When I started experimenting with a veggie-filled tomato sauce to add to pizza and pasta, I knew it needed to be FULL of good-for-you ingredients but all the sweet potatoes in the world wouldn’t matter if the result wasn’t tasty.
I have four small kids, ages three, five, seven and eight and whether anyone will eat it matters to me as much as I’m guessing it matters to you.
Guess what, this veggie-filled tomato sauce is DELICIOUS.
Good for you. Good to eat. A double win!
What You Need to make Veggie-Filled Tomato Sauce for Pasta, Pizza & More
Supplies
- Big stock pot or Dutch oven
- Immersion blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 1 medium sweet potato, diced
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, diced
- 1/2 cup carrots shredded or chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cans 28 ounces crushed or diced tomatoes (with basil is nice)
- 1/4 cup red wine or 2 tablespoons vinegar
- (optional) 1/4 cup fresh basil or pesto
How to make Veggie-Filled Tomato Sauce for Pasta, Pizza & More
- Chop all the vegetables.
Melt butter in a large pan, then add diced onions and sweet potatoes. Cook for about 10 minutes until they start to become tender.
Add the remaining vegetables: carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers. Cook for 5-10 minutes until all vegetables are soft.
If using wine, add the 1/4 cup and stir. Simmer on high for 2-3 minutes. If using pesto or basil, add the 1/4 now as well, then stir. Otherwise, add canned tomatoes and simmer on low for about 15 minutes.
Puree the whole batch in a food processor or by using an immersion blender.
What you’ll end up with is approximately 8 cups of heavenly sauce to use for anything from pizza to pasta and even as the base of a knock-out tomato soup. (Here’s the recipe for my favorite tomato soup. If you use this sauce to start, you’ll be almost there–just add chicken or vegetable stock and a little seasoning! Bam.)
Veggie-Filled Tomato Sauce for Pasta, Pizza & More
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 8 cups 1x
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 1 medium sweet potato, diced
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, diced
- 1/2 cup carrots shredded or chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cans of 28 ounce crushed or diced tomatoes, including juices (with basil is nice)
- 1/4 cup red wine or 2 tablespoons vinegar
- (optional) 1/4 cup fresh basil or pesto
Instructions
- Chop all the vegetables.
- Melt butter in a large pan, then add diced onions and sweet potatoes. Cook for about 10 minutes until they start to become tender.
- Add the remaining vegetables: carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers. Cook for 5-10 minutes until all vegetables are soft.
- Add wine or vinegar and stir. Simmer on high for 2-3 minutes. If using pesto or basil or butter, add it now as well, then stir. Otherwise, add canned tomatoes and simmer on low for about 15 minutes.
- Puree the whole batch in a food processor or by using an immersion blender.
- What you’ll end up with is approximately 8 cups of heavenly sauce to use for anything from pizza to pasta and even as the base of a knock-out tomato soup.
After this is made, can I put in glass jars and keep in pantry until needed for a specific recipe or is it best to use immediately after cooked? Thanks!
If you process it to be shelf stable, you could certainly keep it in the pantry. I usually freeze half the batch because it’s a simpler process.
Hi–Just printing this Tomato Sauce recipe to try and noticed that in the article it calls for 28 oz tomatoes but in the printed recipe it calls for 2 cans of 28 oz tomatoes. So which is it? One or two cans? Thanks
Hello! Sorry about that. It’s 2 cans. I’ll update the recipe now. Thanks for the catch and I hope you enjoy!