Heart Healthy Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce

(5.0)
By Judy Capodanno
Updated 1/8/2026
Dietitian Reviewed: Jane Schwartz, RDN, CLT
Approved for These Diets:
Heart Healthy | Vegetarian

Make this quick and healthy spaghetti recipe tossed in a homemade heart healthy spaghetti sauce. It's ready in 30 minutes. Our easy and healthy pasta sauce uses five low-fat ingredients like sautéed onions and garlic. Similar to our low sodium spaghetti sauce, this low cholesterol spaghetti sauce has a naturally sweet flavor, but there's no sugar in our healthy red sauce! For better cardiac health, our dietitians recommend pairing high fiber, multigrain spaghetti noodles with your healthy marinara sauce.

Need more heart healthy pasta recipe ideas? Try these delicious and easy low calorie pasta recipes.

Total Time
30 minutes
Servings
4
Calories
348

Is Spaghetti Heart Healthy with Italian Marinara Sauce?

Yes! It's easy to make spaghetti heart healthy by making a homemade Marinara sauce with a few simple and natural ingredients and tossing it over multigrain, high fiber spaghetti noodles. This homemade healthy spaghetti recipe is a family favorite developed by our food editor when her father was put on a cardiac diet. Many of her healthy Italian recipes start with a heart healthy spaghetti sauce or this healthy Italian red sauce recipe.

Make your spaghetti dinner healthier with our healthy marinara sauce that uses only few ingredients and is an easy 30 minute heart healthy dinner. This low cholesterol spaghetti sauce has less salt than most jarred sauces and contains no added sugar. It’s also full of flavor with no preservatives and can easily be made ahead of time. 

This healthy spaghetti recipe is lower in fat, sodium and sugar than traditional pasta recipes. It’s made from heart healthy vegetables, like tomatoes that contain lycopene, and contains only a small amount of salt and no added sugar. Instead, it uses fresh garlic, onion and herbs to make it taste great. There’s also only a small amount of olive oil in the low fat pasta sauce. Multigrain spaghetti is higher in fiber than spaghetti made from white flour, and more fiber is better for heart health and blood sugar control. The result is a healthier spaghetti recipe you can feel good about serving to your whole family.

Want to round out your heart healthy spaghetti entrée to make it a full meal? Add one of these delicious salads to start the meal off right.

If you are looking for a healthy substitute for pasta, whether you want to lower the carbs or calories in a dish, there are several swaps you can use that won’t sacrifice taste. Use zucchini noodles (zoodles) in place of spaghetti, like we did in this Zucchini Noodles with Creamy Avocado Pesto recipe. Spaghetti squash is also a delicious and nutritious pasta substitute. You can see for yourself by trying this delectable Shrimp Spaghetti Squash dish. Using these vegetable pasta substitutes is also a good option if you need a gluten free pasta recipe, or you can simply use gluten free pasta instead of traditional pasta.

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Photo Credit: Baldwin Publishing Staff Photographer

Ingredients

Recipe yields 4 servings

Directions

  1. Step 1

    In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion, garlic, salt and pepper and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, or until onion is softened. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add parsley and simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions until just tender. In a colander, drain pasta and return pasta to pot. Add 1/4 cup tomato sauce to pasta and toss to coat.

  3. Step 3

    Transfer pasta to bowls and top with remaining sauce, cheese and additional parsley, if desired.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size:
1 cup

348
Calories
4
g
Fat
2
mg
Cholesterol
381
mg
Sodium
69
g
Carbs
0
g
Sat. Fat
10
g
Fiber
19
g
Protein

More Recipes Like Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce

Whether you’re looking for weeknight dinner recipes that are family-friendly or you want some inspiration to prepare a special celebratory dinner, we have plenty of recipes for you to choose from. You may also want to check out our blog Easy Dinner Recipes for a Heart Healthy Diet for more great dinner ideas.