Veggie Pasta Sauce (6 Different Veggies) - Healthy Little Foodies (2024)

Pasta sauces, like many meals that have a sauce base, are a great way to up the vegetable intake of your child's meal. This Hidden Veg Pasta Sauce is loaded with six different vegetables and blended smooth, making it perfect for picky eaters or kids with textural issues.

Although I strongly believe children should be continually exposed to vegetables in their whole form, I also understand the value of "hidden" (or as I like to think of it, "boosted") veggie dishes. If fact, I've written more about my thoughts on this topic on a seperate post - Should We Hide Vegetables in Our Kid's Food.

This Veggie Pasta Sauce is great for boosting your family's veggie intake. It is very versatile and doesn't need to be limited to just pasta dishes. You can make a large batch, store in the freezer, and use it to increase the veggie content of a variety of meals. Try it as a pizza sauce, or substitute it for passata or chopped tomatoes in dishes like this baby bolognese, fruity chicken curry or this mild chili con carne.

Reasons to Love this Sauce

• Nutrition: A lot of commercial pasta sauces have added sugar and are high in salt. Although they are convenient and easy for busy weeknights this sauce is a much healthier alternative. For full nutritional gain, we want to eat a wide variety of vegetables. This sauce adds the nutritional goodness of six different vegetables along with chopped tomatoes.
• Flavour & Texture: Vegetables actually add a lot of flavourtodishes but some children struggle with their texture. Blending them allows the flavoursto be enjoyed without the "bits."
• Freezer Friendly: Hidden Veg Pasta Sauce stores really well. You can make a big batch, say once a month, and freeze it in portions. I usually leave a jar in the fridge, to use that week, and then freeze the remaining sauce in zip lock bags.
• Customisable: You don't have to stick religiously to the recipe. You can swap the veggies depending what you have available and you can enhance the flavour with your favourite fresh herbs (such as basil).
• Stepping Stone to Enjoying Veggies: This veggie pasta sauce can be a stepping stone to children accepting vegetables. Parents can explain what vegetables are in the sauce or, even better, kids can help make it and see that vegetables can be a good thing.

Video Tutorial

Ingredient Information (With Alternative Suggestions)

For the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Vegetables: I've added a range of veggies to the pasta sauce but you don't have to be too rigid with the amounts and can play around with the veggies you add. Some other suggestions include parsnip, celeriac, mushrooms, squash or spinach. Do bear in mind that the vegetables you use will change the flavour and colour of your veggie sauce.
• Italian Herbs: Added for flavour, You can skip or replace with dried oregano. Alternatively, you can add fresh herbs, such as basil, at the end of cooking.
• Crushed Tomatoes: Use crushed, diced or even whole canned tomatoes. Pasatta also works great. Note that the quality of canned tomatoes can vary considerably between brands. Some cheaper brands can taste quite acidic and they will affect the overall taste of your sauce. See FAQs on ways to help rectify an acidic taste the tomatoes may give the sauce.
• Stock/Broth: Chicken or vegetable stock/broth works well. It helps thin out the sauce, the stock adds more flavour but you can replace it with water if you are trying to reduce sodium levels.

Step-by-Step Instructions & Cooking Tips

Heat a large saucepan (big enough to hold the large amount of veggies) over a medium heat. Add the oil, onions, garlic and herbs and sauté until the onions are softened.

Add the remaining chopped vegetables and cook on low heat, covered, for around 20 mins. Don't try to rush/skip this step. Taking your time to soften the vegetables really helps add sweetness and depth of flavour to the sauce.

Add crushed tomatoes and stock, bring to a boil and then simmer gently, uncovered, for a further 20 minutes. The sauce should have reduced a little.

Allow your veggie pasta sauce to cool slightly before blending smooth. You can use a hand-held blender or a high-speed blender. I find the blender produces a smoother sauce but I need to do it in two batches (and I have a large blender).

Taste and season will salt and pepper as needed. (Remove baby/toddler portion first).

Storage Instructions

• Refrigerate: Cool the sauce quickly and add to an airtight container, like a mason jar. Store for up to a week in the refrigerator.
• Freeze: Cool the sauce quickly and portion it out into freezable containers/bags. Zip-lock bags work well, as they can be flattened to remove air and don't take up much space. Freeze for up to 3 months.
  For babies/toddlers, freeze the sauce in large ice cube tray until solid, then transfer to a zip-lock bag for convenient portioning and thawing.

Recipe FAQs

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