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Monday, June 7, 2010

Spaghetti with Roasted Vegetable Sauce

Here is how you make tomato sauce without doing too much. Chop some vegetables, roast the hell out of them and then puree them. They will cry out in pain after being burned and chopped up into a million pieces, but you will get to enjoy a sweet, savory sauce and your family will be eating more vegetables than they would like to acknowledge. Or maybe they would like to acknowledge. I don't know about your family, but they wouldn't have devoured this had I told them that there are 6 different kinds of vegetables in this. Yours might hip-hip-hooray at the thought of consuming loads of fresh veggies, but not mine.

Before hitting the heat.

I doubled this recipe so I could have a freezer meal for me and my family once Violet arrived. So when it came time for dinner, all I had to do was boil some pasta and reheat the sauce. It is just like a tomato sauce, but the roasted vegetables lend a certain sweetness that only roasted vegetables can. The flavor is more complex than a regular tomato sauce. Layers of different flavors.


Like my picnic table? It was our little weekend project a few weeks ago. Okay, strike that, reverse it. It was Ethan's project. I wanted a bright color for the table and it turned out just how I wanted. Of course, we love eating outside, until the mosquitos make their arrival in a few weeks. Eating outside makes for less mess and no cleaning the floor after wards. Looks like we can have couscous now! Cause I will tell you what, you are bananas for feeding children couscous if you aren't outside. Bananas.



4 tomatoes (medium or large, doesn't matter), quartered
2 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 2 inch pieces
2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 2 inch pices
1 green bell pepper, seeded and quartered
1 onion, peeled and quartered
4 garlic cloves, peeled
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
3/4 tsp kosher salt
A few grinds black pepper
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning blend
1/4 tsp fennel seed
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 lb spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Set oven to 400 degrees. Pile all vegetables onto a baking sheet. Add olive oil, vinegar and all seasonings on top. Toss gently with your hands until all vegetables are coated in oil and seasonings. Spread in a single layer. Place baking sheet in the oven and roast for 40 minutes, tossing with a spatula halfway through.

Once vegetables are softened and lighted browned, remove pan from the oven. Scoop all vegetables and any liquid into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Pour vegetable mixture into a large saucepan over medium heat and stir in tomato sauce. Bring to a light boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve sauce over cooked spaghetti and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Yields 6 servings.


Served with this: Some garlic bread that was most desirable and quite simple. All it was was my garlic herb compound butter spread onto some white bread slices and then topped with additional Parmesan cheese, just a bit. Then I put the slices on a baking sheet and then under the boiler for a few minutes. Result: toasty, buttery, garlicky, herbalicious.

THE END




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If you are wondering if Violet slept all night for the first time over the weekend, she did.

9 comments:

Allison said...

First off I'm so jealous that your little gal slept through the night. I spent two hours last night with mine screaming uncontrollably (he's usually good) even at 9 months he's only slept through the night once or twice (I think that his brothers slept through the night by this time!)

On a food note, this looks delicious and I can't wait to try the bread too. Thanks for another great recipe! :)

Rabid said...

Couscous and kids works if you have a dog. Dogs are great for that. I mean, that right there is a dog's best trick. (Aside from shaking. Shaking is pretty awesome.)

Jessica said...

This sauce looks so good and easy. Definitely gonna put this on my to-try list.

Ashley Thalman said...

Yep! I meatless sauce all for me....merci.

Sarah said...

Sounds delicious and so healthy. There's got to be like 4 servings of vegetables in one plate!

Celeste said...

Go Violet!! Good girl!
I ADORE the fact that you said "strike that,reverse it" I have often thought that I was the only one who used that genius line. Willy Wonka what would we do without you? (that IS where you got it, right?)
I was just wishing I was cool enough to make my own red sauce. I shall try, it looks amazing!

jenniferhoiyin said...

violet - you go girl!

Shanicherie said...

Yay for Violet (and mostly you!) and oh my goodness that sauce looks divine! Definitely on my to-do list!

sprtngrl46 said...

I recently made this and tagged you on my Instagram post. Not sure if you saw it, so I thought I'd comment here. Mine looked absolutely nothing like your pictures, and I cook all the time. It was a very weird, golden yellow color. I knew my hubs would never go for this. Even after I added the can of sauce, it was still off. Luckily I had some pizza sauce in the fridge, and added that. We enjoyed it! I'm Italian, and have my favorite meat sauce of course, but I can see making this occasionally. Next time I will use only half of the veggies, maybe that will help with the color :) Thanks for the recipe!