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We love spaghetti night in our house, and I’ve been gradually making it healthier each week, without getting complaints from my family members.
(Well, that’s almost true— this week I finally got some push-back on something new, so I’ll tell you about that, too.)
I thought I’d share the healthy upgrades we’ve made, since there are a few easy tweaks you can make to classic spaghetti without sacrificing flavor or texture.
How to Make Spaghetti Healthier
There are several aspects of spaghetti that you can tweak, so I’ll list them from easiest to most challenging. (It wasn’t until the last change I made that I got any complaints!)
- Add fiber to the meat sauce. If you usually use two pounds of ground meat in your spaghetti sauce, one of the easiest upgrades you can make is to replace one pound of beef with a 15-ounce can of drained and rinsed lentils. The lentils are tiny and blend right in, so your family likely won’t notice them. Plus, you’ll add important fiber to each bite. In my experience, this is easier than trying to sneak minced veggies into a sauce.
- Add veggies. I try not to “trick” my kids into eating veggies, so I started adding veggies to our spaghetti by sautéing some shredded cabbage on the side. I add the shredded cabbage to my bowl of noodles to help bulk up my serving, but with my kids, I started by serving the sauteed cabbage on the side. Once they were brave enough to try it, they loved it! Now we can add cabbage directly into the noodles, and it’s no big deal to them. (Definitely start with the sautéed version first, though.)
- Upgrade your spaghetti sauce. Our family’s favorite spaghetti sauce is Rao’s marinara. Flavor-wise, it’s fantastic, but it’s also pretty high in calories and fat for a tomato sauce. Once my kids got used to eating marinara sauce (which took a while), we started shopping for organic marinara sauce that was lower in fat. Also, check the label to make sure it has no added sugar.
- Try different spaghetti noodles. This is the one change I tried recently that got a lot of pushback. If you try to upgrade your noodles to whole wheat or a legume-based pasta (which is gluten-free), your family might notice. You could gradually introduce this by preparing half regular pasta and half new pasta, so they get used to it.
I recommend making these changes gradually. Start with one easy change, then make another once that feels normal to your family. My kids don’t even notice most of these!
Healthy Spaghetti Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Ground beef. We shop for 100% grass-fed beef when possible, and I save a little money by choosing 85% lean instead of a leaner option. You can use ground turkey if you prefer, but if your family is used to beef, they will likely notice a flavor difference.
- Lentils. I buy canned lentils for convenience, since spaghetti is a pretty fast weeknight meal. But if you want to cook them from scratch, you’ll need about 1 1/2 cups of cooked lentils for this recipe. They add soluble fiber without a noticeable taste or texture to spaghetti sauce.
- Spaghetti noodles. If you’re planning to change the sauce first (adding lentils is the easiest first step), I would recommend using the noodles you know your family loves. You can upgrade the pasta later, once your family is used to lentils and veggies added to their spaghetti.
- Cabbage. Shredded cabbage is the easiest veggie to add to spaghetti, because it has a similar strandlike texture when it’s cooked. Start by sautéing it on the side first, with a bit of olive oil and salt. My kids devour it this way! And eventually, they might be okay with adding it to their bowls of spaghetti, like the grown-ups do.
- Marinara sauce. I love shopping at Trader Joe’s for organic marinara sauce, because it’s less than $4 for a 24-oz. jar. But you can use any variety you love. Choose one with low oil and no added sugar for a healthier choice.
Other than that, all you’ll need is your favorite garnishes, like parmesan cheese or fresh basil.
How to Make Healthier Spaghetti
Step 1:
Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil on the stovetop. Once it’s boiling, season the water with salt (about two teaspoons) and add the pasta.
Cook according to the directions on the package, and use a fork to break up the noodles right after you add them to the water. This will prevent them from sticking together as they cook.
If you’re serving adults who won’t mind some veggies in their noodles, you can also add shredded cabbage directly to the pot of pasta to soften at the same time. It will help you use less pasta per serving and add veggies at the same time!
When the pasta is tender, drain it in a colander and set it aside briefly.
Shredded Cabbage Tip
If you’re serving picky eaters or children, I recommend cooking the cabbage as a side dish. In a separate large skillet with a lid, preheat the pan over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the cabbage and a 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Stir often until the cabbage starts to wilt. Then add a splash of water, turn down the heat to medium, and cover the pan with a lid for 5 to 8 minutes. You can remove the lid and continue to stir the cabbage until it’s as tender as you’d like it to be. Serve this on the side for kids, or add it to your bowl of pasta for extra bulk and nutrients.
Step 2:
While you wait for the water to come to a boil for the pasta, you can start cooking the meat sauce in a separate large pan. (By cooking two things at the same time, the whole meal should be ready in 20 minutes or less.)
Preheat the pan over medium-high heat until the surface is hot, then add the ground beef and season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Use a spatula to break up the meat into smaller pieces, stirring it often until the meat is no longer pink. This should take about 8 minutes.
Step 3:
Once the meat is cooked, add the drained lentils and marinara sauce to the pan. Stir until the sauce is heated through, then taste the spaghetti sauce and add extra salt, if needed, to boost the flavor. (If using Rao’s marinara sauce, we rarely need to add salt, so this will vary by brand.)
Serve the spaghetti sauce warm over the cooked noodles and add any toppings you love. It’s ready to eat right away!
Detoxinista Tip
If your spaghetti noodles stick together as they cool in the colander, run some hot water over them and toss briefly. That will loosen them again instantly.
Storage Tips
I recommend storing the sauce and noodles separately for reheating in two airtight containers in the fridge. They should keep well for up to 4 days.
To reheat spaghetti, add a portion of noodles and sauce to a skillet over medium heat, along with a splash of water to help prevent sticking. Stir often until the meat and noodles are heated through again.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- fine sea salt , to taste
- 8 ounces spaghetti noodles
- 12 ounces shredded cabbage (optional)
- 1 (15 ounce) can lentils , drained and rinsed
- 1 (24 oz.) jar marinara sauce
Instructions
- To cook the pasta, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. While you wait for that to come to a boil, start heating a separate pan on another burner over medium-high heat. Once that pan is hot, add the ground beef and season with a ½ teaspoon of salt. Use a spatula to break up the meat, stirring often until it's no longer pink.
- As soon as the water starts boiling in the large pot, season it with two teaspoons of salt and add the spaghetti noodles. Use a fork to stir the noodles right away to help separate them as they cook. (This will prevent clumps later.) If you want to cook cabbage at the same time, add the shredded cabbage to the pot and let it soften as the noodles boil. (See notes for an alternative method.) Once the pasta is tender, drain it along with the cabbage into a colander and set aside briefly.
- In the skillet with the cooked meat, add the drained lentils and marinara sauce. Stir until the sauce is heated through. The longer you let this simmer, the more the lentils and meat will absorb the flavor, but it can be ready to serve as soon as it's hot.
- To serve, add the noodles and cabbage to serving bowls and top with the meat sauce. Add any garnishes you like, such as Parmesan cheese or fresh basil, and serve right away. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. (We like to store noodles and sauce separately.)
Notes
Nutrition
More Recipes to Try
If you try this healthy spaghetti recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below to let me know how you like it.
