Description
This Hidden Veggies Marinara Sauce is a flavorful tomato-based sauce that cleverly incorporates a variety of vegetables and white beans for added nutrition and protein without compromising taste. Perfect for pasta dishes, this sauce offers a smooth texture and rich flavor, thanks to sautéed veggies, garlic, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
Vegetables and Oil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2/3 cup diced white onion
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 5 large garlic cloves, minced
Other Ingredients
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 cup cooked white beans, rinsed and drained (Great Northern, cannellini, navy beans, etc.)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
- 1 cup (1 ounce) freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Sauté the veggies: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and carrot, sautéing while stirring occasionally for 4 minutes. Add the diced red bell pepper, zucchini, and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Continue sautéing for 5-8 minutes until the vegetables are tender and lightly caramelized around the edges. Then add the minced garlic and tomato paste, sautéing for another 2 minutes while stirring frequently to combine and develop flavors.
- Blend the sauce: Transfer the entire sautéed vegetable mixture to a blender. Add the cooked white beans, dried oregano, fine sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and ½ cup water. Purée until completely smooth, adding additional water if necessary to achieve your desired sauce consistency. Add the freshly grated Parmesan cheese and purée again until the cheese is smoothly incorporated.
- Serve or store: When serving with pasta, reserve at least ¼ cup of the starchy pasta cooking water for every cup of marinara. Add this reserved water to the sauce to thin it out and help it cling to the pasta. Leftover marinara can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months for future use. Enjoy!
Notes
- One batch of this sauce mixed with 1 pound of cooked pasta yields a very saucy pasta dish. Adjust the amount of sauce if you prefer a lighter coating.
- Adding pasta water when combining sauce and pasta improves texture and adherence.
- Leftover sauce freezes well and keeps flavor intact for up to 3 months.
