Whole Wheat Pasta & Pasta Sauce with "Hidden Veggies"

Whole Wheat Shells Costa’s Pasta

Tomato Base Pasta Sauce

Ingredients

5‐6 lbs of tomatoes
4 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
¾ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp sugar
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups okra, chopped

Method

1. Put whole tomatoes into large crockpot, cut off rotten parts. Simmer for 12 hours on high heat, stirring regularly.
2. Puree all tomatoes using hand blender until smooth. You can pull out large tomato skin pieces if desired.
3. Add in all spices, garlic, and okra. Simmer on low for another 1‐2 hours, uncover for this period to get the sauce thicker. If the sauce is desired thickness cover.
4. Puree again until okra is fully broken down and sauce is smooth.
5. Store in freezer or frig. ‐reheat and add veggies for pasta night!

Hidden Veggies Sauce Addition

6 servings

Ingredients

olive oil to coat bottom of pan
½ whole red or sweet onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic
1 medium eggplant or 2 long skinny (Asian) shredded
1 sprig of rosemary
1 tbsp oregano, chopped
1 large yellow squash/zucchini, shredded, skin peeled
salt/pepper

Method

1. Coat bottom of sauté pan in olive oil, heat on medium, add diced onions. Cook onions until soft about 4 minutes.
2. Add 2 cloves of garlic, cook for another 3 min
3. Add shredded eggplant, rosemary, oregano, sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook for 5 min until eggplant is soft.
4. Add shredded squash and cook for 5 minutes more. All the veggies should be soft and aromatic.
5. Add as much tomato sauce as desirable. For kids I recommend a 3:1 ratio of tomato base to veggies.