

• Why This Recipe Works
• Ingredients
• How to make Keto and Paleo Marinara Sauce
• Useful Tips
• How to Use This Tomato Sauce - Serving Suggestions
• Storage
• Common Questions Related to this Paleo and Keto Marinara Sauce Recipe
• Other Paleo and Keto Tomato-Based Recipes To Try
• 📖 Recipe

Why This Recipe Works

• Easy:- incredibly easy to make with very few steps, this keto tomato sauce recipe can easily and quickly be put together.
• Healthy:- gluten-free, free from added sugars, vegan, paleo, whole30-friendly, and made with wholesome ingredients, this fresh paleo spaghetti sauce is better than any storebought sauce you could buy because it does not contain any artificial ingredients. As they say, homemade is indeed best!
• Convenient:- it can easily be made from scratch using canned or fresh tomatoes, making it absolutely convenient.
• So many uses:- use this tasty tomato sauce for your low carb and paleo pizzas, casseroles, pastas, meatloaf, meatballs or for other flavorful meals that call for tomato or spaghetti sauce. Not on a paleo or keto diet but still want to keep it healthy? Then this recipe is just the thing for you!!

Ingredients

You don't need much for this recipe! Just a handful of items from the local farmers' market or grocery store.

• Extra Virgin Olive oil - I like to use olive oil but any kind of neutral keto or low carb compliant oil such as avocado oil, is okay to use.
• Fresh Garlic cloves
• Tomatoes - San Marzano, Roma, and cherry tomatoes are the most common varieties that I use when making tomato sauce, but simply use any type of tomatoes you have in hand. If making this recipe using canned tomatoes, then use a keto and paleo-friendly brand such as San Marzan.
• Onion - I like to use an onion to lend some flavor to the sauce. Add it quartered to the simmering sauce then remove it once cooked. This means you do not have to worry about it increasing your net carb count and spoiling your keto diet.
• Fresh Basil - similar to the onion, add a large sprig of basil, which you can then remove later once the spaghetti sauce is cooked through. I also like to reserve a few leaves which I then finely slice into ribbons, and use as garnish.
• Oregano - If you can, use fresh oregano to deliver the best flavor, but the dried spice also works well.
• Red chilli pepper flakes.
• Half a cup of water.
• Salt.

How to make Keto and Paleo Marinara Sauce

Making your own homemade spaghetti sauce from scratch has never been easier. And as I mentioned the great thing is, you can use fresh or canned tomatoes!

Method 1: Using Canned Tomatoes

• Transfer the canned tomatoes to a bowl and crush using your hands, if whole. Do not worry about using your hands, think about all the wonderful dishes that we make using our hands, starting with pizza! I am however, not going to restrict you so just use a hand blender if you prefer to work this way or to have your sauce less chunky.
• Sliver the cloves of garlic, add the olive oil to a deep enough pan and stir in the garlic. Allow this to heat under moderate heat. You want the garlic to sizzle, and not necessarily brown as this could affect the taste of your low carb marinara. This will take about a minute.
• Stir in the tomatoes and water and allow to simmer. Next, add the sprig of basil, onion chunks, oregano, red chilli pepper flakes, salt and stir.
• Cook covered for 25 minutes under low heat, stirring from time to time. Use the back of a wooden spoon to press the tomatoes when cooking. Once cooked, remove the basil and onion and set aside in a bowl (do not throw this away, you can use them in other recipes such as in making soups). Check for salt and add some more, if you need to. You can tell it is cooked through when the oil separates from the tomato mass and floats on top of the sauce. Also, the cooked sauce will have an orange-red color and taste less tangy as the heat helps cut down the acidity.
• Thinly slice a few leaves of basil and sprinkle on top as garnish. Serve your marinara sauce with zoodles, use it as tomato sauce in recipes or simply eat it with some paleo or low carb bread.

Method 2: Using Fresh Tomatoes

• Start by peeling the tomatoes. To do this, boil some water in a pot then use a sharp knife to scar X-shaped cuts at the top of each tomato. Place the fresh tomatoes into the pot for about 60 seconds.

Meanwhile, separately fill a large bowl with ice-cold water. Use kitchen tongs to carefully remove the tomatoes from the pot and slide them into the bowl with the ice-cold water then peel the tomatoes. Next, transfer to a chopping board, allow them to slightly cool, peel and deseed them (the skin should now easily come off). Chop them into quarters.

Place the peeled tomatoes in a large bowl and crush with your hands. Next, allow a medium-sized saucepan or a non-metallic pot to heat under medium heat. Add the olive oil and slivered garlic.

Allow the garlic to sizzle for about a minute, then stir in the peeled and crushed fresh tomatoes, water, salt, red chili pepper flakes, oregano, onion, the basil sprig then stir. Reduce the heat to a low, cover, and cook covered for a further 25 minutes, stirring from time to time so the marinara sauce does not burn. I recommend covering as it helps the tomatoes to sweat, so they break down easily.

Add more salt if needed, garnish with some thinly sliced basil leaves and serve.

Useful Tips

• I do not recommend using a cast iron skillet or a metalic pot as the tomato sauce may end up having an acidic taste.
• Sweetener - Seeing that different types of tomatoes have different levels of acidity, feel free to add a 1-2 tablespoons of a sugar-free sweetener, such as erythritol, allulose or monk fruit to the sauce if you prefer. Skip the sweetener for whole30 and stir in one cup of grated carrots, instead.
• Thickening - Add a third a cup of grated carrots or half a teaspoon xanthan gum to give this sauce some depth and thickness. Just bear in mind that the carrots will increase the carb count.
• Flavor variation - Throw in some anchovies, capers, olives or your favorite seasonings and herbs for a variation in the flavor! Add about half a cup of paleo-friendly red wine for a depth in flavor, but keep an eye on the net carb count, if on a low-carb diet! Also, I personally find that this keto marinara sauce tastes better when it has been made a day before to use later.

How to Use This Tomato Sauce - Serving Suggestions

This low-carb marinara sauce goes particularly well with spiralized vegetables, such as zucchini and carrots. It also pairs well with keto pizza and spaghetti, cauliflower mashed potatoes, or some delicious meatballs. As always, do not let this limit you, feel free to serve it with your favorite dishes!

Storage

Make great use of the bountiful tomato harvest in summer by making this homemade recipe ahead, then storing it in the fridge or freezer! Just make sure to use clearly labeled BPA-free containers, clearly marked with best-by dates.

• This sauce will keep fresh in the fridge for four to five days. To prevent the marinara sauce from staining your container, spray the insides of the container with cooking spray before filling. You can read more about how to store food and leftovers in the fridge here.
• To freeze, just fill the tomato sauce into airtight containers and store it in the freezer. This sauce will keep in the freezer for four to six months.

Common Questions Related to this Paleo and Keto Marinara Sauce Recipe

Other Paleo and Keto Tomato-Based Recipes To Try

• Traditional Shirazi Salad
• Kachumbari Salad
• Keto Ketchup
• Keto Tomato Soup

This recipe has been republished in November 2021(it was originally written in February 2020).

📖 Recipe