Sneaky Vegetable Tomato Sauce
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This makes a big batch of sauce, which you can freeze!
Author: North American Olive Oil Association
Recipe type: Sauce
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: about 30 servings
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups peeled and diced eggplant
- 1 cup minced onion
- 1 cup minced carrot
- 1 cup minced celery
- 2 to 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 3 quarts canned crushed tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes)
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil cut in long, thin strips
- 1 to 2 dry bay leaves
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large (5-quart or bigger) thick-bottomed pot, heat the extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the eggplant, onion, carrot, celery and garlic, and sauté gently (not browning the vegetables or garlic) until the vegetables start to become tender.
- Add the tomatoes, herbs and bay leaves. Simmer, uncovered, for about 1 hour.
- Remove the bay leaves.
- Puree the mixture (a stick blender works great) until all vegetables are hidden in the tomato sauce.
- Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
- Refrigerate and use this sauce to make quick meals, such as dairy-free pizzas. Freeze any unused sauce in smaller portions for future use.
Notes
Salt & Sodium Notes: The level of sodium will depend on the salt in your crushed tomatoes and how much salt is added. This is a big batch, so you will likely need a fair amount of salt to balance the flavors. The amount needed varies by the amount in the tomatoes and the taste of your ingredients (the more in season and ripe, the more flavorful). Season until the flavors pop.
Acidity Note: The carrot helps to balance the acidity, but if your tomatoes still taste too acidic in the end sauce, you can add just a little honey or sugar to help neutralize it. Some people prefer to add a pinch of baking soda instead of sweetener, but too much baking soda can lend an acrid taste. Use caution!
Acidity Note: The carrot helps to balance the acidity, but if your tomatoes still taste too acidic in the end sauce, you can add just a little honey or sugar to help neutralize it. Some people prefer to add a pinch of baking soda instead of sweetener, but too much baking soda can lend an acrid taste. Use caution!
Nutrition Information
Serving size: about ½ cup Calories: 74 Fat: 3.4g Saturated fat: .5g Carbohydrates: 9.3g Sugar: 6.2g Sodium: 198mg Fiber: 3.7g Protein: 2.6g
Recipe by Go Dairy Free at https://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/sneaky-vegetable-tomato-sauce