This is an easy recipe that keeps well in the fridge, so you can make it on Sunday and eat it on Monday or Tuesday without it losing any flavor. High in beta carotene, vitamins A, C & K, antioxidants, flavonoids, potassium and fiber it packs a pretty good punch nutritionally. Since onions and carrots have a decent shelf life, it is a great recipe to whip up if you’re out of ideas or time. My kids never suspected that there was anything different about this sauce and so it was a great way to get some veggies in them without hearing any complaints. It also works really well with Zucchini or Eggplant Parmesan.
Make 4 cups of sauce
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups of chopped onions
- 1 ½ cups thinly sliced carrot
- 1-2 tsp of minced fresh garlic
- 1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes, undrained (in their own juices- not in puree)
- 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped basil or 1 tbsp of dried
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ tsp of salt & ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 pound of cooked spaghetti, linguini or capellini
Garnish:
- A few basil leaves for garnish
- Fresh Parmesan cheese
- Optional- Red pepper flakes if you like it a bit spicy
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Directions
- Heat oil in a large skillet and add onions, carrots and garlic and saute over medium-low heat until very tender. Do not allow to brown.
- Stir in remaining ingredients, except pasta and garnishes.
- Simmer over low heat, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. It should be moving a bit but don’t cook it too fast or it will dry out.
- Remove the Bay leaf- very important!
- Pour sauce, in batches, into a food processor* and puree into a very creamy consistency. Be careful- sauce will be very hot!
- Return to the pan and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
- Serve over pasta.
- Garnish with basil leaves and fresh Parmesan cheese**
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Notes:
If you are making this for young children, make sure you really puree it into a very creamy consistency- if they can see the carrots it may not go over well. If it is for adults, you can leave some chunks in it.
*I like to use a handheld blender; it is such an amazing kitchen tool. It’s magical. Here is the link for the one I purchased on Amazon. By the way- if you know someone that cooks a lot- this is the perfect gift. Cusinart Smart Stick on Amazon
** I like to use fresh cheese; it’s easy to keep because it lasts a very long time in the fridge. Put a chunk of parmesan cheese on a plate with a hand grater. The kids love to grate their own cheese and it tastes much better!
© 2013 InnerMom
Judy Banks, Chopra Certified Meditation Instructor, Holistic Health Coach
All right reserved- Reproduce with Permission only
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