Veggie Loaded Homemade Tomato Sauce

A staple you should always have in your fridge or freezer is tomato sauce. This Veggie Loaded Homemade Tomato Sauce is a flavorful, fresh and nutritious tomato sauce you must have on hand at all times. Made with fresh tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, fresh basil, aromatics, spices and herbs.

Veggie Loaded Homemade Tomato Sauce

It’s officially tomato and zucchini season and what better way to use up all those veggies than by making some Veggie Loaded Homemade Tomato Sauce. This sauce is pretty easy to make, gives a great conistency and is perfect to use in any pasta dishes, zoodles, or pizza. It’s a must to keep in the freezer and have access to it. Especially on those days that you need a quick dinner.

Freeze your tomato sauce in portions of 1-2 cups. Thaw out in the fridge or run under cold water for a few minutes. Throw on some pasta or zoodles for an easy dinner. I also love to use this sauce on homemade pizza or as a dip with certain dishes or appetizers. It adds so much flavor to any foods you add it to.

What you will love the most about this tomato sauce is that it is loaded with fresh veggies. Aside from the tomatoes, it also contains zucchini, mushrooms and onion. Adding much more of a nutritional value than any store-bought tomato or pasta sauce. This tomato sauce also doesn’t have any added sugar. Just fresh ingredietns that come together to make a delicious and flavorful sauce.

Ingredients needed to make Veggie Loaded Homemade Tomato Sauce:

• Fresh Tomatoes– Roma tomatoes are the best for sauce. However, you can use any tomatoes you like or have in-hand.
• Vegetables– Zucchini and cremini mushrooms.
• Aromatics– Yellow onion, and Garlic.
• Spices and Herbs– Fresh basil, pink sea salt, black pepper, dried oregano, and dried parsley.

Equipment needed to make Veggie Loaded Homemade Tomato Sauce:

• Large Pot– To cook the sauce in.
• Immersion Blender– So that you can blend the sauce right in the pot.

How to make Veggie Loaded Homemade Tomato Sauce:

• Step 1– Dice tomatoes, zucchini and onion, mince garlic cloves, thinly slice basil. 
• Step 2– In a large sauce pan, heat up olive oil on medium-high heat. Toss in garlic and onions and sauté until onions start to translucent. About 2 minutes. 
• Step 3– Stir in mushrooms and zucchini and continue to sauté until they start to cook through and soften. It will take 6-8 minutes. 
• Step 4– Toss tomatoes in and bring heat down to medium-low and allow to simmer. Tomatoes will start to reduce. 
• Step 5– Sprinkle salt, pepper, oregano, parsley and basil. Stir and continue to simmer until basil starts to wilt. 
• Step 6– Turn heat down to low and continue simmer for another 10 minutes. While sauce simmers, use an immersion blender to blend sauce until smooth consistency is reached (see note). Continue simmering on low heat for another 5 minutes. 
• Step 7– Remove sauce from heat. Allow to cool-off and pour into mason jars in desired portions. Refrigerate for up to 10 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

Tips and Substitutions:

1. If you don’t have an immersion blender– transfer sauce to a regular blender. Blend until smooth and transfer back to sauce pan.
2. Use any kind of tomatoes– Roma tomatoes are great since they are meaty and have little seeds. However, I also like using heirloom tomatoes when making this sauce in the summer. They are in abundance during this time of year.
3. Use more veggies– Add more veggies or switch them up. Carrots, celery, baby spinach, kale, red bell peppers, are all great in this sauce.

What to serve Veggie Loaded Homemade Tomato Sauce with:

• Chicken and Veggie Meatballs
• Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs (Gluten-Free)
• Baked Turkey Meatballs
• Eggplant Zucchini Fritters
• Spaghetti Squash Boats
• Baked Vegetarian Meatballs
• Kale Chicken Meatballs

Veggie Loaded Homemade Tomato Sauce FAQ’s:

What is the secret to good tomato sauce?

A couple of things you want to keep in mind when making tomato sauce.

1. Use good quality tomatoes– Use ripe and firm tomatoes with a bright color. Avoid using soft and mushy tomatoes that are going bad.
2. Add flavor– Use aromatics like garlic and onion. Make sure to add spices like oregano, Italian seasoning., parsley, sal and pepper. Make sure to use fresh basil for that rich and classic basil and tomato flavor.
3. Sauté aromatics and veggies first– This will caramelize the vegetables and aromatics brining out their flavors.
4. Add red wine– Adds depth to the favor.
5. Add cheese– Add some parmesan cheese for a richer and flavorful sauce.

What can I add to tomato sauce to make it richer?

Try adding some heavy cream or cashew milk (to keep it dairy-free). You can also add some parmesan cheese, butter or olive oil. A tablespoon of tomato paste will add thickness and texture to your sauce.

