Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion (diced)

2 celery ribs (diced)

2 carrots (peeled and diced)

1 red bell pepper (diced)

1 zucchini (diced)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

salt (to taste)

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce

4 cups pasta (any shape you like)

grated parmesan cheese (for garnish, optional)

Directions

Warm the olive oil in a large pan with high sides over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, bell pepper, and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are translucent, about 10 minutes.

Season to taste with salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low.

Stir in the garlic and add the tomato sauce. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pan with a lid, leaving a small opening on the side, and let simmer, about 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and carefully add the mixture to a blender. Blend on high speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

In the meantime, cook your pasta of choice in boiling salted water until al dente. I used half of my sauce and added the cooked pasta to it with a touch of the pasta water.

Garnish with parm, if using, and enjoy. I reserved the remaining sauce for the week but you can use it all up if you are a family of 4 or 5 as this recipe makes a lot of sauce.

Nutrition

• Calories: 341 kcal
• Total Fat: 8 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
• Sodium: 465 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 58 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5 g
• Total Sugars: 9 g
• Protein: 10 g