Veggie-packed red sauce

This homemade spaghetti sauce recipe is incredible! It’s perfect for pasta dishes – whether you need a basic marinara or sauce for lasagna. This veggie-packed red sauce is a delicious way to get the kids eating more vegetables.

Slowly and steadily, I’m switching our eating habits. More organic produce and natural ingredients…less processed box food that has a shelf life older than my kids. So far we are doing pretty good. I can’t believe how much plain old junk we were eating just six months ago! Now don’t get me wrong, I still buy Coffee-mate by the gallon and the kids get plenty of cookies. On the other hand, we are embracing meatless meals on occasion and purchasing lots more fresh produce. About three weeks or so ago, I decided to make my own spaghetti sauce. I didn’t have any jarred sauce in the cabinet but I did have all the ingredient for this homemade red sauce recipe.

Homemade veggie-packed red sauce recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 average sized onion
• 1/2 a green bell pepper
• 1 carrot
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes (or a 28 oz. can)
• 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 6 tablespoons fresh herbs or 3 teaspoons dried herbs (My favorite combo is parsley, basil, oregano, and marjoram)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• a pinch of black pepper

Instructions:

Chop the onion, bell pepper, carrot, and garlic. Measure everything else. The sauce will be pureed at the end, so the veggies don’t have to be tiny or exactly the same.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat on the stove top. Saute the chopped vegetables in the oil until mostly tender.

Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes. You can peek to stir if needed. Uncover and simmer for about 10 minutes more, or until it looks thick. Add fresh herbs now, if you are using them.

Remove the sauce from the heat and allow it to cool slightly. Puree in food processor, in batches, if necessary.

You can serve this right away with spaghetti or anything else that requires a red sauce {like baked pasta}. Add cooked ground beef or turkey if you prefer a meat sauce. This can also be refrigerated for about a week or frozen for several months. I haven’t tested it for canning.

I love this recipe because it is so flexible. You can really throw about any combination of ingredients in the pot and it will turn out fine. If you don’t have one of the ingredients on my list, substitute something similar or just leave it out. This is also a great way to get a full serving of veggies for kids who don’t like the texture of certain vegetables.

Veggie-packed red sauce

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Ingredients

• 1 average sized onion
• 1/2 a green bell pepper
• 1 carrot
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes (or a 28 oz. can)
• 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 6 tablespoons fresh herbs or 3 teaspoons dried Italian herbs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• a pinch of black pepper

Instructions

1. Chop the onion, bell pepper, carrot, and garlic. Measure everything else.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat on the stove top. Saute the chopped vegetables in the oil until mostly tender.
3. Add the water, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and dried herbs. {If you're using fresh herbs, add them later.} Bring to a simmer.Simmer the sauce until it is thick and bubbly. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes.
4. Uncover and simmer for about 10 minutes more, or until it looks thick. Add fresh herbs now, if using.
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Puree in food processor, in batches if necessary.
6. Serve over pasta.