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    You are at:Home»Dairy-Free Recipes»Sneaky Vegetable Tomato Sauce (for Pizza, Pasta & More)

    Sneaky Vegetable Tomato Sauce (for Pizza, Pasta & More)

    9
    By Alisa Fleming on July 20, 2015 Dairy-Free Recipes, Sauces

    Who couldn’t use more recipes packed with produce? This sneaky vegetable tomato sauce may look like an ordinary red sauce, but it’s packed with a bushel of healthy ingredients. To add richness, the recipe starts with olive oil, which I wouldn’t be tempted to omit. Not only does it enhance the flavor, but studies have also shown that your body absorbs nutrients from greens and other vegetables better when they are consumed with a monounsaturated fat.

    Sneaky Vegetable Tomato Sauce plus a quick & easy recipe for grilled pizza slices (dairy-free, vegan, optionally gluten-free). The sauce is a summer staple, filled with fresh produce, naturally paleo, and made without top allergens.This sneaky vegetable tomato sauce recipe and photos were shared with us by www.aboutoliveoil.org.

    Enjoy this sneaky vegetable tomato sauce on just about any Italian-inspired meal, including easy grilled dairy-fee pizza bread. Simply brush 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick slices of your favorite crusty bread (wheat or gluten-free) witholive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Grill the bread until lightly crisp on each side and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Top each slice with the sneaky vegetable tomato sauce (recipe below), sprinkle with dairy-free cheese alternative sheds (I’m loving Follow Your Heart’s new formula right now), and then add any other toppings desired (fresh herbs, olives, etc.). Bake at 350ºF for about 5 miniutes, or until the cheese alternative is melty (may vary by brand).

    And as an added bonus, the olive oil people shared this very cool butter to oil conversion chart! However, if converting for baking, use caution. These conversions may work well in cakes and muffins, but not so well in chewier or flakier baked goods like cookies and bars. In those cases, I use half the amount of oil to butter and add liquid (such as dairy-free milk beverage) as needed to get the right consistency.

    Easy Butter to Olive Oil conversion chart plus a versatile Sneaky Vegetable Tomato Sauce Recipe.

    Special Diet Notes: Sneaky Vegetable Tomato Sauce

    By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan / plant-based, vegetarian, paleo and generally top food allergy-friendly.

    Sneaky Vegetable Tomato Sauce
     
    Print
    Prep time
    15 mins
    Cook time
    70 mins
    Total time
    1 hour 25 mins
     
    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
    1. 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.
    2. Add the tomatoes, herbs and bay leaves. Simmer, uncovered, for about 1 hour.
    3. Remove the bay leaves.
    4. Puree the mixture (a stick blender works great) until all vegetables are hidden in the tomato sauce.
    5. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
    6. 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!
    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
    3.5.3229
    Alisa Fleming
    • Website

    Alisa is the founder of GoDairyFree.org, Food Editor for Allergic Living magazine, and author of the best-selling dairy-free book, Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living, and the new cookbook, Eat Dairy Free: Your Essential Cookbook for Everyday Meals, Snacks, and Sweets. Alisa is also a professional recipe creator and product ambassador for the natural food industry.

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    9 Comments

    1. SusanJane on January 26, 2023 5:25 pm

      Um… Serves: 1 serving… Not great with math. How many does this recipe serve and what is the serving size? Thank you.

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on January 27, 2023 11:34 am

        Well, with such a nice compliment, I’ve updated the recipe and calculated the nutrition facts, too.

        Reply
        • SusanJane on January 27, 2023 3:35 pm

          I’m the one that’s bad at math. In fact, I assumed it was some computer error, not a person error. Wow. 30 servings?? I’m still going to have to do the math. With only two people my freezer would be full for an eon with 30 servings. Still going to make it, I’ll keep the ratios and figure it out.

          Reply
          • Alisa Fleming on January 27, 2023 4:03 pm

            Haha, yes, it’s a BIG batch. Here’s a 1/4 batch that is more manageable for a 2 person household:
            2 tablespoons olive oil
            ½ cup diced eggplant
            ¼ cup each minced onion, carrot, and celery
            1 garlic clove
            1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
            ½ teaspoon thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried tynme
            ½ tablespoon fresh basil or ½ teaspoon dried basil
            1 bay leaf
            Salt and pepper to taste

            Reply
    2. Laura @MotherWouldKnow on July 21, 2015 6:30 am

      I love this type of tomato sauce – so much better than the stuff in jars! This goes back to the old fashioned sauce championed by Marcella Hazan and home cooks, packed with fresh veggies.

      Reply
    3. chrysta@noshed on July 20, 2015 7:44 pm

      This is such an awesome way to load up on a ton of fresh vegetables. Plus I love that you can freeze it and reuse for later. Makes for such a quick and healthy sauce for any meal!

      Reply
    4. cristina on July 20, 2015 7:33 pm

      This tomato sauce is brilliant and appropriately named “sneaky” – luv it! Nice way to add fresh produce goodness in a sauce when cooking for otherwise picky eaters. Must be so flavorful! 😉

      Reply
    5. Debra @ Bowl Me Over on July 20, 2015 7:16 pm

      Loving this recipe, I bet it would freeze great!

      Reply
    6. Kristina on July 20, 2015 7:15 pm

      I LOVE this idea! kids or not, we all need the extra sneaky veggies sometimes. and that pizza bread??! oh my…

      Reply

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