Meatless Pasta Sauce

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SomeoneSomeplace
SomeoneSomeplace Posts: 1,094 Member
in Recipes
Hello to all you home cooks out there!

I am looking for a meatless pasta sauce recipe. If possible I'd like to keep the processed ingredients to a minimum. I've found some jarred sauce that taste really good but the sodium is through the roof. I am trying to eat a cleaner diet using fresh ingredients whenever possible. I do have a Ninja Blender so pureeing things is not an issue. All the recipes I can find online call for a low of canned tomato or canned tomato puree, the 1 or 2 I've tried using these ingredients were both almost as high in sodium as the jarred sauce and honestly didn't taste that great.

If you have a recipe using the above ingredients that you swear by, feel free to post however I am more interested in sauces that use fresh ingredients! My roommate DOES have a crock-pot but she's a but weird about letting people use her things, even tho she NEVER uses it...I may be able to convince her to allow me to use it if you have a really good recipe that calls for a crock pot, however I'd prefer to just stick to the stove with my own devices.

Thanks!

Replies

  • Kamnikar64
    Kamnikar64 Posts: 345 Member
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    I'm not sure if this will help you, but I make sauce. I use 2 cans of fire roasted diced tomato's (low sodium or sodium free are available). I squish up one can and leave the other can chunky (I like chunky sauce). In a sauce pan, saute a clove of minced garlic and 1/4 diced onion in 1-2 TBS olive oil. After five minutes add the tomatoes and some dried basil, oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Variations of this: I usually add a splash of red wine, maybe some red pepper flakes if you like a zing. I bring it to a boil and then turn it down to simmer until I'm ready to use it. It will keep in the fridge a couple of weeks.
  • cHaRlIe0411
    cHaRlIe0411 Posts: 137 Member
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    I made a simple spaghetti sauce once with one box of cherry tomatoes, two large carrots, two large stalks of celery, a clove of garlic, salt, pepper, onions, and some coriander..... I chopped them up in a food processor then cooked it on my stove about 20-30 minutes.
  • AndreaEllen
    AndreaEllen Posts: 71 Member
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    I made a butternut squash pasta sauce last night

    two frozen packages of pureed frozen butternut squash
    one large shallot
    3 garlic cloves
    2 diced zuccini
    1/4 cup of fat free buttermilk
    1/4 white wine
    1/2 cup of reserved pasta water *if you made pasta
    sage

    Sautee'd shallots, zuccini, and garlic till softened. Add frozen pureed squash cook until mixed in. Add white wine and reserved pasta water, simmer until thickened. Add buttermilk and sage at the last, cook through and Voila!

    I added chicken sausage to this last night but it's pretty good on it's own.
  • tnqnt
    tnqnt Posts: 397 Member
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    THIS is an amazing recipe:
    http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/techniques/how-to-make-marinara-sauce-00412000068943/

    I add red wine and balsamic to it .. it is truly DELICIOUS! :):)

    Edited to link to Actual Recipe:
    http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/slow-roasted-tomato-marinara-50400000107437/

    Hint - use Nusalt (potassium chloride) instead of salt if you really want to bring it DOWN!
  • Naynayjones
    Naynayjones Posts: 33 Member
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    bump
  • SomeoneSomeplace
    SomeoneSomeplace Posts: 1,094 Member
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    Thank you everyone! All these sounds amazing! I'm going to experiment with them all =)
  • Evachiquita
    Evachiquita Posts: 223 Member
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    I don't use recipes but I make my own pasta sauce whenever I eat pasta. Try finding low sodium tomatoes. Any type will do; I sometimes use a mixture of diced and petite diced or crushed. Or fresh tomatoes when in season.

    First I saute whatever veggies I like: onions, garlic, tons of mushrooms, red and green peppers (zuchinni, etc.)
    Then add in the tomatoes, maybe some water. If you want a thicker sauce add some tomato paste. Add fresh basil and oregano if you have them. Or dried if not. I also add some red pepper flakes. Simmer on the stove for a while, 30 minutes or so.

    I find that sauces and soups are better the day after you make them so try to make it the day before for maximum taste.
  • lucylousmummy
    lucylousmummy Posts: 348 Member
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    2lb of fresh tomatoes any kind but i like vine tomatoes best
    i red onion chopped
    3-6 garlic cloves mnced
    a handful of fresh basil chopped
    i tsp olive oil

    in a pan of boiling water drop the tomatoes in a few at a time until the skin cracks, remove from water skin, de seed and chop roughly
    fry onion and garlic over a low heat until soft, add tomatoes and basil
    cook over a low heat for 60-90 mins
    season with fresh ground pepper

    this is really yummy and easy to make for something a little bit different you could also add the flesh of an oven roasted pepper or 2 to make a totally different tasting sauce
  • theblondetrick
    theblondetrick Posts: 192 Member
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    There's a sauce with crumbled soy meat,tomato juice and garlic.
    It is amazing! I don't know about the nutrition data,but it seems like it could be pretty low in calories and it's really tasty,it's better than any meat sauce.
    I'm not sure how it's prepared,but I think you should just put the soy meat in water for about an hour or so,and then just cook it in a pot with some tomato juice and chopped garlic.
  • MizSaz
    MizSaz Posts: 445 Member
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    I don't have a suggestion for the tomato portion, but as far as flavor goes, FRESH garlic and FRESH basil is the most important thing to me. Keep it simple! :)
  • Juliejustsaying
    Juliejustsaying Posts: 2,332 Member
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    I prefer my sauce to be nothing but Hunt's tomato sauce with dried basil. yup, that is it...love it..kids love it...very few cals, only thing in it is um....tomatoes, water, and basil.
  • Sweet_Potato
    Sweet_Potato Posts: 1,119 Member
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    I'm very surprised that your homemade sauce was not as good as the jarred ones. Even when I throw a can of diced tomatoes in a pan and simmer them for 10 minutes it's a million times better than anything I've had from a jar. Maybe you're used to it being sweeter-- most jarred sauce has sugar or HFCS added. You could try adding some sugar or tomato paste, or just cook it down longer.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    You should be able to find no salt added canned tomatoes and tomato sauce. I use that, add some onion, garlic, hot and mild peppers, fresh basill, dried oregano. From that basic sauce I add any of the followin crumbled firm tofu, chopped zucchini or eggplant, and/or fresh spinach, kale or arugula.

    But if I'm in a hurry, I used a jarred sauce. I like Muir Glen organic sauces. They are a bit lower in sodium than most, but still pretty high, but since the potassium content is also high in tomato based sauces I don't sweat it much. Besides, but the time I add the other ingredients the sodium per serving isn't terrible.
  • Sweet_Potato
    Sweet_Potato Posts: 1,119 Member
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    Oh, and some roommate advice (because your roommate sounds identical to one I used to have)... don't use her crock pot, even if she does give you permission, because she doesn't really want you to and will resent you forever for it. These sorts of people enjoy owning a lot of kitchen equipment but can't stand to see it being used. I learned that the hard way!

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