Veggie Loaded Tomato Sauce (Print Version)

Rich tomato base blended with puréed vegetables creates a vibrant and nutritious pasta sauce.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
02 - 1 small zucchini, chopped
03 - 1 bell pepper (red or orange), seeded and chopped
04 - 1 small onion, chopped
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 celery stalk, chopped

→ Tomato Base

07 - 2 cans (14 fl oz each) crushed tomatoes
08 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste

→ Seasonings

09 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
10 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
11 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
12 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
13 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
14 - 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional, to balance acidity)

→ Optional Add-ins

15 - Pinch of red pepper flakes for heat
16 - Fresh basil, chopped, for garnish

# How To Make It:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, zucchini, and bell pepper. Sauté for 8 to 10 minutes until vegetables are softened.
02 - Incorporate minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to deepen flavor.
04 - Add crushed tomatoes, dried oregano, dried basil, salt, black pepper, and sugar if using. Stir and bring to a gentle simmer.
05 - Cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all vegetables are very tender.
06 - Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender or countertop blender, purée the sauce until completely smooth.
07 - Return puréed sauce to low heat and simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste.
08 - Serve hot over preferred pasta and garnish with fresh basil if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Garden-fresh vegetables disappear into the sauce, making it impossible to detect vegetables if that matters to your table.
  • Ready in under an hour, with most of that time being hands-off simmering while you do something else.
  • Freezes beautifully, so you can spend 50 minutes once and eat well for weeks.
02 -
  • Do not skip the step of cooking tomato paste in the pan before adding tomatoes—that minute makes a surprising difference in depth.
  • The immersion blender must go all the way through until there are zero visible vegetable chunks, or the sauce loses its silky appeal.
  • Taste as you go during the final simmering, because tomato acidity varies wildly between cans, and you might need that optional sugar.
03 -
  • Buy canned tomatoes in glass jars if your budget allows; they taste noticeably better than aluminum cans.
  • An immersion blender saves you from the danger and mess of pouring hot sauce into a countertop blender in batches, and the cleanup is minutes instead of ten.
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