Spaghetti is one of the most popular pasta dishes. It’s quick and easy to make, so it makes it the perfect dinner option for busy weeknight meals. 

Having leftover spaghetti sauce is common and inevitable, but keeping leftover spaghetti sauce in the jar for too long can make it moldy. However, eating the same dish over and over can get old fast as well, so what I prefer to do is get creative and use the leftover spaghetti sauce for different dishes and give it new life.

So in this post, I’m sharing a round-up of leftover pasta sauce recipes that you can try out and use when you have leftover sauce.

Leftover Spaghetti Sauce Recipes

What To Do With Leftover Spaghetti Sauce

Some of these recipes will be using tomato sauce or tomato-based sauces, and some will be using alfredo sauce, so you have options for whichever spaghetti sauce you decide to use.

If a recipe calls for crushed canned tomatoes, swap that with your leftover tomato sauce or a jar of marinara sauce that you used for your spaghetti.

Pizza Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

• 2 Bell pepper, orange, large – 100 calories
• ½ cup Tomatoes, canned, crushed – 25 calories
• ¼ oz Pepperoni – 35 calories
• 4 oz Cheese, sliced, mozzarella, full fat/ regular – 280 calories
• ⅓ cup Cheese, Parmesan, shredded (cups) – 111 calories
• ¼ tsp Basil, dried – 0 calories
• ¼ tsp Oregano – 0 calories
• ⅛ tsp Garlic salt – 0 calories

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

Step 2: Slice peppers in halves

Step 3: Add pepper halves to a casserole dish

Step 4: Layer in crushed tomatoes, cheeses, and pepperoni evenly to the 4 pepper halves

Step 5: Top with seasonings

Step 6: Optional: Add a few olive slices – track them if you do!

Step 7: Bake for 25 minutes, and enjoy!

No dairy? Swap out this recipe for another. No pepperoni? Use turkey or soy pepperoni.

Alfredo English Muffin

Ingredients

• 1 English muffin – 130 calories
• ⅛ cup Alfredo sauce – 50 calories
• 1 oz Cheese, sliced, mozzarella, full fat/ regular – 70 calories
• ¼ tsp Basil, dried – 0 calories
• ¼ tsp Oregano – 0 calories
• ¼ tsp Salt – 0 calories

Instructions

Step 1: Slice open English muffin, toast for ~1 minute

Step 2: Top with Alfredo, 1/2 slice cheese on each half, and seasonings

Step 3: Bake for 3-5 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until cheese has melted

Step 4: Plate and enjoy

No dairy? Swap this meal out for a different recipe

Chicken Alfredo Bake

Ingredients

• ½ cup Cauliflower florets – 12.5 calories
• ⅓ cup Cheese, shredded, mozzarella – 112 calories
• 1 cup Leafy greens, spinach, raw – 7 calories
• 6 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw – 190 calories
• ⅓ cup Cheese, Parmesan, grated (cups) – 115 calories
• ¼ cup Alfredo sauce – 100 calories

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Step 2: This recipe works best when making 2-3 servings

Step 3: Spray pan with an oil spray. Cook chicken breast for ~8 minutes on each side. Step 4: Use an instant read thermometer to make sure chicken gets to 165 degrees internally.

Step 5: Spray a separate pan with an oil spray & stir fry cauliflower florets for ~7 minutes

Step 6: Spray casserole dish with an oil spray

Step 7: Combine all ingredients, add to casserole dish

Step 8: Bake for 25 minutes

Chicken Marinara Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients

• 6 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw – 190 calories
• ½ cup Tomatoes, canned, crushed – 25 calories
• 2 cups Squash, spaghetti – 90 calories
• ¼ tsp Salt – 0 calories
• ¼ tsp Pepper, ground – 0 calories

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Step 2: Slice spaghetti squash in half if you haven’t already done so.

Step 3: Scoop out seeds of spaghetti squash.

Step 4: Line baking sheet with parchment paper, spray it with an oil spray.

