4 WAYS TO MAKE HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI HEALTHIER

Happy National Spaghetti Day, friends! 

While January 4th officially marks this fabulous food holiday, I have to admit that my household enjoys spaghetti for dinner a couple times a month.  Why so much spaghetti?  This "master meal" is simple, hassle-free, and can easily be made healthier with just a few tweaks.  Keep scrolling to find out how! 

CAN SPAGHETTI BE HEALTHY?

100% spaghetti CAN be healthy!  I truly believe that most meals can be made healthier if you're open and willing to make changes :) 

​HOW can spaghetti be healthy, you ask?  It all comes down to the quality of your ingredients and the quantity of food you're enjoying.  Check out these 4 ways you can make this family favorite a nutritious choice for any day of the week! 

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4 WAYS TO MAKE HOMEMADE
​SPAGHETTI HEALTHIER

1. PICK A BETTER PASTA. Choose a more nutritious noodle by opting for: whole-grain spaghetti or a veggie-based option like Veggiecraft Farms (made with cauliflower) or Banza (made with chickpeas).
    
2. MAKEOVER YOUR MEAT. A healthier spaghetti doesn't have to be meat-free to be healthier. 
   1. I recommend using a lower-fat ground beef -- such as 90/10 or 93/7.  (Learn all about the different ground beef grinds here.)  Alternatively, you can also use a mix of leans meats if you'd like -- such as half ground turkey and half ground beef. 
   2. Our secret to keeping the meat mixture moist and flavorful however, is to blend in 1 package (~8 ounces) of finely chopped fresh mushrooms! Not only will this add in extra nutrition with Vitamin D and antioxidants, but you'll also work towards more servings of veggies in your day. 
      
      
3. USE A SIMPLER SAUCE.  While a homemade pasta sauce is ideal (so you can better control the ingredients that go into your sauce), it may not always be realistic or feasible for a busy lifestyle.  So there's no shame at all in falling back on a store-bought sauce that contains little to no added sugar.  Some of our favorite pasta sauce brands include: RAGU Simply or Rao’s Homemade. 
   
   
4. ​START WITH A SIDE SALAD.  Serving spaghetti with a pile of garlic bread may be standard protocol in your house, but I like to explain it this way -- when you get too much of one thing (in this case, grains), there's no room for other things your body needs (ahem, fruits and vegetables.)  So next spaghetti night, sub that garlic bread -- which again, counts as additional servings of grain in your day on top of the pasta you're already enjoying -- for an Italian-inspired side salad.  Have fun with topping your favorite salad greens with ingredients like sliced tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, roasted red peppers, olives, and/or pepperoncinis. 

Do you have other ways you make spaghetti night healthier at home? Tell us in the comments below! 

lindsey 

P.S. Interested in other January holidays? Check 'em all out over on National Today!