Getting kids to eat their veggies is a challenge - unless you sneak them in with my simple veggie packed tomato pasta sauce. It's perfect for pasta & pizza!
It's one of the greatest challenges when it comes to feeding kids ... getting them to eat their veggies. One way I make sure my little guys are getting a good serving of them is with my veggie packed tomato pasta sauce.
My nutritionist friend and co-author of Crawler Cuisine to Toddler Tucker Shannon first introduced me to veggie-packed tomato pasta sauce a few years ago and I have literally been making it once a fortnight ever since.
Whenever I make a batch I freeze part of it in ice-cube trays so I can sneak it into anything and everything.
I also freeze 600ml jars of of so it's just like having a store-bought jar of sauce with nothing nasty added.
Just make sure you leave a couple of centimetres space at the top of the jar when you freeze it and don't freeze until it has come to room temperature.
Always make sure you sterilise your glass jars with boiling water before filling them.
Why make this recipe
It's really easy to make.
If you have a Thermomix and even if you don't this tomato pasta sauce is insanely quick and easy to make. I'm not kidding when I say I make it about once every two weeks.
It saves on waste.
Making a big batch of this sauce is great to use up any veggies that might be about to go bad or for me, I make it on the day I get my fruit and veggie box so I know I'm making the most of everything I buy.
Hidden veg + kids = winner.
Anything that helps me sneak veggies into my kids is always going to be a winner in my book.
You know exactly what's in it.
Unlike store-bought sauces that usually contain preservatives, additives and likely colours too, there is nothing but natural goodness in this sauce.
It's budget-friendly.
Seeing as you can use whatever veggies are in season and at the best price and you can make it in bulk, this pasta sauce is really budget friendly.
It's flexible.
As I said above, you can use whatever veggies you like in this sauce which means no racing out to the shops for ingredients. You can also use frozen veggies if that's all you have on hand.
How to use
I use this sauce in so many ways but I'm going to share a few of my favourites with you.
Pizza
I always use this sauce in place of pizza sauce when I make homemade pizzas. I'm a fan of making pizza bases myself but you can use store-bought or replace the base with wraps or even English Muffins.
I also occasionally make the boys 'mini pizzas' for lunch. I get a thick slice of sourdough bread, smother it in the sauce then top with cheese and pop it under the grill for a few minutes. They make great lunchbox fillers too.
Instead of tomato passata
Anywhere you would use tomato passata (in a soup or stew or even spaghetti Bolognese) you can use this sauce instead.
Pimped baked beans
Much to my disappointment, my kids won't eat homemade baked beans. Instead I buy the organic version in the tin and add 2 frozen cubes of veggie-packed sauce and a cube or two of frozen bone broth and they've never known the difference.
Quick and easy pasta bake
This is a new addition to my mix but one that will be on regular rotation in our house - pasta bake. I grabbed a jar of sauce from the freezer, mixed it with enough cooked pasta for the 4 of us and about ⅓ of a cup of grated cheese.
I added some leftover roast chicken, poured it into a casserole dish and topped it with extra cheese then baked it for about 25 minutes at 180C fan-forced. It was so delicious the little guy asked for a second helping.
You can mix it up with whatever meat you have on hand or add extra vegetables.
Recipe
Veggie packed tomato pasta sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup mixed veggies or all of one if you prefer - can use frozen or fresh - carrot, zucchini, broccoli, capsicum, eggplant, cauliflower, mushrooms
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups tomato passata
- 1 tin crushed/diced tomato
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ cup bone broth
- 2 tablespoon chopped basil or basil pesto
- Pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Use a food processor to finely chop the veggies and onion or grate them.
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan.
- Cook the veggies and garl for a few minutes then add the remaining ingredients.
- Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 mins.
- Leave to cool to room temperature and then use a blender to blend to super smooth.
- Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze.
- Use any place you would use a tomato pasta sauce.
Nutrition
Leave a Reply