One of the reasons you won’t find vegetables masqueraded in my meatloaf or disguised in my dinners is that I want my kids knowing that vegetables rock and will help their bodies grow every day.
If you’re the parent of a challenging eater, this Veggie-Heavy Pizza Sauce is for you. It’s basically a variety of pureed vegetables, but it tastes just like the sauce you get at your favorite pizzeria. While it’s right at home on top of crisp pizza dough, it’s also perfect on pasta, rice, or even quinoa.
There’s no need to sneak with this pizza sauce. Instead, tell your kids that not only is this the most tangy, tasty sauce ever, but it also happens to be made entirely from veggies! Knowledge is power, and I say that it also happens to be delicious!
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Two 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes, drained
1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the pepper, carrot, celery, onion, and garlic and sauté until the veggies are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
2. Add the tomatoes, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and puree the mixture with an immersion hand blender (or in a regular blender) until almost smooth.
4. Return the sauce to the heat and simmer 10 to 20 minutes, until thick. The longer you simmer this sauce, the thicker and more flavorful it will become. You can simmer it for up to 2 hours—just be careful to stir it often to make sure it doesn’t scorch.
5. Serve the sauce on Homemade Pizza Your Way, Pizza Bagel Bites, pasta, rice, or anything you like!
CRYSTAL: I’ve been searching high and low for an easy but delicious wheat pizza crust recipe. Your white wheat pizza crust fit the bill. It’s the best we’ve ever had! The Veggie-Heavy Pizza Sauce to go with it . . . yum . . . I could eat it with a spoon! Thank you for sharing your recipes. They have seriously changed my life.
NICOLE: I absolutely love the pizza sauce! It’s so easy to make and I freeze portions, which come in handy during the week. We love homemade pizza, and it’s wonderful to have this healthy sauce on hand!