My Favorite Paleo Recipes: Biggest Loser Main Event Marinara

I've been on a weight loss journey for years, which means I've picked up favorite recipes here and there.  They're recipes that my family loves and I come back to time and time again.  It was a bit ironic then, when I started Paleo and most of those tried-and-true favorites no longer fit.

Imagine my joy when flipping morosely through my Biggest Loser Family cookbook to find that my FAVORITE homemade spaghetti sauce was perfectly paleo.  That cookbook helped me lose 85 pounds, I knew it couldn't be ALL bad.  Yes, I realize this is the second italian recipe in a row.  I think I'm missing the tomatoes of summer as fall rolls in.  This recipe uses canned tomatoes, but the huge amount of flavor you get makes up for it.

I usually serve this sauce on top of stir-fried veggies, like peppers, zucchini, and onions.  I've also recently started using Jennie-O brand pre-seasoned ground turkey.  The Italian flavor is SO amazingly good.  And unlike other pre-seasoned meats, it is completely paleo.  No soy, no dairy, no wheat.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 cup minced yellow or white onion
• 2 tbsp freshly minced garlic
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp no salt added tomato paste
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp dried oregano 
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt to taste

Directions

Makes 7 (1/2 cup)servings: about 3 1/2 cup sauce

• Spray medium nonstick saucepan with the olive oil spray and place over medium heat.
•  Add the onion and garlic and cook until just becoming tender (they should not be brown), 4-6 minutes. 
• Reduce the heat to low and with a wooden spoon stir in the tomatoes, water, tomato paste, honey, oregano, basil, and pepper flakes until well combined. 
• Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for at least 1 hour. 
• Season with salt, if needed. 

Serving info from book: 63 calories, 3g protein, 15g carbohydrates, less that 1g fat (trace saturated), 0mg cholesterol, 3g fiber, 156mg sodium.