Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce

Love pasta, hate veggies? We have the dish for you! Whether you need to get more nutrients in your diet, are texture averse, or are trying to sneak veggies onto your kid’s plate, this hidden veggie pasta sauce is the answer! This sauce is so creamy no one will know there are more than a handful of different vegetables included. When it comes to picky eaters our motto is: if they don’t ask, don’t tell.

What stands out

Blending fully cooked vegetables in tomato sauce not only masks their flavor, but it produces a deceptively creamy, thick sauce that clings to noodles and is irresistible. This recipe is for anyone looking to incorporate more vegetables into their diet without the overwhelming taste or texture. suited to back-to-school and meal prep the sauce can easily be batch-cooked and frozen.

How to Prepare Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce

Warm the olive oil in a large pan with high sides over medium heat.

Add the vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 10 minutes.

Season to taste with salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low.

Then stir in the garlic and add the tomato sauce. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pan with a lid, and let simmer, about 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and carefully add the mixture to a blender. Blend on high speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook your pasta of choice.

Lastly, combine the sauce and pasta, garnish with parm, and enjoy.

Kitchen tip

For a more luxurious, silky sauce, add a splash of heavy cream or coconut cream during the last minute of cooking the sauce.

Swaps

1. To convert this dish into a creamy veggie soup add some vegetable broth and enjoy.
2. You can try this with passata (pureed strained tomatoes) or your favorite homemade tomato sauce or store-bought. We like Rao’s.
3. Mix and match your own favorite vegetables in this recipe; just make sure they are not too pungent (like asparagus) or fibrous (like artichoke). Vegetables such as eggplant, squash, fennel, and sweet peppers would all work well.
4. Any variety of onion will work: white, yellow, red; even shallots.
5. Be sure to season with salt as you cook: after the vegetables have cooked and again after the sauce has been pureed. You can’t take back too much salt, but you can always add more.

Serve it with

• You can’t go wrong with a side of crusty homemade bread.
• Try this with a classic wedge salad as your side.
• A crisp and simple fennel salad helps balance out the pasta.
• Add some protein in the form of meatballs.

Questions

Can we add protein?

Yes, you can certainly add protein. Cooked ground beef, or cubed cooked chicken would be lovely folded into the sauce. We love this with grilled shrimp on top.

how should i pack this for ours or MY kid’s lunch?

If you are taking this meal to work or sending it for the kids at school, you can boil the pasta in the morning, coat it with the sauce and pop it in a thermos. A trick to keeping the thermos warm is to add boiling hot water to your thermos and dump it out before you add the pasta in so that it ensures the thermos stays hot for longer.

How do we store leftovers and how long will they last?

You can make a big batch of this sauce and freeze it for up to 6 months. You can even freeze it into small portions and store in small Ziplock bags.

are you sure this won’t taste like vegetables?

Check out the comments for how many people and their kids have loved this recipe! To ensure the vegetables are well masked, cut each vegetable the same size, so that they cook evenly. If you want, add more tomato sauce to further mask the flavor.

What else can i use this sauce on?

Try using it as a pizza sauce or add vegetable broth to make it a creamy vegetable soup.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt, to taste
• 1 ½ cups tomato sauce
• 4 cups pasta, any shape you like
• grated parmesan cheese, for garnish (optional)

Equipment

• Chefs Knife
• Cutting Board
• High-sided pan with a lid
• Blender
• Measuring Cups + Spoons
• strainer
• Peeler

Method

1. Warm the olive oil in a large pan with high sides over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, bell pepper, and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Season to taste with salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
3. Stir in the garlic and add the tomato sauce. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pan with a lid, leaving a small opening on the side, and let simmer, about 15 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and carefully add the mixture to a blender. Blend on high speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
5. In the meantime, cook your pasta of choice in boiling salted water until al dente. We used half of our sauce and added the cooked pasta to it with a touch of the pasta water.
6. Garnish with parm, if using, and enjoy. We reserved the remaining sauce for the week but you can use it all up if you are a family of 4 or 5 as this recipe makes a lot of sauce.