Veggie Packed Pasta Sauce

This Veggie Packed Pasta Sauce is a staple in our menu. Made regularly and a super simple way to create a hearty sauce that the entire family will love.

I made this easy pasta sauce for my sister once. She refuses to not talk about it whenever we get together. And that is saying a lot because, truth be told, she is a better cook than me.

But I dominate when it comes to baking. So I feel like it’s ok to admit this one tiny flaw.

This sauce uses a spicy Italian sausage, tomatoes, and a mountain of vegetables to get it’s bold flavor. The slow cook simmer gives it time for all of the flavors to blend together into perfection. It’s dinner gold.

Recipe Features:

• Freezer Friendly: Make it in advance and keep it in the freezer for a quick weekday dinner idea!
• Slow-Cooker Meal: Yes! You can make this in the slow cooker!
• Easy to Customize: Swap the sausage for beef or even ground chicken!

What You Need:

We love to use Italian sausage (sweet mild if the babe is going to be eating and spicy if it’s just for me and my hubby) but really you can even use regular hamburger. Once you have chosen your meat it’s time to get things rolling.

Here’s what you need for this chunky vegetable pasta sauce:

• Beef: Your choice here!
• Onions and garlic
• Tomatoes: Canned and a little sauce
• Veggies of your choice. Our favorites are listed in the recipe card below.

Looking for another quick and easy dinner idea? Try my Vegetable Lo Mein!

Step by Step Instructions:

Making a vegetable pasta sauce is actually fairly simple. Most of the work will come with chopping or dicing the vegetables. Once that is done you only have to worry about browning the beef!

1. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the sausage, onions, and garlic. Cook until the meat is browned, roughly 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, zucchini, carrots, sugar, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook on low heat for at least one hour or until the veggies are soft.
3. Optional: Use an immersion blender to get a smoother finished sauce.

Tips and FAQs:

This is honestly the easiest tomato sauce with fresh vegetables. I am all about getting dinner together in a reasonable amount of time so that I can focus on other things. Here are a few tips to help you along your cooking journey:

Do I have to let this Veggie Packed Pasta Sauce simmer for a full hour?

Yes. This helps to cook the vegetables and allows the sauce to cook down and condense the flavor.

How to freeze pasta sauce:

1. Allow the cooked sauce to cool completely.
2. Transfer to quart sized zip top bags.
3. Label and freeze solid.

This sauce will last up to 6 months if frozen properly!

Related Recipes:

• Cajun Chicken Pasta
• Homemade Alfredo
• Simple Lasagna
• Spaghetti Meat Sauce
• Ranch Chicken Stuffed Shells

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