Have a lot of tomatoes sitting on your counter that need to be used up before they go bad? That’s the situation I found myself in a few days ago. When we were up at my parents’ house for Labor Day, we were given lots of tomatoes!
Yeah, we kind of hit the jackpot of fresh produce while we were there! Having all of that fresh produce was great, but we couldn’t eat it fast enough!
I had found a way to use all of the beans, corn, and radishes, but I still needed a way to use the tomatoes and summer squash. I had never tried making my own spaghetti sauce, so I figured now was as good of time as any! 🙂
I love hearty spaghetti sauce that is loaded with veggies, so I set out to make a nice hearty sauce using the vegetables I had on hand. Those vegetables happened to be green peppers, carrots, and summer squash.
I guess I could say it was a success, because the first thing my husband said after taking a bite was, “This is going on the make again list, right?” 🙂
This sauce is plenty filling by itself and makes for a great meatless meal when paired with whole grain noodles. My husband didn’t even mind not having meat present!
Have a great weekend everyone, and if you have tomatoes that need to be used up, give this spaghetti sauce a try! 🙂
Chunky Garden Vegetable Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/4 Cup olive oil
- 1 Cup onion, coarsely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Cup carrots, coarsely chopped
- 1 Cup green pepper, coarsely chopped
- 1 Cup yellow summer squash, finely sliced and quartered
- 10 Cups tomatoes, washed and cut into chunks
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or medium stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat for two minutes. Add in the onion, garlic, carrots, green pepper, and summer squash. Cook until onions turn translucent and vegetables start to soften, about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Increase temperature to medium-high. Add tomatoes and spices. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil stirring occasionally. When sauce reaches a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. The longer you let it simmer the fewer chunks there will be. Stir occasionally to prevent any sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Remove from heat.
- Use sauce immediately or allow to cool completely before transferring sauce to freezer safe containers. Keep a container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks if you want to use the sauce shortly. Store the rest in the freezer.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 58Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 363mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 1g
Nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and may not always be accurate. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.
Nancy Mangels
Saturday 19th of August 2023
Does it get weird with tomato skin on?
Jessica@A Kitchen Addiction
Thursday 24th of August 2023
My family has found that the skin is hardly noticeable after such a long simmer. I do know that you can end up with some tomatoes that have pretty tough skins. If that is the case, you may want to remove the skins if you generally don't like the texture of skins.
Holly Stephens
Wednesday 30th of March 2022
Hi, I was wondering if you have ever canned this before? If so, how many pounds of pressure and for how long? Thanks
Jessica@A Kitchen Addiction
Friday 1st of April 2022
I'm sorry, but I have not tried canning this sauce.
Gwen Nottom
Saturday 22nd of August 2020
What a wonderful recipe!!! So glad I used it so very good thanks for sharing
SueEliz
Monday 28th of January 2019
We LOVE this sauce (and I'm an somewhat of a connoisseur of pasta sauce)! We made it during the summer with our garden vegetables and just ate the last of what was frozen. I'd like to make it this winter to bring a little taste of summer to our table. Any idea how many tomatoes I'll need to equal 10 cups? Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Patricia Robinson
Friday 26th of August 2016
great start for chili con carne and anything else you like red tomatoes in
JACLYN
Sunday 30th of July 2017
CAN I USE FRESH VEGGIES THAT I HAVE FROZEN FROM MY GARDEN ( CARROTS, CELERY, PEPPERS, ONIONS, TOMATOES) I HAVE DICED THEM AND FROZE THEM AS I PICKED THEM HOPING I CAN USE THEM IN A PASTA SAUCE.