What's the healthiest pasta sauce? The top 2 picks, according to dietitians

Pasta is a delicious staple food full of energizing carbs. But what you put on your pasta — whether it's a creamy cheese or a classic marinara — is just as important as the noodles underneath.

Think of pasta sauce as a flavorful way to sneak in nutrient-dense vegetables and filling lean protein. But pasta sauce can contain surprising amounts of sodium, sugar and fat, dietitians tell TODAY.com.

If you want pasta to be a frequent part of your diet, it makes sense to look for the healthiest pasta sauces to eat with it. Here are a few points to keep in mind to help you choose homemade or jarred sauces that are big on flavor — and nutrients.

What makes a pasta sauce healthy?

There's a lot that goes into pasta sauce — and a lot to keep in mind when trying to choose a healthier variety. Pasta sauces add flavor to any dish, but they're also notorious for adding sodium, fat and sugar, cautions New York-based registered dietitian Theresa Gentile.

Here's what to look for when on the hunt for a healthy pasta sauce:

Low in sodium, fat and added sugar

A healthy pasta sauce will contain less added sugar, less sodium and less saturated fat per serving, Caroline Susie, a registered dietitian based in Dallas and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, tells TODAY.com.

Based on a diet of 2,000 calories per day, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend consuming no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium daily. And the American Heart Association recommends no more than 36 grams of added sugar per day for men and 25 grams for women.

Depending on how much you eat in a day and whether you're managing diabetes or a cardiovascular condition, those numbers may be different for you, Susie says. (A registered dietitian can help you navigate this as well, she says.)

Considering that a serving of jarred pasta sauce can easily contain more than 400 milligrams of sodium along with a few grams of added sugar, "think about your daily goals and how this food fits into that," Susie explains.

It's generally a good idea to limit your saturated fat intake, the AHA says, and that's especially important for people with certain health conditions. You’re more likely to find higher levels of saturated fat in creamy sauces due to the butter, cream and cheese they typically contain.

Aim for less than 5 grams of total fat per 100-gram serving of pasta sauce, says Gentile, who is also a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "And you want to look for a fat source that's extra virgin olive oil, olive oil, canola oil or corn oil," she says, which contain healthy, unsaturated fats.

Generally, creamy and cheesy sauces will be heavier on fat and calories than a tomato-based sauce.

Nutritious, filling additions

Keep the portion size in mind, Gentile cautions. For most sauces, a serving is just a half-cup, she says. That's why experts often recommend adding nutritious ingredients, like roasted veggies, to "make this not seem like a minuscule portion and bulk it up a bit," Gentile adds. Vegetables will also add some fiber, which aids in digestion and helps you feel full.

Meat in a pasta sauce will add some filling protein, but it can also add more fat and calories. Lean beef is an option, Susie says, but try even leaner choices like ground turkey and chicken or meatless protein sources, like crumbled tofu. “I encourage people to change it up,” she says, noting that pasta is an easy go-to for meatless Monday meals.

Finally, think about what you're putting the sauce on — and don't limit yourself to classic pasta! Try branching out with a chickpea pasta, lentils or lean meatballs, Susie says. And if you are sticking with pasta, try to load up on lean protein and vegetables rather than making the pasta the main star of the meal, Gentile advises.

The healthiest pasta sauces

Marinara sauce

Generally, a simple tomato-based marinara sauce is going to be the healthiest option, the experts say. The tomato provides lycopene (an antioxidant), a good dose of vitamin C and a burst of flavor without the need for much salt or sugar. And you'll be skipping the added fat and calories from a creamier or cheesy sauce.

Marinara sauce also creates the perfect base for you to add other nutritious ingredients, particularly vegetables, the experts say.

Pesto

Consider pesto another healthy option, with some caveats. Most pesto is made with just olive oil, pine nuts, basil, Parmesan cheese and garlic, so it provides healthy fats and tons of flavor. Some varieties also contain healthy leafy greens, like kale or spinach, for added nutrients.

But, while pesto "can be very healthy," Gentile says, it can also be loaded with extra calories and saturated fat, which are coming primarily from the oil.

If you're buying pre-made pesto, take a look at the ingredient label first. "If oil is the very first ingredient, it may not be the best bet," Gentile says. She also recommends taking a look at the nutrition facts to check the calories and saturated fat per serving so you know what you're getting.

Pesto is also less time consuming to make at home, so it may be more appealing to make yourself than an all-day red sauce.

Jarred sauce vs. homemade

There's nothing inherently wrong with choosing a pre-made pasta sauce, Susie says. "I rarely make sauce from scratch because there are so many great (jarred) ones on the market." And jarred sauces are obviously more convenient than making your own.

But when looking for the healthiest jarred pasta sauce, it pays to be mindful of a few important factors.

Check the nutrition label. You want to aim for fewer than 500 milligrams of sodium per serving and as few grams of added sugar as you can find, the experts say. You may have better luck when looking for sauces in the "garden vegetable" variety, Gentile says, because these often contain chunks of actual healthy veggies.

Both experts encourage consumers to consider a jarred sauce simply as a starting place. With a basic marinara sauce, for instance, it's easy to add nutritious ingredients like mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers and, if you feel like it, lean meat or a meat substitute. This is also a good opportunity to sneak more greens, like spinach or kale, into your diet.

Both experts also recommends adding garlic and fresh herbs, like basil and oregano, to a jarred sauce as a way to "really bring out the flavor without adding extra salt and sugar," Gentile says. Crushed red pepper and a little grated parmesan are a perfect way to finish the sauce, she adds. Adding fresh grape tomatoes is another nice way to "bring some freshness" to a pre-made sauce, Susie says.

Making a homemade sauce, on the other hand, is more time-consuming, but you have more control from the very beginning. You can choose fresh produce, healthier oils and lean protein sources, and you're also able to reduce the salt and sugar.

Going the homemade route is especially helpful for creamy sauces because you can easily swap in ingredients that are lower in calories and fat.

For example, Gentile recently made a creamy pesto sauce using marscapone rather than full-fat heavy cream. And generally, she recommends gravitating to creamy sauces with bold flavors, like a lemon Alfredo sauce with freshly cracked black pepper to boost the flavor without relying on the creamy, buttery notes.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com