Pasta sauces, like many meals that have a sauce base, are a great way to up the vegetable intake of your child’s meal. This Veggie Pasta Sauce is loaded with six different vegetables and blended smooth, making it perfect for fussy eaters or kids with textural issues.
Although I strongly believe children should be continually exposed to vegetables (that actually look like vegetables), I believe hidden (or as I like to think of it, boosted) veggie dishes have their place too. (read more about hidden veggies here)
- For some parents, hidden veggies may be the only way they can get their child to eat vegetables.
- Most people struggle to eat the recommended daily servings of vegetables. Eating a meal with hidden vegetables and then serving that meal with extra vegetables is a great way to up vegetable intake.
- Vegetables actually add a lot of flavour to dishes but some children struggle with their texture. Blending them allows the flavours to be enjoyed without the “bits.”
- Hidden veg meals can be a stepping stone to children accepting vegetables. Parents can explain what vegetables are in the sauce or, even better, kids can help make it and see that vegetables can be a good thing.
As you can see, from the picture above, this sauce is crammed with a variety of vegetables. Some children enjoy one or two vegetables and so it becomes easy to fall back on serving only the ones they like. However, for full nutritional gain, we want to eat a wide variety. This sauce adds the nutritional goodness of six different vegetables along with chopped tomatoes.
A lot of commercial pasta sauces have added sugar and are high in salt. Although they are convenient and easy for busy weeknights this sauce is a much healthier alternative.
Although it takes time to prepare, it stores really well. You can make a big batch, say once a month, and freeze in portions. I usually leave a jar in the fridge, to use that week, and then freeze the remaining sauce in zip lock bags.
Of course, this Veggie Pasta Sauce doesn’t have to be limited to just pasta. Why not try it as a pizza sauce, use in a chicken bake or use it to replace tomato sauce/passata / chopped tomatoes in a recipe.
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Veggie Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Onions, finely chopped
- 1 tsp Minced Garlic
- 2 tsp Dried Mixed Italian Herbs
- 3 Celery stalks, trimmed and finely chopped
- 2 Leeks, trimmed and finely chopped
- 2 Carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 Capsicums (bell peppers), finely chopped
- 1 Zucchini (courgette), finely chopped
- 1.6kg (4 x 400g Cans) Chopped Tomatoes
- 1 tbsp Tomato Paste (tomato puree)
- 500ml (2 cups) Vegetable / Chicken Stock *SEE NOTE 1
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a LARGE saucepan, over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and mixed herbs and stir for a couple of minutes.
- Add the remaining vegetables (celery, leeks, carrots, capsicum, zucchini) and cook, covered, for around 20 minutes. Continually check and stir the vegetables, you want them to soften but not burn.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and stock (SEE NOTE 1). Stir until combined. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and allow to simmer for a further 20 mins.
- Allow to cool slightly and then blend until smooth (SEE NOTE 2)
- Allow to fully cool before pouring the sauce into containers/zip lock bags for storing. (SEE NOTE 3)
Recipe Notes
- Can be replaced with water if you prefer. Please use water / homemade stock if serving to a baby / young child to reduce sodium levels.
- You can blend using a stick blender, food processor or blender. You will probably have to do this in batches due to the volume of sauce.
- This recipe makes A LOT of sauce. (Around 2.6kg which is roughly the equivalent of 6-7 commercial jars of pasta sauce.) The reason I make so much is so I only have to make it occasionally and can freeze the remaining sauce for quick and easy weeknight meals. If you prefer you could half or even quarter the recipe.
lisa says
How many of your 5 a day is this please?
Amy says
I really couldn’t say, sorry. I always see this as bonus vegetables and would still continue to serve alongside other vegetables.
Amy Doderer says
I feel like this is a dumb question but do you use the whole leek or just the white part?
Amy says
Hi Amy, no question is silly and I apologise for the delay. I use the white and the light green part of the leek 🙂
Christie says
Absolutely delicious! I’m a picky eater and have issues with certain textures, but I really wanted to add more vegetables to my diet. I added a little sugar to my taste and it turned out great. And as a college student, I love having frozen sauce in individual portions for a quick and cheap, but healthy, meal.
Amy says
Thanks Christie, I’m so happy this recipe worked for you 🙂
Brendan Conklin says
Haven’t made the recipe yet. I’m sure it will be amazing but I plan on using carrots, celery, bell pepper, zucchini, eggplant, and mushrooms. Would this be good or is it a bit too much in your opinion
Amy says
I think that should work. I wonder if the mushroom would be a little too much but without trying I can’t say for sure. Let me know how it goes!
