Red fruits and vegetables are coloured by a natural plant pigment called lycopene. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that can help reduce the risk of cancer and keep our hearts healthy. 

Veggie Pasta Sauce

A delicious vegetable pasta sauce made with six different vegetables. Perfect for picky eaters or just a great way to add more veg to your family's diet. No added salt or sugar. Great for a pasta sauce or for topping pizzas. It can also be used to replace tomato sauce in most recipes. Note: This recipe makes A LOT of sauce. (Around 2.6kg which is roughly the equivalent of 6-7 commercial jars of pasta sauce.) It’s ideal to freeze the remaining sauce for quick and easy weeknight meals, or if you prefer, halve or even quarter the recipe. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tsps dried mixed Italian herbs
• 3 celery stalks, trimmed and finely chopped
• 2 leeks, trimmed and finely chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 capsicums (bell peppers), finely chopped
• 1 large zucchini (courgette), finely chopped
• 1.6kg (4 x 400g cans) chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste (tomato puree)

METHOD:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan, over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and mixed herbs and stir for a couple of minutes. 

• Add the remaining vegetables (celery, leeks, carrots, capsicum, zucchini) and cook, covered, for around 20 minutes. Continually check and stir the vegetables, you want them to soften but not burn. 

• Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and stock or water.  Stir until combined. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and allow to simmer for a further 20 mins. 
• Allow to cool slightly and then blend until smooth, using a stick blender, food processor or blender. You may have to do this in batches due to the volume of sauce. 
• Allow to fully cool before pouring the sauce into containers/zip lock bags for storing or freezing.