Veg Loaded Tomato Sauce

Veg-Loaded Tomato Sauce

Got odds and ends of veggies hanging around you need to use up?  This is the perfect solution.

This sauce is loaded to the max with veggies, and it is great to make a big batch so you can freeze some and take out a portion when you need it.  It is the perfect sauce to use to make mince dishes like spaghetti Bolognese and chilli to enjoy with nachos.  It also doubles as the perfect healthy pizza sauce.

This is how I made the sauce this time, but quantities are very flexible, adding in any veg you have and leaving out any that you don’t!

Ingredients (yields approx 8 cups)   
Prep time: 15 mins | Cooking time: 30-40 mins 

• 8 cloves of garlic

• 3 large onions

• 3 sticks of celery

• 3 carrots

• 2 courgettes (optional)

• 1 orange kumara

• 1 broccoli stalk (optional)

• 2 tbsp dried oregano

• 6 tbsp tomato puree

• 4 cans of tomatoes

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 2 tbsp oil for cooking

• Seasoning

• Optional: Splash of red wine

How to make:

1. Firstly, prep the vegetables ready to blend them up:
   Onions - peel and chop into quarters
   Celery - chop each stick into 4-6 pieces
   Carrots – peel and chop into 4-6 pieces
   Courgettes (if using) – remove the top and bottom and cut each into 6 pieces
   Kumara – peel and chop into 3cm cubes
   Broccoli stem – throw away the woody outer layer, keeping the inner soft flesh of the stem.

2. Add the vegetables and garlic cloves to your food processor (you may need to do this in a couple of batches, depending on the size of the bowl in your food processor) and blend into small chunks. I use my Kenwood Food processor for this.

3. Heat the oil in a large pan (ideally non-stick) and add the blended vegetables, and cook over a medium heat until they start to soften.

4. Add tomato paste and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring all the time.

5. Add the canned tomatoes, sugar, oregano, seasoning and a splash of wine if you are using it and cook for 20-30 minutes. Allow to cool.

6. Add the sauce back into the food processor and blend until smooth. You may need to do this in batches. Alternatively, you can blend in the saucepan with a hand blender. The Kenwood Triblade is ideal.

How to make by hand:

1. Chop all the vegetables into 2-3cm chunks and roughly chop the garlic cloves.

2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan (ideally non-stick) and add the vegetables, and cook over a medium heat until they start to soften.

3. Add tomato paste and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring all the time.

4. Add the canned tomatoes, sugar, oregano, seasoning and a splash of wine if you are using it and cook for 30-40 minutes or until all the veggies are very soft. Allow to cool.

5. Blend until smooth in the saucepan with a hand blender. The Kenwood Triblade is ideal.

Nutrition approx per cup:
655 kJ | 156 kcals
21g Carbohydrate | 17g of which Sugars
4.2g Fat | 0.8g of which Saturated
4.7g Protein | 7.2g Fibre | 70mg Sodium