A recipe with the WHOLE FAMILY in mind from your baby whose starting solids to the elderly loved one who needs nutrient dense meals. This recipe is a literal dream, a tomato sauce that is sugar-free and rich in flavor and nutrients! 
Nutrient Dense Tomato Sauce
Equipment
- Large Pot w/Lid
- Long Spatula or Spoon
- Handblender or Blender if using a blender, you must cool the sauce ingredients down completely before blending
- Storage containers or molds if using molds you'll need a cookie sheet so they have a surface to stay level on while in freezer
Ingredients
- 2 TBSP Avocado Oil sub olive oil if you'd like
- 1 Yellow or Sweet Onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper chopped
- 1 Orange Bell Pepper chopped
- 8-10 approx 1.5 lb Fresh Small Tomatoes I use Tomatoes on the vine (palm of hand size)
- 6-7 fresh basil leaves chopped
- 4-5 carrots I use rainbow carrots but any carrots will do, carrots are to help add a little sweetness
- 2.5 tsp salt I use salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 4 cans tomato sauce (15-16oz) short a can? sub with can of diced tomatoes
- 2 cups Fresh Spinach
Instructions
- Heat a Large Pot on stove to medium heat and add in Avocado Oil
- Add in onion, cook until onion looks translucent or they are soft
- add in garlic cloves, chopped bell peppers, sliced carrots. let it all get a chance to cook and become fragrant (you should be able to smell everything)
- add in fresh tomatoes and basil, salt and pepper and stir
- reduce heat to medium-low to simmer, add in cans of sauce and 1.5 cups of spinach and stir
- let the sauce remain at a simmer for 30 min with lid on slightly tilted to allow steam to come out of pot, stir every 5-10 min or so to make sure the sauce isn't sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning!
- If using a hand blender, blend tomato sauce contents in pot and allow to simmer for 10 more min with the lid off
- After those 10 min turn off the heat, add in remaining spinach and blend sauce one last time and serve over your favorite noodles or let cool and store in an airtight container in fridge for 3-5 days or freezer for up to 2 months
- * If using a blender add all spinach in during first simmer and allow sauce to cool completely and then blend in a blender in small batches, then enjoy or store as previously stated above.
Notes
This Nutrient dense tomato sauce can be used in chili, hamburger helper recipes, lasagna and homemade pizza sauces. It can be frozen into little molds for busy parents to melt quickly onto noodles for little ones starting solids. I’m telling you this recipe is more than just another tomato sauce but a versatile cooking experience and a helpful hack for meal prepping as it is made in a big batch to make dinner that much easier!
Now if you are looking for breakfast ideas definitely checkout my French Toast recipe, simple and easy and made by big hands loved by little hearts.
P.S. This is the hand blender I use, we’ve had ours for over 5 years and it’s still going strong
Leave a Reply