Veggie Packed Pasta Sauce (meat optional)
- Isabel S.
- Jul 20, 2018
- 3 min read
I just recently started making my own pasta sauce and I'm never going back! I've always bought jars or cans of pasta sauce and added things to it like veggies and meat, which is good, but there's something special about homemade sauce. I still use canned tomatoes so I don't know if that totally counts as "from scratch" but I'm going to allow it. If the squirrels would stop stealing my tomatoes I would try to make some garden fresh sauce but for now, canned tomatoes will have to do the trick.
I always hear people talking about how San Marzano plum tomatoes were the best. Well, I'm now a believer. I've tried many different brands and kinds of canned tomatoes and I'm here to tell you San Marzano is the best choice. I don't know what it is about them but they're on a different level! I like my sauce thick and packed with veggies, without too much tomato, but if you love a really saucy, tomato filled sauce add either a can of diced tomatoes or a little more tomato sauce. This recipe is perfect for lasagna because it's thick and holds up really well,
but I love it on pasta too!
I encourage you to sneak as much veg into your pasta sauce as you can. For picky adults and kids, this is one of the best ways to get veggies into the diet without them knowing. I put a whole carrot, two zucchini, green pepper, and spinach in my sauce. If they're really really picky, chop everything super small so they can't see it. In my mind, all the veg helps cancel out the badness of the cheese in my lasagna (it doesn't but it makes me feel better to think that way). I keep talking about lasagna because that's the last thing I made with this sauce but like I said, it's good on pasta too. Putting it on pasta is a great option for people who avoid cheese because it's good enough without and cheese. Also, sometimes I add in lean beef, but a lot of times I leave out the meat. When I leave it out, I add more mushrooms and vegetables to fill the gap where the meat would be. I honestly like it both ways. If I didn't have a hungry, meat loving husband I would probably rarely add meat, but babe needs meat every once in a
while so I add it!
Ingredients
1- 28 oz can San Marzano plum tomatoes
1/2- 2 oz can tomato paste
1 Lb lean organic ground beef (optional)
1 medium carrot- shaved
2 small zucchini
About 2 cups chopped mushrooms
1 medium green pepper
Handful of spinach (or two, or three! It's up to you.)
1 white onion
3 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup chopped rosemary loosely packed
Large handful chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (optional)
1/2 TBSP oregano
1 TBSP sea salt
1 TBSP garlic powder
Pepper
Cayenne pepper (optional)
Olive oil
Tip- If you leave out the meat, add more veggies and mushrooms. I also like to add asparagus sometimes!
Directions
In a large pan, with a lid, heat a heavy drizzle of olive oil and add chopped onions. Stir and cook on medium for about 3 minutes then add garlic and chopped green pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Some browning is good.
Push mixture to the side and add beef to the center. Cook meat until browned, breaking it up with a spatula and stirring to break it up and get it evenly cooked. As it's cooking add salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
Stir together and add the rest of the vegetables. Cover and let cook for about 5 minutes. Add more olive oil if needed for sticking.
Add in herbs and stir to combine.
Add in can of tomatoes including the tomato sauce and about half the can of tomato paste. Break up the tomatoes with your spatula and stir to combine.
Turn the heat to low and simmer (covered) on the stove for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. (The outer edge of the pan will collect the water from the veggies so the sauce will be thinner around the edges. Keep stirring to combine the thinner sauce into the thicker sauce.
Taste! Your taste buds will be slightly different than anyone else so this part is up to you. I start with a small about of salt so that you add more to suit your taste. I always end up adding more salt and garlic powder at this point.
Serve over pasta or as a lasagna!
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