Why do people put vegetables in tomato sauce?

Fresh vegetables add more of a nutritional value to tomato sauce. It’s a great way to add hidden veggies to a meal. Especially for picky eaters. Fresh vegetables also add texture and body to tomato sauce.

Meal Prepping it:

This delicious tomato sauce is great for meal prep. You can use it on anything from pastas, zoodles, homemade pizza, or even a dip for garlic bread. Make a large batch and keep some in your freezer. It will come in handy whenever you have one of those days you don’t know what to make for dinner. Thaw some out and throw on some pasta with some veggies.

Freeze your sauce in portions so you only thaw out what you need. I usually freeze it in portions of 1-2 cups. You can thaw out in your fridge overnight, or run under cold water for a few minutes. Do not run cold/frozen glass under warm or hot water because it will make it shatter and ruin your sauce.

Storing Veggie Loaded Homemade Tomato Sauce:

Your tomato sauce will be best stored in a mason jar or any other air-tight container. The sauce will stay fresh in your fridge. Keep refrigerated for up to 4-5 days.

Freezing Veggie Loaded Homemade Tomato Sauce:

Freeze your sauce in mason jars. Just make sure you leave enough space on the top to allow the sauce to expand after it freezes. This will prevent the glass from breaking in your freezer. Mason jars usually have a line on the side, fill it up to there if freezing. Keep frozen for up to 6 months.

Like this Veggie Loaded Homemade Tomato Sauce? You may also like these other condiment recipes:

• Homemade Gluten-Free Gravy
• Pickled Red Onions
• Homemade Cranberry Sauce
• Easy Homemade Chimichurri Sauce
• Homemade Vegan Mayo

Print

Veggie Loaded Homemade Tomato Sauce

A staple you should always have in your fridge or freezer is tomato sauce. This Veggie Loaded Homemade Tomato Sauce is a flavorful, fresh and nutritious tomato sauce you must have on hand at all times. Made with fresh tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, fresh basil, aromatics, spices and herbs.

Course Condiments

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword Homemade Tomato Sauce

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 50 kcal

Author Angelica Arias

Ingredients

• 6 tomatoes
• 1 zucchini
• 2 cups sliced crimini mushrooms
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 1 yellow onion
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp pink salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Dice tomatoes, zucchini and onion, mince garlic cloves, thinly slice basil.

2. In a large sauce pan, heat up olive oil on medium-high heat. Toss in garlic and onions and sauté until onions start to translucent. About 2 minutes.

3. Stir in mushrooms and zucchini and continue to sauté until they start to cook through and soften. It will take 6-8 minutes.

4. Toss tomatoes in and bring heat down to medium-low and allow to simmer. Tomatoes will start to reduce.

5. Sprinkle salt, pepper, oregano, parsley and basil. Stir and continue to simmer until basil starts to wilt.

6. Turn heat down to low and continue simmer for another 10 minutes. While sauce simmers, use an immersion blender to blend sauce until smooth consistency is reached (see note). Continue simmering on low heat for another 5 minutes.

7. Remove sauce from heat. Allow to cool-off and pour into mason jars in desired portions. Refrigerate for up to 10 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

Recipe Notes

Tips and Substitutions:

1. 1. If you don’t have an immersion blender– transfer sauce to a regular blender. Blend until smooth and transfer back to sauce pan.
   2. Use any kind of tomatoes– Roma tomatoes are great since they are meaty and have little seeds. However, I also like using heirloom tomatoes when making this sauce in the summer. They are in abundance during this time of year.
   3. Use more veggies– Add more veggies or switch them up. Carrots, celery, baby spinach, kale, red bell peppers are all great in this sauce.

1.  

1.  

Nutrition Facts

Veggie Loaded Homemade Tomato Sauce

Amount per Serving

Calories

50

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

2

g

3

%

Saturated Fat

 

0.3

g

2

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

0.3

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Sodium

 

299

mg

13

%

Potassium

 

400

mg

11

%

Carbohydrates

 

7

g

2

%

Fiber

 

2

g

8

%

Sugar

 

4

g

4

%

Protein

 

2

g

4

%

Vitamin A

 

902

IU

18

%

Vitamin C

 

19

mg

23

%

Calcium

 

30

mg

3

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Number of total servings in estimated. Actual number of servings may vary depending on your own personal preference in portion sizes.

**Nutritional values shown are general guidelines for 1 serving using the ingredients listed above. These numbers do not reflect and may vary depending on substitutions, additions and/or different brands and/or other ingredients that may be used. 

**Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links and sponsored content. All the opinions are my own and I only recommend products I use in my own home with my own family.