This is the best ever healthy pasta recipe with meat sauce! Gluten-free and made in just 20 minutes, this recipe is a hit in our home and one we crave all the time.

This is the best ever healthy pasta recipe with meat sauce! Gluten-free and made in just 20 minutes, this recipe is a hit in our home and one we crave all the time.

This recipe started out as a healthier take on the classic childhood dish: SPAGHETTI O’s! But I ended up using that as inspo for the recipe and putting my own twist on it. And it just so happens that this is now my most favorite pasta dish of all time.

This the kind of dish your whole family will devour and you will want to make it over and over again. It is so flavorful, easy to make and so cozy and satisfying. Plus it is made with all simple ingredients and it is pretty healthy if you ask me based off the ingredients we use. I make it extra hearty and filling with the meat addition. To be honest – if I don’t have protein in my pasta, it just isn’t too filling to me.

The best healthy pasta recipe ever with meat sauce is at your fingertips. You can make a batch of it earlier in the week, and heat it up for meals all week long (my personal favorite way to do it). It is also one of Ezra’s favorites and it is worth the insane mess he makes when he eats it himself (ha!).

I hope you guys love this recipe as much as I do. Feel free to customize it to work for whatever you are craving or have on hand too. Whether that is the type of meat or pasta or cheese. This healthy pasta dish is meant to be something that is quick and easy to make for you!

Let us know what you think of it in the comments below!

This is the best ever healthy pasta recipe with meat sauce! Gluten-free and made in just 20 minutes, this recipe is a hit in our home and one we crave all the time.

What ingredients you need to make the best healthy bowl of pasta ever:

  • Garlic clove, minced
  • Olive oil
  • Grass-fed beef – or use turkey, chicken, pork, anything works
  • Tomato sauce
  • Paprika, onion powder, sea salt and black pepper
  • Full-fat coconut milk
  • Grass-fed butter
  • Cheddar cheese – mozzarella works well too
  • Gluten-free pasta of choice – I love using elbows here!

How to make, store and reheat gluten-free pasta with meat sauce:

  1. In a medium saucepan, heat the garlic and oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes
  2. Add in the beef and break it up into crumbles and cook over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes or until there isn’t too much pink left
  3. Add in sauce, spices, milk and butter and stir well and allow the sauce to simmer for a few
  4. While the sauce is simmering, cook pasta per instructions then strain water and add pasta to saucepan with sauce
  5. Mix in shredded cheese and stir everything together
  6. Season with some extra shaved parm, basil and red pepper if desired and enjoy!
  7. *Store leftovers in fridge for 5 days. I reheat in microwave with a splash of water!

A few of my other favorite healthy family dinner recipes: 

Healthy Family Dinner Recipes to Make

The Easiest No-Boil Baked Pasta Recipe (gluten-free)

One-Skillet Gluten-free Hamburger Helper

Insanely Easy Philly Cheesesteak Skillet

This is the best ever healthy pasta recipe with meat sauce! Gluten-free and made in just 20 minutes, this recipe is a hit in our home and one we crave all the time.

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The Best Healthy Pasta Recipe with Meat Sauce (20 minutes!)

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This is the best ever healthy pasta recipe with meat sauce! Gluten-free and made in just 20 minutes, this recipe is a hit in our home and one we crave all the time.

  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 20 mins

Yield: 4-5 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1.5 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 lb grass-fed beef (or use turkey, chicken, pork, anything works)
  • 18–20 ounces tomato sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste
  • 6 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon grass-fed butter
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (mozzarella works well too)
  • 3 cups uncooked gluten-free pasta of choice (I love using elbows)

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, heat the garlic and oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes
  2. Add in the beef and break it up into crumbles and cook over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes or until there isn’t too much pink left
  3. Add in sauce, spices, milk and butter and stir well and allow the sauce to simmer for a few
  4. While the sauce is simmering, cook pasta per instructions then strain water and add pasta to saucepan with sauce
  5. Mix in shredded cheese and stir everything together
  6. Season with some extra shaved parm, basil and red pepper if desired and enjoy!

Notes

*Store leftovers in fridge for 5 days. I reheat in microwave with a splash of water!

  • Author: Rachel