Got a veggie hating family? Try my Hidden Veggie Tomato Sauce, perfect for pastas, pizzas, no added sugar and it can be frozen too!
This is a recipe that I have been meaning to share here for ages. Its just a simple tomato sauce but because it’s packed full of hidden veggies it makes a really fantastic addition to your children’s meals and a great way to sneak in some extra nutrients.
There has been so much talk in the press and on tv lately about hidden sugars in food such as jarred tomato sauce. We all know we should be making our own but on busy days when we have only minutes to get dinner on the table then sometimes there is no other option. But not anymore! Spend 30 minutes cooking up a batch of this sauce every month and I promise you’ll never buy another jar again.
For me, the key to healthy family eating is preparation. When I make a batch of this tomato sauce I always fill one large jar to keep in the fridge and then freeze the rest. It can be frozen in freezer bags or in individual ice cube trays also, which is great for toddler or baby sized portions.
The sauce will keep in a sealed jar or container in the fridge for 4 days or in the freezer for 3 months. To defrost either leave it out to defrost at room temperature for a few hours or heat it gently in a saucepan.
There’s so much you can do with this sauce. It’s great for pasta dishes, on pizzas or even as a base for soup. If you try this recipe please do let me know what you think. Or tag me in a picture on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. I’d love to see your pictures!
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Hidden Veggie Tomato Sauce
Prep Time: 5 mins- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 10 1x
Category: Sauce
Cuisine: European
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Got a veggie hating family? Try my Hidden Veggie Tomato Sauce, perfect for pastas pizzas and can be frozen too!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3 carrots, finely diced
- 2 celery sticks, finely diced
- 2 courgettes, finely diced
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1.5kg / 3.3lbs passata
- 500ml / 2 cups veg stock
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tsp dried Italian herbs
- 1 tsp paprika
- optional: handful of fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for another minute before adding the carrots, celery, courgette and red pepper.
- Pour in the veg stock and passata and stir well. Add the tomato puree, dried herbs and paprika and bring to the boil.
- Simmer on a medium heat for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. If you want to add the fresh basil leaves do so when the vegetables are soft.
- Remove from the heat and blitz either with a hand blender or in an upright blender until smooth.
- Pour the sauce into jars, containers or freezer bags and allow to cool before refrigerating or freezing.
Notes
If at any point the sauce consistency is too thick, simply add some extra veg stock or water to thin it down. The same applies after it has been defrosted as sometimes it may be a bit thicker.
The very fine flecks of green in the sauce are the fresh basil leaves which I added at the end. If your kids really hate the sight of any green then you can easily leave these out!
Amy says
May 15, 2019 at 11:20 amHi my child is the fussiest eater can’t get her to eat vegetables and I was sick of websites and books claiming that these recipes are for the fussiest water as my child still wouldn’t eat them… this recipe was brilliant she ate 2 bowls, I was worried she was going to vomit cause she ate so much lol
★★★★★
Ciara Attwell says
May 21, 2019 at 11:04 amOh wow! Success!!
Jamie says
May 10, 2019 at 11:13 amWhat is passata? Im in the US and am unfamiliar.
Ciara Attwell says
May 14, 2019 at 9:51 amIt’s sieved chopped tomatoes
Rach says
January 6, 2019 at 8:28 pmSuch a great recipe! This has really helped me eat healthy throughout the week, I use it for pizza as well. Thank you!
★★★★★
Ciara Attwell says
January 7, 2019 at 4:55 pmThank you Rachel!
Megan K Olbur says
July 17, 2018 at 1:30 pmI made this last night for my 2 year old who is on veggie strike. I added salt and nutritional yeast. She cried when I put it in front of her, but because I let her choose alphabet pasta she did end up eating what was on her plate, then asked for more! Thank you for the recipe.
★★★★★
Hayley Fuller says
July 6, 2018 at 5:02 pmHi do you have any other ideas for sauces my 2 an a half year old wont eat any veg but loves dips
Angela Derrigan says
March 7, 2018 at 1:19 pmBest hidden veggie recipe I’ve tried so far. Have made another batch today that’s in the fridge!
★★★★★
Veronica says
March 6, 2018 at 1:01 pmLove this recipe! Always try and have some of this made up as it’s so versatile and its also really good to know there are no nasties in it like some of the supermarket ones.
★★★★★
Jemma says
January 25, 2018 at 8:05 pmJust made this sauce to go with spiced turkey meatballs – my husband and I loved it, hoping my daughter who has coeliacs disease will love it too ???? thank you ????
★★★★
Pearl Courtney says
January 11, 2018 at 3:22 pmCan I ask what is volume of total recipe? In litres if possible
Gina says
December 19, 2017 at 12:07 amCan other veggies be added to this recipe? Would love to get more greens in there like spinach, broccoli or zucchini!
Ciara Attwell says
December 19, 2017 at 1:36 pmYes absolutely. Just bare in mind that adding green veg will make the colour of the sauce a bit murky!
Kara reid says
January 16, 2018 at 3:24 pmWhat is the calorie content?
★★★★★
Swathi says
May 19, 2017 at 8:43 amHi!,
Totally love your website! My baby is not exactly a fussy eater but it is I who sometimes lack the creativity to come up with quick, delicious and simple recipes. My 11 month old hogs on pasta and I try to make a lot of different sauces. This one now is definitely his and mine favourite 🙂
Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Swathi says
May 19, 2017 at 8:44 amOh i forgot to mention, i used cherry tomatoes instead of passata! Turned out equally awesome 🙂
Ciara Attwell says
May 19, 2017 at 8:21 pmThat’s great, to know thanks for sharing! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Andriana says
May 9, 2017 at 12:41 amHi Vicki, did you use homemade veg stock or store- bought for this recipe? Thanks 🙂
Ciara Attwell says
May 9, 2017 at 8:40 amEither is fine!
Kelly says
May 7, 2017 at 1:52 pmI’m not familiar with passata, so I googled it and it said purée. However, you have purée listed separately. Can you please tell me what passata is?
Ciara Attwell says
May 8, 2017 at 8:15 amHi Kelly, passata is basically just tinned tomatoes that have been sieved or pureed, so its completely liquid rather than have chunks of tomato in it. What country do you live in? Let me know and I’ll send you a link to what it is.
Kelly says
May 8, 2017 at 2:09 pmI’m in the US
Lili says
October 30, 2016 at 9:39 amI Have a cooking competition, and I’m using this sauce! I’ve looked every where for one like this! Hopefully my score will be high! Have a good day!
★★★★★
Ciara Attwell says
October 31, 2016 at 11:36 amExciting. Good luck!
Abby says
April 11, 2016 at 11:46 pmOH MY GOSH….I’m making this ASAP… I have one g’kid who is not a veggie eater at all, now she’ll never know !!
Thank You so much for sharing this …
I’m very eager to look around your site !!
Ciara Attwell says
April 12, 2016 at 7:05 amHi Abby, I hope this sauce goes down well. Its a big hit in my house as the kids have no idea that there are veggies in it!!
Honest mum says
October 23, 2015 at 6:08 pmOh so delicious, nothing like homemade tomato sauce, perfect on pizza and pasta as you say. Fab pictures too. That colour! Thanks for linking to #tastytuesdays
★★★★★
Ciara Attwell says
October 24, 2015 at 5:27 pmThank you Vicki. The kids had this sauce AGAIN for lunch with pasta today. I love it!