This recipe is a great way to help diversify your family's gut microbiome by giving them 12 nutritious plants in this simple hidden veg pasta sauce. It is also perfect for picky eaters, fussy eaters, baby-led weaning babies because you blend these different vegetables and fresh herbs into a delicious pasta sauce.
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Why we love this hidden veggies pasta sauce:
- great for baby, toddler and the whole family
- creamy pasta sauce
- easy sauce to make
- do some batch cooking meal prep and freeze the hidden veggie tomato sauce, pair with some hidden veggie meatballs and they you have a perfect way to have an easy healthy dinner available in no time
- 12 different hidden vegetables for a healthier gut microbiome
- made with different vegetables you can usually find at home
- can also be used as homemade pizza sauce or for any type of pasta (linguini, spaghetti, fussili, penne)
Ingredients
This healthy vegetable sauce is made from a diverse range of vegetables that will all add some extra nutrients to your diet and your kids diet. It is a great way to get picky eaters to eat some extra veggies.
- Olive oil
- Chopped red onions and garlic - high in antibiotic properties. They are sources of vitamin C and vitamin B6
- Zucchini - excellent source of vitamin C and manganese and a very good source of dietary fiber, potassium, folate, and copper
- Carrots - high in vitamin A, fiber, vitamin B, K1.
- Red peppers - great source of vitamin C, B6 and A, some folate and fiber and they are also full of phytonutrients.
- Tinned tomatoes - can also use fresh tomatoes if you have, they will be blended so how you cut them is not important
- Apple cider vinegar - raw, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar contains antioxidants and live probiotic bacteria so we add it at the end after we blend the sauce. We add it because the veggie sauce needs some additional acidity.
- Fresh basil
- Fresh parsley
- Dried oregano
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Black pepper
- Salt
How to make this hidden vegetable sauce?
1. Sauté the veggies. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients (except apple cider vinegar and fresh basil) and water and bring to boil.
3. Once boiling let it simmer for about 30 minutes on low heat and covered.
4. Once all the vegetables are soft, turn the heat off and add apple cider vinegar and fresh basil.
5. Either use an immersion blender to blend or transfer to a Vitamix or food processor.
6. Serve the hidden vegetable sauce with some penne, spaghetti, fussili or any kind of pasta to your liking. And top with some parmesan cheese.
Storage instructions
- Fridge - store remaining sauce in an airtight container or a covered saucepan up to 3-4 days
- Freezer - freeze in airtight container or in reusable freezer bags up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and heat on the stove until boiling.
Substitutions and variations
- Apple cider vinegar - can use lemon juice
- Fresh herbs - can use italian seasoning
- Fresh tomatoes instead of tin tomatoes
- Vegetable stock instead of water
FAQ
Yes this blended hidden veggie pasta sauce is suitable for babies just remove the salt from the recipe. If you are serving this homemade sauce to the whole family then you can always add the salt after. Even if you decide to serve it not blended the vegetables should be so soft and safe for baby to consume.
You should use less water and less tinned tomatoes. Start with half a tomato tin and 1 cup of water and then see if you want to add more.
The different vegetables used in this healthy pasta sauce should sweeten the sauce and bring down the acidity once cooked. We actually added the apple cider vinegar in the end because the pasta sauce needed more acidity.
In general if you want to reduce acidity you will want to add a little bit of sweetener like sugar or honey and some salt to help balance out the flavors.
There is very little cayenne pepper in this recipe, just enough to bring out extra flavor and is fine for baby to consume.
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Hidden Veg Pasta Sauce (12 plants)
EQUIPMENT
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 red onions chopped
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 red peppers roughly chopped
- 2 carrots roughly chopped
- 1 medium zucchini roughly chopped
- 1 28oz tin of crushed tomatoes
- handful parsley
- 10 fresh basil leaves
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 tsp salt
- 1½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Sauté the veggies. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Add the rest of the ingredients (except apple cider vinegar and fresh basil) and water and bring to boil.
- Once boiling let it simmer for about 30 minutes on low heat and covered.
- Once all the vegetables are soft, turn the heat off and add apple cider vinegar and fresh basil.
- Either use an immersion blender to blend or transfer to a Vitamix or food processor.
- Serve the hidden vegetable sauce with some penne, spaghetti, fussili or any kind of pasta to your liking. And top with some cheese.
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