A super simple recipe for spaghetti and tomato sauce, perfect to whip up for a quick and easy kid-friendly meal!
Does anyone else have a house full of pasta lovers? My kids absolutely adore the stuff and we probably eat it for dinner at least twice a week as I always know its a meal that they will polish off!
You guys probably know by now that I love my hidden veggie pasta sauces – Hidden Veggie Tomato Sauce, Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese – I love sneaking veggies into unsuspecting meals!
But sometimes I just need a super simple basic tomato sauce that I can whip up in a few minutes on a busy weeknight.
This Simple Spaghetti Sauce ticks all those boxes. It’s made with just a few simple store cupboard ingredients that I always have to hand, along with some fresh veggies.
It takes just a couple of minutes preparation time (just chopping the veggies really!) And the sauce can be left to cook in the time it takes to cook the spaghetti.
I mention in the recipe that the onions, carrots and celery need to be cut quite small.
This is to ensure that they cook in such a short time but it also makes them less noticeable to picky eaters!
I also mention that the capers should be chopped into halves or thirds. Again this prevents my fussy eaters from moaning about them but it also helps the delicious flavours to penetrate through the sauce as it cooks.
If you want to get ahead and prep for future meals then the sauce will keep in the fridge (in a sealed jar or container) for up to 3 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
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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Simple Tomato Spaghetti for Kids
Prep Time: 3 mins- Cook Time: 14 mins
- Total Time: 17 minutes
Yield: 4-6 1x
Category: Main Meal
Cuisine: Italian- Diet: Vegetarian
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Pin RecipeDescription
A super simple recipe for spaghetti and tomato sauce, perfect to whip up for a quick and easy kid-friendly meal!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- ½ tbsp oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, finely chopped
- 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
- 1–2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 tins (800g) chopped tomatoes
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 20 capers, cut in half or thirds
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the butter and oil to a pan and melt. Add in the onion and cook on a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until it starts to soften. Add the carrots, celery and garlic and fry for another couple of minutes, stirring regularly.
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes, dried oregano and chopped capers and mix well.
- Cook on a high simmer for 10-12 minutes before serving with cooked spaghetti. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Sophie says
Hi do you by any chance know where to purchase the bowls pictured? I have been looking for some good quality kid sized bowls like those. Kids loved this!
Vicky says
Hi Sophie, happy to hear your kids loved this! I purchased the bowls from my local hardware/gift shop. But I have seen similar in places like Dunelm and the Range.
Chalani says
Hi 2 tins (800g) is that 2 800g tins? Or in total 2 tins to 800g so like 400gx2???
Vicky says
Hi, 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes are used in this recipe.
I hope this helps. Enjoy!
Anonymous says
Lovely
★★★★★
Anonymous says
I love spaghetti
★★★★★
Tracy says
We have a very fussy 4 year old. She loved this sauce. It’s the first time she has eaten a sauce that hasn’t been blended. She helped make it. Which she also really enjoyed doing. We added a few mini beef meatballs. Thank you for sharing. One very delighted mother of a fussy 4 year old.
Ciara Attwell says
That’s brilliant Tracey, so glad she liked it!
Alissa says
Thank you! I don’t like marinara sauce very much, but I’ve been wanting some easy kid-friendly pasta sauce. This was great, and my 1 and 3 year olds liked it! It was even better the second day. Room temperature was good. I did add about 2 teaspoons of sugar so it wasn’t as acidic. I served it on abc pasta with shredded cheddar cheese and fresh pineapple chunks. The veggie prep took a little long, but I’m glad knowing they are eating vegetables. Thank you. We’ll be making this again for sure!
Ciara Attwell says
Thanks Alissa, so glad you enjoyed it!
Ben says
so quick to make and the kids really enjoyed it. Will make again.
★★★★★
Helen says
Love how easy this is. I sometimes add frozen vegetables to make it even easier!
★★★★★