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Elevate Your Meal Prep w/ these 13 Healthy Sauce Recipes

Feb 21, 2023 | Recipes | 0 comments

Healthy Sauce Recipes

A good sauce can be a total game changer for your meal prep. These 13 healthy sauce recipes are easy and totally delicious!

Apart from efficient knife skills, learning how to make a delicious sauce may just be the best thing I learned in culinary school. A simple homemade sauce can take a meal from boring to something you want to eat for days. It can transform a bowl-meal from a random assortment of veggies and protein to a cohesive, tasty dish.

And there is simply no comparison between store-bought and homemade sauces. In terms of taste, nutrition and cost, homemade wins by a landslide every time.

Another thing I love about making my own sauces? It can almost always be done ahead of time as part of my weekly meal prep. That means I can still enjoy delicious meals on the most hectic weeknights when I'd otherwise be scrambling just to get some basic chicken and veggies on the table.

I've rounded up 13 of my favorite healthy sauce recipes for you today. Each of the below sauce recipes is meal prep friendly and quite versatile. I've included serving suggestions with each recipe but feel free to get creative! These work equally well as healthy dipping sauces. I find that my family eats so many more veggies with a ready-to-go, tasty sauce in the fridge!

Healthy Sauce Recipes

Chicken Enchilada Bowls

1. Homemade Enchilada Sauce

This sauce could not be any easier. All you do is blend tomato sauce, water and a bunch of spices, all of which you likely have on hand. That's it! And it's incredibly tasty, not just on enchiladas, but on any Tex-Mex dish you feel like cooking up.

Drizzle it over tacos or burrito bowls or use it as a sauce for roasted potatoes. You can't go wrong!

Healthy Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

2. Buffalo Sauce

Did you know that you can make buffalo sauce with just three ingredients?! For such a tasty sauce, it's surprisingly simple. I love it drizzled over these stuffed sweet potatoes but it's also of course amazing on chicken wings, on eggs or as a dip for carrots and celery.

Paleo Ranch Dressing

3. Paleo Ranch Dressing

Coconut milk gives this paleo ranch its signature creaminess while fresh garlic and parsley give it plenty of bright, herbaceous flavor. Use it as a healthy dipping sauce for raw veggies, drizzle it on a wrap for lunch or serve with some gluten free pecan-crusted chicken strips for a family favorite!

Middle Eastern Salad Recipe with Homemade Tahini Sauce

4. Creamy Tahini Sauce

I first shared this creamy tahini sauce as part of a Middle Eastern salad recipe but it's really quite versatile!

This makes a great dip for veggie sticks and is also amazing drizzled over a quinoa bowl topped with roasted veggies and chicken. You could also use it as a spread on a wrap or sandwich.

Recipe for Basil Aioli

5. Basil Aioli

This basil aioli has been quite popular since it first hit our menus! It's full of fresh basil, lemon and garlic for a really balanced sauce / dip that's simultaneously fresh and rich and creamy.

Definitely see the full article for tons of ideas on how to use this but, for starters, try it as a dip for roasted potatoes or stir it into zoodles or pasta salad.

Grilled Curry Chicken Skewers

6. Yogurt Mint Sauce

This meal prep sauce is amazing on anything grilled. The creamy, herby flavors are the perfect counterpart to charred, smoky meat. It would also be delicious drizzled over a grain & veggie bowl or used as a salad dressing!

7. Homemade BBQ Sauce

When it comes to healthy sauce recipes, bbq sauce is a great one to master. Jarred bbq sauces can have quite a bit of sugar, not to mention other strange ingredients. It's actually pretty easy to whip up a fantastic homemade version though, without any of that stuff!

Pureed tomatoes and honey give this healthy homemade sauce its sweetness. Apple cider vinegar gives it the signature tangy flavor and chili powder provides the smokiness. All you have to do is whisk all of the ingredients together and you have a sauce you'll want to put on everything!

Grilled Chicken w/ Sweet & Spicy Chili Sauce

8. Sweet & Spicy Chili Sauce

There are few things I like better than the combination of sweet and spicy flavors. This sauce pulls off that balance beautifully!

I've also featured the sauce on poached eggs – it really is quite versatile. It would be delicious on salmon, burgers or roasted broccoli as well! So many possibilities….

If you can't find a fresh chili pepper in your area, feel free to sub a dry one and rehydrate in hot water for a bit. It will still turn out delicious!

Buddha Bowls

9. Almond Butter Dipping Sauce

The simplicity of this sauce epitomizes what I love about these healthy sauce recipes. It really doesn't take much to make a totally delicious sauce that will take your meal prep to the next level.

Almond butter dipping sauce is wonderful as a dip of course, but also drizzled on salads, roasted sweet potatoes, grilled chicken, grain bowls or roasted veggies. It not only adds flavor, it adds an extra nutritional boost – you can't beat that!

Chimichurri Sauce

10. Chimichurri Sauce

I don't like to play favorites so let's just say this sauce makes a frequent appearance in my house….

This is one I love to stock the freezer with because I know I can pull it out to liven up just about any meal. Chimichurri is delicious on steak, chicken, fish, roasted veggies…the list goes on.

I'm a huge fan of fresh herbs and this sauce is full of them, containing a half cup each of parsley and cilantro. To make the sauce, you'll simply blend these herbs with olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. I share more ways to use this healthy homemade sauce in the full post!

Paleo Stir Fry Sauce

11. Gluten Free Stir Fry Sauce

This easy stir fry sauce recipe just may become a weeknight staple in your house. Stir fry is the perfect meal for a busy weeknight, as it cooks so quickly, but a quality sauce is key for bringing all of those ingredients together. Try this one and, if you like it, make a big batch and freeze in small portions. It freezes quite well and you'll be able to pull it out whenever you need it!

If you need stir fry ideas, you can also check out three of my favorite versions.

Salmon Filet Pesto

12. Dairy Free Pesto

Homemade pesto is another healthy sauce recipe you can always find in my freezer. It's not just for pasta!

I love topping salmon or chicken with pesto, stirring it into zoodles for an easy side dish, or tossing it with roasted veggies when I feel like something a little different. Pesto also makes a great healthy dipping sauce if you have little kids in your house, like I do, who like to dip everything.

Best Peanut Sauce Recipe

13. Homemade Peanut Sauce

Last but not least, this homemade peanut sauce is a must to add to your meal prep repertoire. (Feel free to sub cashew butter or almond butter if you're paleo!)

This is a great sauce to pull out when you're serving a simple protein and veggie meal and you want to add some extra flavor and tie it all together. It also makes a great veggie dip for the kiddos!

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Allison Schaaf Chef, Prep Dish

Prep Dish is a gluten-free, paleo, and keto meal planning website. Celebrity personal chef & dietitian Allison Schaaf thoughtfully crafts each plan using her own well-tested recipes. Each meal plan allows you, the home cook, to spend only 2-3 hours preparing a week’s worth of crave-worthy, healthy meals using seasonal, whole foods (nothing processed!). We aim to save you time while keeping your family’s taste buds happy.

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