Spaghetti Sauce with Hidden Veggies
This is one of my absolute favorite recipes. Not only is it good, it contains tons of hidden veggies for those little ones who cringe at the site of anything green.
This recipe feeds an army. Either feed an army, cut down the recipe, or plan on freezing some.
My kids both love this. Since pasta also freezes well, I freeze several single-serving size portions of pasta and sauce and pull them out regularly whenever I want to take a break from cooking.
Also, feel free to mix up the veggies depending on what's in the fridge. I tend to stick to the recipe, but I think most veggies would work well pureed in this recipe.
2 lbs ground beef
2 tsp garlic
6 oz frozen red/green pepper and onion mix
3/4 can of large tomato sauce (105 oz) (I buy this at the wholesale clubs, it is HUGE)
21oz Tomato Paste
4oz Pepperoni, diced
1 can kidney beans
1 can any white bean
1 zucchini
3 carrots
1 small to medium sweet potato
6 frozen spinach cubes (or 1.5 cups fresh spinach)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
2 tbsp Worstechire Sauce
Cook beef with onions and garlic. Drain, return to pot.
Meanwhile, steam carrots, zucchini, and sweet potato.
Use a blender to puree tomato sauce, veggies, and beans. Put around 2 cups of veggies into the blender, then add enough sauce to puree to a smooth cream. Add to large pot with meat. Repeat until veggies and beans have been pureed. Do the same if you are using fresh spinach.
Add remaining tomato sauce, tomato paste, pepperoni, and frozen spinach cubes.
Add seasonings, warm to boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.
This does make a thick sauce, which I like because it makes it easier for the kids to eat without getting messy. If you like a thinner sauce, you could probably just increase the tomato sauce.