dinner

Hide-Your-Veggies Spaghetti Sauce

Hide-Your-Veggies Spaghetti Sauce is a simple twist on traditional sauce, combining spicy Italian sausage with veggies in a fragrant tomato base.
Trick-or-treating is hard work! By the time you bundle everyone up in a warm layer, stuff them inside their costumes, take pictures for Grandma and head out the door to traipse through the neighborhood, you’re ready for a nap. And those cute little legs on your dinosaur and witch get tired, too!

So, here’s a recipe to help you load up on carbs and give the whole family an energy boost before the candy fest begins! Hide-Your-Veggies Spaghetti Sauce is exactly that….carrots, zucchini, mushrooms and celery disguised as a perfectly plain, simple sauce for your noodles. Even your food on Halloween wears a costume! SSShhhhhh….the kids will never know what’s in there!

The great thing about this recipe is its versatility and ease. Add any veggies you want…yellow squash, leeks, turnips…Be creative! This is your chance to sneak in an extra helping of veggies that some kids just won’t eat on their own. Make a ginormous batch, cool it down and freeze it in ziplocs for quick meals throughout the winter. I always write on my ziplocs the contents, date made and portion amounts, so I’m not guessing how many mouths I can feed come January. And, hey, be the coolest mom on the planet Halloween night by serving it up in a jack-o-lantern!

Hide-Your-Veggies Spaghetti Sauce is a simple twist on traditional sauce, combining spicy Italian sausage with veggies in a fragrant tomato base.

Hide-Your-Veggies Spaghetti Sauce

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 60 minutes

Yield: 8-10

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 2 carrots, peeled
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 1 small zucchini
  • 1 lb. spicy Italian sausage
  • 1 lb. mild Italian sausage
  • 1 cup mushrooms
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil or 2 tsp. dried
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley or 1 tsp. dried
  • 1/4 cup fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried
  • 2 tsp. sugar
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 15-oz. cans tomato sauce
  • 1 15-oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 15-oz. can Italian-style stewed tomatoes

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in pan.
  2. Finely dice onion, carrots, celery and zucchini and add to pan.
  3. Saute until almost soft, 5-10 minutes.
  4. Add sausage and cook until no longer pink.
  5. Add mushrooms, herbs, sugar and salt and pepper and cook until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes.
  6. Add tomato sauce and tomatoes, combine well and simmer 20-30 minutes.
  7. Adjust seasonings as needed.

Notes

*Be creative with the vegetables you add to this recipe!

*If you don't like spicy sauce, just use 2 lbs. mild Italian sausage.

*This recipe can easily be doubled, tripled or more. Make a huge batch and freeze portions for future meals.

https://www.kiwiandcarrot.com/hide-your-veggies-spaghetti-sauce/

Wondering what we’re going to do with our extra Halloween candy? Check out this recipe!

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2 Comments

  • Reply AiPing | Curious Nut November 17, 2015 at 11:51 pm

    I love the idea of veggies in spaghetti sauce not because I don’t eat ’em but because the sauce becomes so much heartier. 🙂

  • Reply Elizabeth November 18, 2015 at 7:22 am

    Aiping, we agree with you! Veggies are delicious almost everywhere, and this sauce does become super hearty when you include them. Hope you love it!

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