Spaghetti sauces - for diabetics?

I do not like Ragu, but I had Healthy Choice and I like it. I wish they would put more variety in it. I like mine kind of spicy so I can have it with macaroni or rotini.

I like the Classico kind as long as there is not that much cheese in it. I tried to find a secret recipe for Ragu and see if I could make it using a sugar substitute since i already have tomato paste and frozen tomatoes, but no such luck.

I like the red pepper Classico. That is my favorite...it is spicy.

I have been trying to get my husband to eat the whole wheat or the Healthy Harvest kind, but he will not have it. So I have to cook the spaghetti in two batches as I cannot mix the two kinds together with out taking one strand for him, one strand for me, etc. I use Hunts, but I guess if I add the puree that would cut down on the sodium.

Oh he notices all right. I tried that with the new Catelli pasta and it was not brown, the same color as the regular pasta and he noticed it all right. With rice it is the same, unless I am making curried rice. But with pasta, cannot fool him and then he wants his cut up because he cannot handle twirling it around his fork because the stroke affected his hands, so I have to cook in two batches.

The key is to get a spaghetti holder and put the healty harvest pasta in it. Then your husband won't see the label so he won't know you switched on him. My husband and kids never said a thing when I switched over.

I'm not sure how many carbs are in this recipe but it was in a low carb cookbook. Real Italian Spaghetti Sauce Ingredients 2 1/2 pound Beef ground 1 1/2 tablespoon Bread crumbs ,Italian 1 can (12 oz) Tomato paste - (cantadina is best) 1 tablespoon Salt 1 can (29 oz) Tomato puree - (cantadina is best) 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning ,heaping 3 can (24 oz) Tomato sauce - (cantadina is best) 3/4 tablespoon Anisette 6 medium Onions ,chopped 1 tablespoon Sugar subsitute ,splenda 4 medium Garlic cloves ,minced 1 1/2 teaspoon Pepper 1 large Egg 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne pepper 6 ounce Olive oil 1 tablespoon Fennel seed ,heaping 1/4 cup Water 1 tablespoon Oregano Instructions for Real Italian Spaghetti Sauce Saute' onions & garlic in oil until brown (about 15 to 30 min) stiring often to avoid burning. Put aside 1 Tbls of mixture from the pot for making meatballs. Add 1 lb ground beef in with the onions mixture cutting the meat into small pieces. Stir & mix well on a medium flame. Let saute'. Add salt & pepper and mix well. Add paste, mix thoroughly, let simmer a few minutes until mixture begins to boil. Add sauce, fill 3 empty cans with water and add to mixture. Add puree, stir and simmer a few minutes longer. Add cayenne pepper, Italian seasoning, fennel seed, anisette, & oregano. Mix well. Add sugar (or substitute) and mix well. Simmer for 2 hours. Continue stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Use a spoon to skim the oil that rises to the surface. Meatballs: Use the rest of the meat. Add egg and onion mixture which was put aside. Add bread crumbs (for low-carb subsitute ground pork rines), 1 tsp salt, 3 Tbls sauce from pot, cup water. Mix well and make into golf ball size meatballs. Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Add to sauce and continue to simmer for 1 more hour

Thanks. This sounds a little like the one I make, but I do not use any sugar or sugar substitute in it. I also prefer the plum tomatoes and that is the only kind I buy and I really should buy more then the four that I buy each week for myself and my husband and maybe freeze the excess so I can have some for the sauce.

When I make the meatballs, I add some minced onion, the egg, breadcrumbs (they can be whole wheat) oregano, basil, fennel seed, and a little Parmesan cheese. I did not know about browning the meat, but that might work much better. I guess it is the three hours that makes sure the meat balls are done.

Oh, I'm sure there were spices and herbs that I'm not remembering. But it was the 3 hours that cooked the meatballs. we were meat ball fans I'm sure dad's folks did meatballs to better control how much meat when to each customer in their resturants. they cooked the sauce over night every day

I was thinking of using plum tomatoes. Tomato juice would not I have to thicken it our let it boil down:?

They now have low carb pasta, brand name Dreamfields that has only 4-5 digestible carbs You can find it at Publix and Wal-Mart

I use the Healthy Harvest Pasta and it has 20 percent carbs compared to 45 percent so I cut quite a bit down from there. I also can eat less and feel fuller.

Yes, I have used it. But now I make lasagna with veggies as layers instead of pasta. We rarely eat any pasta anymore.

I do not think they have Enrico's up here at our Superstore. I could check the other grocery stores but they are a little farther to walk and more expensive. We have a grocers called Sobeys that is more high end, so it might be there. I find the low sodium here do not have as great a variety as the regular spaghetti sauces.

I did find a couple on the internet. And I do add tomato paste to my sauce, but many of the sauces I find do contain sugar. There are a couple of low carb no sugar brands, but they are mostly basic, and I have to add some extra spices and herbs as well as extra garlic and bay leaf to make them taste better.

I think most of them have salt, but there are low sodium kinds. I have to check on the Ragu jar and see if it has corn syrup. Hold on for a minute -it does have corn starch. I guess that is bad. So I better try and make my own. Too bad, that there are different Ragu recipes here in Canada, more the basic and the mushroom and the meat kind.

I guess the best way is to make your own. We did buy a couple of jars of Catelli Garden Select. And I just picked up Company's Coming Diabetic cookbook and that has a good spaghetti sauce recipe in it. Most of the ones contain too much sodium and sugar for me. I would substitute olive oil when they say canola oil in the recipes though. That is much better for you.

I do not think cheese sauces are good if you are borderline diabetic. And adding flour is not that good either. I usually add more meat, but I really should get ground turkey or ground chicken instead.

It depends on how expensive the tomatoes are. And I do need a food press. But I can add the tomatoes to the sauce. I usually add green and red peppers as well.

Thanks. That would make it taste better.

I like Hunts because it is thick, but they put a little sugar in it. I know if I go down to our bulk food store, they have some spaghetti sauces that are low in glycemics, etc. but they cost a bit much.

I should make my own, but I will cut down on the carrots. My husband does not like that much. I can get fresh tomatoes from the grocers, but that will take a whole lot, so I will stick to canned. And I use whole grain pasta, but my husband likes only the regular kind so I have to make two batches.

I use crushed or rather canned Roma tomatoes, and tomato paste, but I love oregano and fennel seed and put that in it, plus I do not use the tomato soup. Have not made any for a while, but I already froze some plum tomatoes and when I get enough will make some.