Vegetable Sauce Recipe

The first recipe to share is a staple in my house and the variations are endless, so don't be afraid to experiment. I have red tomato sauce running through my veins, my mouth waters for the taste. I never, ever buy pre-made, brand name sauces. If you are serving a group of folks who are rather particular about chunky sauces, I have a basic sauce recipe to share; 1 12 oz can of crushed tomatoes, 1-2 cloves of fresh garlic, & a few bay leaves. I believe that nothing can come close to outdoing the succulent taste of those 3 ingredients. Just add them to a pot, turn on warm/low and let it simmer and enjoy the aroma in your home.

1 can of organic crushed tomatoes, fresh bay leaves, & Montana grown garlic

 *I use my hand mixer to give the sauce a smoother texture. If you are going to do that, you might want to do it before adding the bay leaves. Sometimes I forget and get a mouth full of leaves. I have used the already crushed bay leave seasonings, and I think they are easier to use in a sauce because they are nicely minced. I just love the smell of bay leaves simmering in tomato sauce!

Now, things can get interesting. I believe in vegetables. I recently discovered how easy it is to add veggies to this sauce recipe. As stated above, the possibilities are endless. I also feel this is a wonderful way to sneak veggies into the lives of children. I have used the veggie sauce with pasta, spaghetti squash, stromboli, and on pizza. First, choose your vegetables!! I chose to add banana peppers, mushrooms, carrots, celery, and frozen artichoke hearts. *The frozen artichoke hearts are awesome, I bought them at a local grocery store in Bozeman. They are a great price for what you get, compared to the canned/jarred artichokes.*

banana peppers, mushrooms, and chopped carrots

frozen artichoke hearts

First, I made the basic sauce from above then started chopping. When serving this in your child care program or home, be sure to cut the vegetables accordingly, in order to prevent choking.Then, just add the veggies to your sauce and stir. Super easy, right?? Just continue to let the sauce simmer until the veggies are soft.

1:The veggies added to the original red sauce. 2.&3: The sauce is mixed and simmering to perfection.

 This sauce will be a hit in your lives, we hope. It may not be a home-run the first go around, but don't give up! Simply change the variations of veggies to best fit your meal time. I would like to create a recipe for this using fresh tomatoes from the grocery store and to further explore healthier variations. Don't forget to visit the website for Child Care Connections! Enjoy!

A list of sauce friendly vegetables,                                          
but not limited to:                                                                              
Artichoke                                                                                              
Beans                                                                                                    
Carrots                                                                                                 
Cauliflower
Celery
Corn
Mushrooms 
Onions
Peas

Peppers
Zucchini



Montana Foods List:
Celery 165
Mushrooms 188
Carrots 163
Tomato Sauce 263

*Here is a printer friendly version of this recipe