Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce Recipe
Alex called me “talented” last Friday. I created this amazing spaghetti with tomato sauce recipe with “nothing” in 10 minutes. We all couldn’t stop eating it.
If you have Instant Pot, you should also check out my Instant Pot spaghetti with any ground meat.
If you think of going to an Italian restaurant to pay $20 for spaghetti with tomato sauce please stop immediately. Take off your shoes and make this easy, simple, quick and yummy spaghetti with tomato sauce recipe. You can do it! At home with canned sauce. Because there is no such thing as fresh tomatoes for tomato sauce October – July anywhere.
Or because there is a place for canned tomato sauce on a Friday night after you have been working your butt off all week. It still can be amazing, fresh and delicious! For like $5 instead of 4 x $20 plus tax and tips at a nearby Italian restaurant. With like $10 glass of wine. And who stops at one?!
Yes! It is the best spaghetti ever! The ingredients are so easy. You will be blown away!
Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce Ingredients List
- Whole wheat or white spaghetti
- Canned tomato sauce
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Garlic
- Dried oregano
- Salt and pepper
- Parmesan cheese
FAQs About Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce
Which tomato sauce should I use?
There are so many tomato products on supermarket shelves these days. In cans and jars. I get lost myself. That is why partially I just buy a 12 case of organic low sodium canned tomato sauce at Costco and use in all my recipes. Another reason is that other tomato products are expensive. Often for no reason.
To make good spaghetti, you need a can of cheap tomato sauce that reads “tomato sauce”. Preferably low sodium. Not “spaghetti sauce”, not “pizza sauce”, not “pasta sauce”, not “marinara sauce”. Just “tomato sauce”.
Can I use white pasta?
Yes. I will not judge you. I know many people can’t eat whole grain pasta for taste reasons. I think it’s a matter of habit. I understand semolina pasta tastes different than whole wheat. But it is stripped off of fiber and nutrients completely. It is possible to get used to whole wheat or ancient grain spaghetti.
But I will not judge you. Please note nutritional information of this delicious spaghetti recipe will change. Not in the best way.:)
Can I use gluten free pasta?
Yes. Brown rice, quinoa etc. spaghetti will work. Please note they cook much faster than wheat. So watch to avoid a mushy mess.
Can I use Parmesan cheese from a shaker?
Sigh. I would recommend you rather NOT. Pre-grated Parmesan cheese in a shaker contains cellulose as a filler. It is ground up wood chips. It is not pure Parmesan cheese. Plus it doesn’t taste nearly as fresh. What are we, beavers?!
- Instead buy a chunk of Parmigiano Reggiano or any Parmesan cheese.
- Grate as much as you need and refrigerate in a container for up to 2-3 months.
- Freeze remainder in a Ziploc bag.
- When needed, thaw, grate and freeze remainder again.
Why so much salt?
Don’t worry. You will not eat 2.5 teaspoons salt. It is important to cook spaghetti with salt to prevent pasta from sticking. And to add flavor during cooking.
How to Make Spaghetti with Canned Tomato Sauce
- Fill large Dutch oven or pot with cold water 3/4 full and bring to a boil.
- Add 2 tsp salt and spaghetti. Separate pasta with tongs a few times during first 2 minutes of cooking. This will ensure spaghetti do not stick together.
- Cook pasta uncovered for 5 more minutes or until al dente, stirring occasionally. Taste for doneness while cooking. Do not overcook until too soft. The key to tasty pasta is firm cooked pasta. Drain in a colander.
- Return pot to medium heat and add olive oil, 4 garlic cloves and oregano. Cook for 20 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Turn off the heat. Add drained pasta, tomato sauce, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, pepper and 1 garlic clove. Stir gently until warmed through.
- Serve with Parmesan cheese. This is the best cheap and quite healthy spaghetti I have ever had anywhere!
Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce Variations
- Olives: I love adding pitted Kalamata olives to garlicky pasta. So easy as they come from a jar and add a zest and flavour. I don’t even chop them.
- Chicken: Shredded or cubed cooked chicken for extra protein. Check out my Instant Pot chicken breast – so easy!
- Ground turkey: Pre-cooked ground turkey with salt and pepper is good enough. And ups up the protein content.
- Anchovies or sardines: OK, don’t call me “weird” but I love salty canned fish with pasta. So good! It’s an European in me.:)
More Healthy Family Pasta Dinners:
- Instant Pot bolognese sauce with one secret ingredient to replace half the meat.
- Homemade meat sauce – thick, beefy, juicy and sweet with one secret ingredient.
