You know that sinking feeling when you realise you’re going to have to make a last minute dash to the local convenience shop with a tired, grumpy toddler on a hot day? Yeah that. Sausage meatballs were sizzling in the pan, I went to find the chopped tomatoes and…the cupboard was bare! But in a sudden moment of steely resolve, I decided I don’t need those big, corporate tomato choppers! I can chop my own tomatoes, and better, too!
Last-Minute Pasta Sauce
I pretty much used whatever veg I could lay my hands on. On this occasion, that included:
2 slightly squishy tomatoes
3 peppers – red and yellow
1 courgette
1 tbsp tomato puree (not technically veg, but still)
Dice your vegetables and add them to the blender, along with the tomato puree and a little water, and blend. You can leave it chunky or leave the blender running for a little longer to get a smoother sauce. If you have a hand blender, then I would soften the vegetables in a pan first of all, and add a little water just before blending.
This made plenty of sauce and we now have a jar in the fridge for another day. It’s also great way to get a bit more veg into your kids if they’re not keen!
Recipe for Sausage and Veggie Sauce Pasta
1 jar of Veggie Sauce (above)
6 sausages
1 onion, diced
A handful of fresh basil, chopped
1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Red wine (as much as you like. Ideally have a glass on the go while you’re cooking.)
- Sauté the onions in a little oil. While they are cooking, squeeze the sausage meat out of the sausages and separate into smaller pieces – 4 or 5 per sausage. These don’t need to be neat. Add them to the pan and fry until browned.
- Add your veggie sauce follower by the balsamic vinegar, basil and wine, and stir. Allow to simmer gently for around twenty minutes, adding a little water if it begins to get too thick.
- Serve with pasta of your choice, and grated cheese.
Enjoy!
There’s no better feeling than when you’ve made something out of nothing, especially when you’ve avoided a dash to the shops! This looks really easy but really nice and healthy too #FoodieFriday
Thanks!
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm this looks really good and heathy, sneaky veg is also a winner in my book I can definitely see me making this in the near future especially with the sausages!
This is exactly what we do, I blend soups as well and they love it. So Much goodness for them.
Oooo what a clever idea!! Id never have thought of doing that!! Thanks for the tip!!
Thanks for linking to #foodiefriday!