Healthy pasta sauce transforms pasta from a carb-heavy indulgent splurge to a nutrient-rich and healthy dinner. Enjoy your garden’s harvest with these vegetable-rich recipes, or can and freeze many of these sauces to enjoy in pasta recipes all year long. After all, while pasta itself is delicious, the sauce is really what makes the meal!

Some of these recipes will simmer on the stove all afternoon, while others rely on the slow cooker to do all the work. Use these recipes when you need easy comfort food or on nights when all you have time for are 30-minute healthy dinners. Whether you make homemade noodles, use whatever dry pasta you have in the pantry or splurge on plant-based pasta, top them with these healthy sauces.