- Ground turkey and broccoli pasta for one pot weeknight dinner.
- Healthy pasta with Parmesan broccoli and grape tomatoes.
Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce Recipe
How to make spaghetti with canned tomato sauce in 10 minutes. So easy, quick and delicious you will never eat out again!
- Prep Time: 1 minute
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 11 minutes
- Yield: 4 large servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 12 oz whole wheat or white spaghetti, uncooked
- 15 oz can tomato sauce, low sodium
- 2 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 5 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tsp oregano, dried
- Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Fill large Dutch oven or pot with cold water 3/4 full and bring to a boil.
- Add 2 tsp salt and spaghetti. Separate pasta with tongs a few times during first 2 minutes of cooking. This will ensure spaghetti do not stick together.
- Cook pasta uncovered for 5 more minutes or until al dente, stirring occasionally. Taste for doneness while cooking. Do not overcook until too soft. The key to tasty pasta is firm cooked pasta. Drain in a colander.
- Return pot to medium heat and add olive oil, 4 garlic cloves and oregano. Cook for 20 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Turn off the heat. Add drained pasta, tomato sauce, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, pepper and 1 garlic clove. Stir gently until warmed through.
- Serve immediately with Parmesan cheese. This is the best cheap and quite healthy spaghetti I have ever had anywhere!
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating in the comments.
I used a can of petite diced, steam pealed, tomatoes with garlic and olive oil instead of tomato sauce. Came out amazing. Thanks.
★★★★★
Sounds delish! Welcome.
How can something so easy taste so good? We like this better than the jar!
★★★★★
Right?! Simple food is the best! So happy to hear.
What a quick, delicous recipe. Thanks again Olena.
★★★★★
Awesome!!! Happy to hear, Hazel.
Being Italian my family and I love our pasta hehe (sparingly of course) but this sauce is delicious. I bought quinoa and amaranth pasta and it was fantastic. Heading into the recipe section to see what I can make next for tomorrow nights dinner. Thanks so much again for sharing. Have a beautiful week. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
★★★★★
Fantastic! Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Melissa! Coming from an Italian means a lot haha
and many times instead of the tomato sauce I use a tin of diced tomatoes, sometimes adding a small tin of tomato paste. I also have added left over cooked meat and really like browning lean ground beef with the oil and garlic (and onion) then added the tomato and pasta.
Yes, a fav recipe all winter.
Yay, sounds great!
Excellent! I like the way you use garlic here…
★★★★★
Garlic every day haha. Glad you liked it.:)
A friend gave me some green peppers and I’m making this today.
★★★★★
Hope you like it. I love green peppers!!!
This has become my go-to spaghetti recipe I use every couple of weeks. It is so easy and so tasty and I feel better about making it myself than buying a jar of sauce. I usually add some ground turkey to it also.
★★★★★
Fantastic! Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Veronica! Yes, adding turkey works!
Quick, easy & surprisingly really tasty. This recipe is now one of my ‘go to’s’. On a side note, I like to garnish it with some chilli flakes to add a bit of spice and it’s bloody awesome!
★★★★★
Yum! Enjoyed the combination of the cooked garlic and the clove or raw garlic at the end. The whole family loved.
★★★★★
Yay! That clove of garlic changes everything in almost any dish. So happy to hear everyone enjoyed this spaghetti with tomato sauce recipe.
Really enjoyed this lovely, simple recipe. I tweaked it a bit and added crushed red pepper and anchovies. Melted the anchovy into the olive oil before the addition of the garlic and oregano. I have always loved the subtle, delicious flavor of cooking with anchovies. The additional raw garlic at the end was lovely. Definitely would make this again!
★★★★★
I LOVE anchovies too. Anchovies + garlic are heaven. I so agree lol. So happy you enjoyed this simple spaghetti recipe, Sarah!
Amazing! Quick, easy and very simple! Thank you. Again
★★★★★
You are very welcome, Diane.
I love that it is so easy and cheap. Although I will have to use less sodium cause of weight gain. Otherwise, I will make it as is. I love sardines too from a can.
★★★★★
Sounds good.:)
The best spaghetti with tomato sauce I ever tried!
★★★★★
Hi Olena, you are so right on the mark up of pasta at restaurants. We rarely dine out and I never order pasta when we do. I will try your recipe soon. I was wondering about the garlic in the photo at the top. Is it from Costco?
“the more I live, the less I dine out” LOL. It’s from Save on Foods, my local grocery store. Didn’t say from China so I bought it. Very convenient I have to say!Hope it’s at least from USA LOL.