Step 5: Bake spaghetti squash, cut side faced down, for 35 minutes.

Step 6: Shred spaghetti squash with a fork when it has cooled down for a few minutes.

Step 7: Spray pan with an oil spray. Cube chicken. Cook chicken for ~10 minutes on low-medium heat, until cooked through.

Step 8: Add chicken, tomatoes, and seasoning to spaghetti squash, mix around with a fork.

1/2 spaghetti squash = about 2 cups spaghetti squash.

Zoodles with Hearty Sauce

If you want to have a healthy pasta dish that’s a bit different than the spaghetti you ate the day before, you can swap regular spaghetti for zoodles! If you want a low-calorie pasta dish, this will also be perfect for that.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Zoodles (zucchini noodles), raw or frozen – 42 calories
• ½ cup Canned, diced tomatoes – 28 calories
• 4 oz Ground turkey, 93% lean, raw – 172 calories
• 1 oz Cheese, Parmesan, shaved (oz) – 111 calories
• ¼ tsp Salt – 0 calories
• ¼ tsp Oregano – 0 calories
• ¼ tsp Basil, dried – 0 calories

Instructions

Step 1: Spray pan with an oil spray.

Step 2: Stir-fry zoodles on medium heat (breaking up zoodles with tongs if cooking zoodles from frozen). Once cooked through, drain away any excess liquid with a sieve.

Step 3: While zoodles are cooking, spray another pan with an oil spray & stir-fry turkey on medium heat until cooked through, ~5 minutes. Add in tomatoes ~2 minutes.

Step 4: Add zoodles into pan with meat sauce and top with cheese and seasonings when ready to eat.

Dairy free? Use a dairy free cheese, or oil instead of an oil spray. Vegetarian? Use tofu or beans.

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Skillet

Ingredients

• 6 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw – 190 calories
• 2 cups Broccoli – 62 calories
• ⅓ cup Alfredo sauce – 133 calories
• 1 Tbsp Cheese, Parmesan, grated (Tbsp) – 21 calories
• 1 tsp Avocado oil (tsp) – 41 calories
• ½ tsp Garlic powder – 0 calories
• ½ tsp Red pepper flakes (tsp) – 0 calories
• ¼ tsp Salt – 0 calories
• 1 Tbsp Parsley, fresh – 0 calories

Instructions

Step 1: Slice chicken and broccoli into small pieces

Step 2: Mix in a large bowl chicken, broccoli, oil, and seasonings

Step 3: Add contents to an oven-safe pan (like a cast-iron pan) and stir fry on low heat ~10 minutes or until chicken has cooked through

Step 4: Stir in Alfredo sauce

Step 5: Top with Parmesan cheese

Step 6: Set oven to Broil, and bake for 3-5 minutes (check on it so that your food gets a brown tint, but doesn’t get burnt!)

Step 7: Top with fresh chopped parsley

No dairy? Use dairy-free pesto, available at most stores (instead of the Alfredo sauce and the Parmesan cheese). No chicken? Use white beans or tofu.

Bell Pepper Subs with Hearty Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 Bell pepper, red, medium – 37 calories
• 4 oz Ground turkey, 93% lean, raw – 172 calories
• ½ cup Tomatoes, canned, crushed – 25 calories
• ⅓ cup Cheese, shredded, mozzarella – 112 calories
• ¼ tsp Basil, dried – 0 calories
• ¼ tsp Salt – 0 calories
• ¼ tsp Pepper, ground – 0 calories

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Step 2: Spray a pan with an oil spray.

Step 3: Cook ground turkey on medium-low heat ~8 minutes, or until no longer pink.

Step 4: Add in tomatoes and spices for ~2 minutes.

Step 5: Cut pepper into medium sized slices.

Step 6: Top peppers with sauce and cheese.

Step 7: Bake in oven for ~10 minutes.

No meat? Use tofu, beans, or a vegan meat-replacement (available at most stores!). No cheese? Use a dairy-free cheese, or bacon bits (can be regular, turkey, or soy).