Healthy Recipes Sauces & Condiments Healthy Sauce Recipes Healthy Pasta Sauce Recipes 14 Dinners That Start with a Jar of Pasta Sauce By Dillon Evans Dillon Evans Dillon Evans fell in love with cooking at a very young age. He remembers the novel experiences of microwaving a bowl of oatmeal without his parents' permission and asking to make his mother's morning pot of coffee. These moments became catalysts for his interest in cooking and baking. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on March 16, 2024 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Amanda Stanfield, Prop Stylist Josh Hoggle Whether you prefer a homemade version or your favorite jar of store-bought marinara or vodka sauce, dinner can be super easy and delicious when it starts with pasta sauce. From tortellini bakes to lasagna soup, every dish in this collection has a flavorful tomato base. Make one-pot recipes like our 15-Minute Eggs in Vodka Sauce for a quick dinner or enjoy our Cheesy Spinach-Zucchini Lasagna for a cozy Sunday supper. 01 of 14 Spinach & Tortellini Casserole Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Lexi Juhl This tortellini casserole is comfort food at its finest. This easy-to-make dinner takes only 20 minutes to prep and is finished in under an hour. We use refrigerated tortellini, but frozen tortellini would also shine in this dish. If you’ve got leftover cooked vegetables, stir those into the mix or add chopped sun-dried tomatoes or olives for a boost of flavor. View Recipe 02 of 14 Vegetarian Lasagna Soup photographer: Jennifer Causey, food stylist: Ali Ramee, prop stylist: Claire Spollen All the delicious flavors of a vegetarian lasagna can be found in this cozy soup. Mushrooms, zucchini and spinach provide color and nutrients, while a ricotta-and-mozzarella topping provides the signature cheesiness and creaminess. Serve with a side salad or crusty bread for dipping. View Recipe 03 of 14 15-Minute Eggs in Vodka Sauce (Quick One-Pot Dinner) Photographer: Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Amanda Stanfield, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle Drawing inspiration from the classic Italian recipe Uova al Purgatorio (Eggs in Purgatory), this easy one-pot meal melds tangy tomato sauce with perfectly poached eggs, ideal for sopping up with crispy toasted bread. We like to add a dash of heavy cream to give the sauce some added richness, but you can leave it out if you prefer. A garnish of chopped fresh basil or parsley, if you have it on hand, would be a welcome addition. View Recipe 04 of 14 Cheesy Spinach-Zucchini Lasagna Greg DuPree Thanks to jarred marinara sauce and oven-ready lasagna noodles, this labor-of-love kind of meal can be ready in about an hour. View Recipe 05 of 14 Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Torie Cox, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen This chicken pasta bake is cheesy with a smoky kick, thanks to the combination of chipotle peppers and smoked Gouda cheese. If you want to mellow the smoky flavor, regular Gouda works just as well. Spray the foil lightly with cooking spray or brush it with a little oil to prevent the cheesy topping from sticking. Serve with a simple side salad or garlic-roasted broccoli. View Recipe 06 of 14 Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Shells Our stuffed shells are filled with spinach, sautéed onions and part-skim ricotta and topped with prepared marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese. The shells hold and reheat well, which makes them great for entertaining. View Recipe 07 of 14 Veggie Lasagna Photographer: Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley Every layer of this delicious veggie lasagna has its own flavor profile. Cooking the vegetables before assembling the lasagna ensures the dish won’t be soggy. Be sure to squeeze the spinach well—spinach holds a surprising amount of water that will make your lasagna soupy. Lightly coat the foil with cooking spray before covering the lasagna to prevent the cheese from sticking. Serve with a mixed green salad and crusty garlic bread. View Recipe 08 of 14 Spaghetti Lover's Soup This easy slow-cooker soup has all the great flavors of your favorite dish of spaghetti with beef sauce, without a lot of fussy preparation. View Recipe 09 of 14 Baked Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Kale You can make these three-ingredient tomato-simmered eggs with things you probably already have on hand in your freezer and pantry. To make these baked eggs more like eggs in purgatory, look for a spicy tomato sauce and don't forget some whole-wheat bread for dipping. View Recipe 10 of 14 Rigatoni Amatriciana Created by chef Fabio Viviani of Siena Tavern in Chicago, this Amatriciana sauce is a classic of modern Roman cooking (though it most likely came from the town of Amatrice about 90 miles away). Typically, it's made with few ingredients: garlic, guanciale (cured pork jowl), cheese and tomato. This version doctors up jarred sauce to keep it quick and calls for easy-to-find pancetta in place of the guanciale. This tomato sauce is sometimes paired with bucatini; here, Fabio dresses up rigatoni with it. View Recipe 11 of 14 Quick Chicken Braciole In this healthy stuffed chicken recipe, pounded chicken breasts are stuffed with a flavorful chard, prosciutto and mozzarella filling and then simmered in store-bought marinara sauce. Serve over whole-wheat fettuccine tossed with parsley or on polenta. View Recipe 12 of 14 Classic Lasagna with Meat Sauce Brian Woodcock; Styling: Claire Spollen This simple lasagna is perfect for when you're short on time, but craving a comforting meal. Ready in just over an hour, it requires only 50 minutes of cooking in the oven. Extra-lean ground beef (which sometimes cooks up dry) works well here because it's combined with marinara to keep it moist. For a quick and easy variation, feel free to use 9 whole lasagna noodles instead of 6 broken noodles, using 3 noodles per layer. You also can sub fresh basil leaves for the parsley sprinkled on at the end. View Recipe 13 of 14 Creamy Chicken & Penne alla Vodka Casserole with Peas Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food stylist: Annie Probst, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco This cheesy chicken pasta casserole is perfect for a busy weeknight when you need a fast and easy dinner with minimal cleanup. Vodka sauce adds a creamy note to the sauce. If you don’t have vodka sauce on hand, add a few tablespoons of cream to regular marinara. View Recipe 14 of 14 Spinach & Mushroom Tortellini Bake This cheesy tortellini bake is a dish the whole family will love--it's filled with sweet-tasting marinara, mushrooms and spinach and topped with melted cheese. Complete the meal, plus get in another vegetable serving, by adding a side of broccoli or a small green salad. View Recipe EatingWell.com, March 2024 Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit