As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
Make your next meal even more nutritious by serving up an extra dose of veggies in this easy hidden veggie pasta sauce! It looks and tastes just like regular marinara sauce, but it’s loaded with a variety of vegetables for extra nutrients and fiber. Perfect for fussy eaters, but the whole family will love it too!
Pasta Sauce with Hidden Vegetables for Kids
Let’s face it—lots of kids aren’t big on eating their veggies. They often turn their noses up at the sight of broccoli and are reluctant to taste anything green.
While I still recommend exposing kids to vegetables in their whole form on a daily basis, it can be helpful to add extra veggies to sauces, soups and other dishes too. This will help ensure your kids get all of the nutrients their growing bodies need, while adding lots of extra flavor! That’s why I love this hidden veggie pasta sauce. It’s so versatile and even picky eaters will gobble it up!
For more tasty veggie-loaded sauces, try this roasted carrot pasta sauce too!
Why We Love This Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce
- Veggie-packed with six different types of veggies (onion, garlic, celery, carrot, bell peppers and crushed tomatoes)!
- Freezes well for easy meals any time
- Great for babies, toddlers, and kids of all ages
- Lower in sodium than storebought sauces
- Versatile topping to use over pasta, as a dipping sauce, or as a pizza sauce
Ingredient Notes
- Olive oil: Add a drizzle of olive oil to saute the veggies until tender enough to blend.
- Vegetables: Prepare a mixture of onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and red bell peppers.
- Crushed tomatoes: Look for a low sodium option if possible.
- Vegetable broth: You can use either veggie or chicken broth, but make sure it is low in sodium.
- Low-sodium white beans: For a creamy texture and extra fiber, iron and protein.
- Fresh basil leaves: Slice the leaves into thin slices.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: These are optional, but they add a concentrated tomato flavor that makes this hidden veggie sauce even tastier.
- Seasoning: Use a simple mixture of Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Skip the salt if making this sauce for babies.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan, over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the remaining vegetables (celery, carrots, red pepper) and cook, covered, over medium-low heat for around 20 minutes. Continually check and stir the vegetables to ensure that the vegetables don’t burn. They should be tender when pierced with a fork.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, broth, white beans, sun-dried tomatoes (if using) and basil. Stir until combined. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and allow to simmer for an additional 20 minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly and then transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. You may need to do it in batches. Taste and season with salt and pepper, to taste (skip the salt if making for baby).
- Allow to fully cool before pouring the sauce into containers or mason jars for storing.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
RECIPE TIPS
- The sun-dried tomatoes are optional, but highly recommended as they add the most delicious flavor to the sauce. If making this sauce just for baby, you may wish to skip them to reduce the overall sodium level of the sauce.
- If you prefer to not use the stove, you can also roast the vegetables with olive oil on a sheet pan in the oven until tender. Then transfer to a pot with the remaining ingredients, cook and blend!
- I like to make a big batch and freeze the extra for later!
Recipe FAQs
I find it’s best to cook the veggies down with the crushed tomatoes first to make sure they’re full of flavor and very tender. Then, blend the hidden vegetable sauce with an immersion blender, regular blender, or food processor until it’s nice and smooth. This is the best way to disguise the veggies, and it also makes the sauce so smooth and creamy.
The beans can be optional, but I highly recommend them! The extra veggies can make the sauce a little looser than normal, and the beans are a great way to get the right texture while also adding extra fiber, iron and protein. Use any type of white beans, like cannellini beans, to make sure the color doesn’t stand out in this veggie-loaded sauce.
There are lots of different vegetables that can be added to this hidden veg pasta sauce, but I recommend trying it with the veggies listed in the recipe card first. They naturally fit into the flavor of tomato sauce and will blend in better than other options. If that goes over well with your kids, you can try adding roasted mushrooms, some shredded zucchini, cauliflower, or other veggies based on your family’s preferences.
Storage Guidelines
- Store any leftover hidden vegetables pasta sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- For longer storage, place the chilled sauce in freezer bags and store for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before adding to your favorite pasta dishes.
How to Use this Pasta Sauce
Just like any jar of pasta sauce, you can use this hidden veggie tomato sauce in lots of different ways! Of course, you can use it instead of marinara sauce on your favorite pasta dishes, but it’s also great as a dipping sauce or a pizza sauce alternative on my Healthy Mini Pizzas or Homemade Pizza Rolls.
Recipe Variations
- Make it vegetarian: Use vegetable stock to make this pasta sauce completely plant-based.
- Add extra protein: After you prepare the sauce, you can pour it over browned ground meat for a marinara meat sauce.
- Shred some cheese: The salty, umami flavor of Parmesan cheese would taste wonderful in this sauce. Grate some into the sauce after blending for extra flavor.
Like it? Save this recipe for later!
More Similar Recipes
- Low Sodium Pizza Sauce Recipe
- Green Pasta Sauce Recipe
- Beef Pasta Hamburger Helper
- 4-Ingredient Pasta Salad
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 2 large celery stalks, finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth (vegetable or chicken)
- 1/2 cup canned low sodium white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes, drained (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste (optional) – I added about 1/4 teaspoon of each
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan, over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the remaining vegetables (celery, carrots, red pepper) and cook, covered, over medium-low heat for around 20 minutes. Continually check and stir the vegetables to ensure that the vegetables don't burn. They should be tender when pierced with a fork.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, broth, white beans, sun-dried tomatoes (if using) and basil. Stir until combined. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and allow to simmer for an additional 20 minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly and then transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. You may need to do it in batches. Taste and season with salt and pepper, to taste (skip the salt if making for baby).
- Allow to fully cool before pouring the sauce into containers or mason jars for storing.
Notes
- The sun-dried tomatoes are optional, but highly recommended as they add the most delicious flavor to the sauce. If making this sauce just for baby, you may wish to skip them to reduce the overall sodium level of the sauce.
- If you prefer to not use the stove, you can also roast the vegetables with olive oil on a sheet pan in the oven until tender. Then transfer to a pot with the remaining ingredients, cook and blend!
- I like to make a big batch and freeze the extra for later!
