Everything Crisper Pasta Sauce
The whole crisper drawer blitzed into one silky, secretly-loaded pasta sauce - with jars left over for future you.
Serves: 4-6, plus extra sauce for the fridge or freezer
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 onion
2 celery stalks
2 carrots
200g pumpkin
1 beetroot
100g spinach
3 garlic cloves, SMASHED
olive oil, a splash
400g canned tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 tablespoons basil butter (100g of butter and 1 big handful of basil blended till speckly green)
1 parmesan rind
2 cups water
dollop of cream (optional)
500g pasta (of your choice)
salt and pepper, to taste
grated parmesan, to serve
METHOD
Chop the onion, carrots, celery, pumpkin and beetroot into small pieces.
Heat a large pot over medium heat and add a splash of oil. Saute the chopped vegetables and garlic until they start to soften.
Add the canned tomatoes, oregano, thyme, basil butter, parmesan rind and water to the pot. Stir well to combine.
Cover the pot and let the sauce simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
Once the vegetables are soft, remove the parmesan rind.
Use a stick blender to blend the sauce until smooth. Be careful when blending hot liquids.
This will make a lot! Remove about half to three-quarters into jars for another day.
If using, stir in a dollop of cream to add richness.
Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions until al dente. Reserve some pasta water before draining.
Add the cooked pasta and a splash of pasta water to the sauce. Stir well to combine.
Serve hot, topped with freshly ground black pepper and a sprinkle of grated parmesan.
HINTS
This sauce is excellent as a soup, a pizza topping, a lasagne sauce, for braising meats in... etc! Keep for a week in the fridge or freeze in smaller batches for an instant vege hit.
For extra flavour, roast the vegetables in the oven before adding them to the sauce.
Experiment with different herbs and spices (curry powder and coconut cream!!) to customise the sauce to your liking.
NUTRITION (per recipe total, serves 4-6 including full sauce batch - guide only):
Energy: approximately 11300kJ (2705 calories)
Protein: 80g
Fat: 70g
Saturated fat: 32g
Carbohydrates: 415g
Sugars: 45g
Fibre: 30g
Sodium: 1500mg
This nutrition information is a guide only and may vary depending on brands, exact quantities, and ingredient substitutions used.