Lucy says
Thank you for this recipe – I’ve just made it for my son who is 7 – he refuses all veg but is wolfing it down! He adores pasta so it’s a definite winner! I
Amy says
Fantastic! I’m so happy he likes it, Lucy. 🙂
Kemi says
I tried this recipe once and I love it! I love that it makes a huge batch at once! One of my kids refuses to eat any form of veggies but he loves pasta. I now use this for pasta sauce. I have also tried it for traditional Nigerian Jollof rice that is cooked with tomato base and it came out really nice. So glad I can “sneak” in veggies to my son’s meals. Thank you so much!
Amy says
I’m so happy you had success with the recipe Kemi, thanks for taking the time to rate and comment 🙂
Pasta-holic says
Tasted like celery and water, after i added a load more herbs, pepper and topped with parm, it wasnt that bad tho, maybe if i add basil it will help. To be fair though i tried to half the recipe and accidentally used a whole zucchini
Amy says
Hi Emily, I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe. I’ve always had positive feedback and never found it to taste watery. Did you spend time cooking the vegetables before adding the liquid, this really gives depth of flavour and I don’t recommend skipping it. Did you add all the ingredients and did you use stock?
Lauren Howard says
How long is this freezable for ?
Amy says
Hi Lauren, you can freeze for 2 months. 🙂
Meghan says
Hey! Can this recipe be canned? Using traditional water bath canning methods?
Amy says
Hi Meghan, I have no experience with canning, sorry.
Elis says
Made this twice already. Easy to make and comes in handy on a busy day. Thank you for the recipe!
Amy says
Thanks Elis 🙂
Elsbeth E LOOSLEY says
This is brilliant! Added a good slash of red wine and some rosemary and other herbs from the garden.. perfect to fill the freezer with
Amy says
Sounds perfect 🙂 Thanks Elsbeth!
DC says
If not using canned tomatoes, what would you suggest for making the tomato portion?
Amy says
You could use fresh tomatoes, around 2 cups of chopped tomatoes for every can. Or you could use passata.
Sarah McCoy says
Could you substitute squash for the zucchini?
Amy says
Hi Sarah, yes i’d say that would work well 🙂
Mariane says
Can’t wait to taste it.
Do we have to drain the chopped tomatoes?
Thank toi!
Amy says
Hi Mariane,
No need to drain the tomatoes, hope you enjoy 🙂
ODERO VICTOR says
How could one preserve this for even a week?
Amy says
Hi Odero, I freeze this sauce 🙂
Marieanne says
Followed recipe to a t, got to use up all my veg that was about to expire. Great recipe!
Amy says
Thanks Marieanne, so happy you liked it. A great way to use up extra veg!
Wendy says
Love this recipe. My kids are very picky and they devour it. Great to freeze too. Thankyou!
Amy says
I’m so happy to read this, Wendy. Thanks for taking the time to rate and let me know. 🙂
Sarah says
Love this!! I usually have a bowl of it prior to blending as it makes a great soup 🙂
Amy says
Great idea, Sarah!
Maui says
This recipe is great,
Recipe is well-written and ingredients are easy to find,
I didn’t manage to blend the veggies but it still came out soft and tasteful,
Thank you Amy for sharing this recipe that makes people happy.
Maui says
Is it possible to serve it without blending the veggies together? Because I don’t have a blender and it would be great if I could do this without blending, thank you.
Amy says
You can but it won’t obviously be a smooth sauce. Do you have a food processor or stick blender?
Maui says
Unfortunately I dont really have anything that blends, but thanks alot for answering, I’m going to try your recipe very soon and I’ll tell how it goes, have a good day!:)
Lucy says
Do you think this could be used instead of tomato sauce when kids are having chips, meat pies etc?
Amy says
Hi Lucy, I’m not sure it is quite runny for a dipping sauce. You could try reducing it down but I’m still not sure it would work.
Connie says
Love this recipe. My kids are quite picky when it comes to veggies but this sauce does the trick! I use pretty much whatever veggies I have in the fridge using carrots, onions and leek as the must be and it’s been great so far!
Amy says
Thanks Connie! Glad your kids enjoy the sauce 🙂
Hannah says
Could you add cabbage to this?
Amy says
Hi Hannah, sorry I am just seeing your message. I’ve never tried adding cabbage but I’d say it would be worth trying 🙂
Hannah Turner says
Made this sauce in a smaller quantity to try and little one loves it! Going to make a large batch today. When you take it out the freezer, do you defrost during the day or just heat in microwave/saucepan as and when you need it?
