A smooth tomato sauce secretly packed with nutritious veggies!

Secret Veggie Pasta Sauce

Yield: 8 servings       Prep: 10 minutes        Cook: 50 minutes

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 4 carrots
• 4 celery stalks
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1 large onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 lbs roma tomatoes
• 2 cups tomato paste
• 1-2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp oregano
• 1/2 tbsp basil
• salt to taste
• meat of your choice (optional)

Roughly chop all the veggies. Don’t be fussy, it won’t make a difference.

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add in the chopped carrots, celery, peppers, onion, garlic, and a generous sprinkle of salt. Cover and allow the vegetables to cook until soft, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the chopped tomatoes, cover, and continue to cook for 15  minutes.

Using a hand blender, thoroughly blend the vegetables creating a smooth texture. Don’t be afraid to over blend… its not possible.

Add in the tomato paste, brown sugar (start with 1 tbsp and add more if necessary), balsamic, oregano, and basil. Allow to simmer for 15 more minutes. If you find the sauce too thick, add in some water or vegetable stock.

Add any meat of your choosing. Serve over your favourite pasta!

Trick your kids (or yourself) into getting a greater vegetable intake by hiding them in this tasty sauce. You’d never know they were in there!

Tips for cooking:

Sugar may seem like an odd addition, but its necessary. It balances the acidity of the tomatoes. The thing is, store bought pasta sauce is packed with an unnecessary amount of sugar. By making your own sauce you can control how much sugar goes in!

I typically make this into a meat sauce by adding lean ground beef. It would also work well with chicken parm, lasagna, pizza, or any pasta dish of your choice! 

This also freezes well. Make a big batch, divide it into dishes and freeze it for a quick sauce on hand.