Nutrient-Loaded Pizza Sauce (that actually tastes good!)

PW has been begging me to make this sauce again.  I made it once–about 2 years ago.  It is labor intensive but sooo worth it.  A way to get veggies in while giving in to your pizza craving.  If you didnt make it yourself, you would have no idea that it is filled with all these nutrients and anti-oxidants!

It can include any veggie that you want.  I did a mix of onion, green pepper, spinach, summer squash, zucchini, broccoli, garlic, and carrots.  I dont mess around when it comes to vegetables!

 

Other things you will need:

3 cans tomato sauce, or you could go the whole/diced/chopped tomato route.

1 large can tomato paste

blender

salt/pepper

(a food processor will make things easier too!)

This recipe makes 10 cups of pizza sauce, which I freeze in pizza sized portions.

 

First things first, get to work on the star of the show.  Steam all your vegetables except garlic/onions.  I did it in three batches according to how long it would take to steam.  (If you are not using a food processor, make sure to cut up your veggies small so your blender can smooth them out later!)

Batch 1: Broccoli, Batch 2: pepper/zucchini/squash, Batch 3: Carrots, and added spinach last 2 minutes

While those are steaming away, chop your onion and 3 cloves garlic then saute in a sauce pan with a tablespoon of olive oil until soft and translucent .

When veggies are soft, throw them in the food processor, they will form a delicious smelling, pesto-like substance.

 

 

Mix the veggie smush, the 3 cans sauce,  and 1 can tomato paste into the pan with onions/garlic and let simmer.  Add salt/pepper to taste at this point.

 

 

Let simmer for about half an hour with the cover on to let all the flavors meld together, then take off the heat and let cool.

Last step, and this is crucial, you have to put the sauce through the blender so it’s nice and smooth.

 

 

Once blended, you are left with the most delicious pizza sauce you’ve ever tasted.  And it is EXCEPTIONALLY healthy to boot!

 

 

I am currently using this sauce to make PW his pre-long ride pizza, toppings include caramelized onions and garlic chicken sausage (pictures of that to come in the next entry).