Did you know that by the time Sunday comes around we have half a box of cereal in our pantry, a bag of carrots in the fridge, an almost empty jar of peanut butter on the counter, and a full bag of dark chocolate chips in the freezer? Hashtag Priorities.
I'm never ready for Sunday dinner. I plan dinner out for the whole week, but then it's like I forgot about Sunday and just pretend that there will be something in the pantry to make and all will be well...
No, Arielle. Every Sunday this happens, and every sunday you forget, and every Sunday you suck.
Sunday is basically like an episode of chopped. I open the pantry, the fridge, and the freezer. Swear a few times because I'm an idiot and should have prepared better for this, hope that honey nut cheerios would make a great crouton on a salad, and pray that everything works out...
Like most families, I assume that by the end of the week everyones fridge holds the least exciting food in the produce drawer. Its all the leftover produce that didn't get eaten during the week, which means there wasn't a desire there to eat them to begin with.
This Sunday, I just so happened to have a Costco amount of tomatoes, carrot sticks, one zucchini, and an 'older' bag of celery. Wouldn't it be great if I could combine all of that into one and my kids would eat it?!
And that is how this Pasta Sauce was born. I'm sure it could work with the majority of veggies you have in your drawer, which makes cleaning out the fridge all that more successful. If you don't have fresh tomatoes on hand, you can definitely used canned. Add your favorite toppings, seasoning, or even make it a meat sauce.
If you are lucky enough to have more than the end piece of bread in your pantry, serve it along with an herbed garlic bread for dipping!
Did I mention it's full of veggies?!
- 2 TB. coconut oil/olive oil
- 3 lbs. tomatoes (I used plum)
- 1 sweet onion
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- 2 large carrot sticks, or a handful of baby carrots
- 2 celery sticks
- 1 zucchini
- 4 TB. tomato paste
- 4 TB. balsamic vinegar
- 1 heaping TB. dried basil
- 1 heaping TB. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. garlic salt
- salt/pepper-to taste
- hot sauce (a few dashes-optional)
- Dice onion and garlic. Add them to a pot on the stove.
- Turn the heat on the stove to medium heat, and add the coconut oil.
- Toss the onion and garlic and cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until the onions are clear.
- While the onion/garlic is cooking, dice the rest of the veggies.
- Add the rest of the veggies to the pot and stir. Add in the paste, seasonings, and vinegar.Cover and let simmer for 15-30 minutes on med-low heat, stirring occasionally. Get the rest of the dinner ready while the sauce cooks. (You can cook the sauce as long as needed, just until the veggies are somewhat tender)
- Transfer to a blender, and blend sauce until pureed and thick.
- Transfer the sauce back to the pot, taste, adjust seasoning, and serve along with pasta, meat sauce, chicken, etc.
And for dessert?
A bag of chocolate chips. Seriously...
Greatest.Mom.Ever.