Amy says
Hi Hannah, I freeze in small portions, that way I can take out just what I need. Either thaw, overnight, in the refrigerator or pop in a pan / microwave and heat from frozen.
Carly says
My toddler is obsessed with ketchup/ tomato sauce. Do you think I could half the stock/water to make it thicker. My idea is to fill ketchup bottles with it and use it as an alternative
Amy says
Hi Carly, It would be thicker but the shelf life wouldn’t be as long. I wouldn’t keep it longer (in the refrigerator) than a couple of days. 🙂 Great idea!
Casey says
Really happy with this recipe. My family have enjoyed eating pasta altogether with this veggie sauce. Toddler is a big fan too. Thanks!
Amy says
Excellent! So happy this was a success for you 🙂
Katie says
Could this be made in a slow cooker
Amy says
Hi Katie, I have never tried making this in the slow cooker so can’t say for sure how it would turn out. I’d saute the vegetables before adding them to the slow cooker and perhaps reduce the liquid, maybe by 1/2 cup. I’m sorry I can’t give any more advice but without trying I can’t give proper instructions.
Katie Mccook says
Thanks for replying , I went ahead and used my slow cooker , turned out really well I just chucked it all in with just a tiny amount off water. 4 hours later and it was ready. Would definitely make it that way again
Amy says
Great to know, Katie. Thanks for taking the time to let me know how it turned out 🙂
Kay says
Hi Amy. I actually have made my own spaghetti sauce for my 1 year old baby before finding Your recipe. I will add more veggies. Thanks for sharing.
MMK says
Have you considered putting in chickpeas in it for protein? I do that a lot and no one is the wiser! I’m going to try this recipe (with chickpeas) tonight. Thanks!
Amy says
I’ve never thought to do that, thanks for the tip – I’ll have to try it next time 🙂
Merima says
Absolutely delicious! I used extra garlic, extra herbs, and blended some basil in at the very end and it turned out amazing! I keep wanting to eat more and more bowls of pasta because the sauce is that good!
Amy says
So glad you enjoyed this, Merima. Keep eating the bowls of pasta! 🙂
Jenna says
So excited to try this for my picky eaters in the home!! How long is the freezer life for this?
Amy says
I hope it gets the picky eater seal of approval for you! You can freeze for up to 3 months 🙂
Jenna says
When I reheat it, it seems like it is very thin. Do you have any recommendations to make it thicker at all?
Zara says
Just made a huge batch and it tastes delicious! How long will this sauce last in the fridge? Thanks!
Amy says
Hi Zara! Sorry that I am just getting back to you now. I’d say this sauce will be good for 3-4 days in the fridge but you can also freeze it if you want to keep it longer 🙂 So glad you liked it!
Mel says
So easy to make definitely a winner! I add peas & sweetcorn into it too before serving to add abit more texture and bonus another couple of veggies!
Amy says
Thanks, Mel! Glad it worked for you, and a great idea to add extra veggies for texture and goodness:)
Jacqyu says
This sauce is amazing!!! The whole family love, so delicious and tasty. I add a bit of Parmesan cheese too.
Amy says
Thanks Jacqui, so glad you like it and love the addition of parmesan. 🙂
Vinu says
I tried this today. After blending, the sauce turned orange in color. Could you please share how it stays red for you? Thanks much.
Dean says
I have made this twice now I literally have this everyday with some pasta for my lunch and also my 1 yr old loves it thank you
Amy says
Fab! Thanks Dean.
Christy Walker says
This looks super easy. I gonna make it tomorrow. Thanks for sharing it.
Suhana Morgan says
Hey Amy,
It’s really such a delicious recipe. It is a great sauce dishes. I enjoyed your recipes. Thanks this post is really informative and useful recipes.
Heather says
I definitely will be making this turkey meatballs and zucchini pasta.
Amy says
Great! This will be a great sauce for that 🙂
Juanita says
I love all of your recipes and I’m making this as an alternative to the store bought sauce. Instead of tin tomato I used 2x Passata jars as they were on special and a tin of tomato. I also added a little extra veggies and bay leaves. Fingers crossed my toddler eats it 🙂
Amy says
Thanks Juanita, passata works great in this. Hope your toddler approved 🙂
Kristina says
This is so fresh and tasty . I use it for pizza base too on those sweet potato one with oats that I found on this website too.
I love it ! Goes also well with little muscles.
Ruth says
Thank you, I need this for my picky eating 18month and 4yr old!
Amy says
Hope they enjoyed it???
clm says
What size cans of tomatoes do you use?
Amy says
Hi, sorry I thought I detailed that. Thanks for highlighting – they were 400g cans. 🙂