Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce (for picky eaters)

This Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce Recipe is sure to please even the pickiest eaters! It’s Whole30 compliant and no one will even notice the vegetables hidden in the sauce! And the best part is that this recipe starts with a jar of Rao’s Marinara, so it’s very simple to make, making it ideal for busy mommas.

Rao’s Marinara is fantastic on it’s own, but when you add additional veggies, you increase the nutritional value without compromising the flavors. I’ve also added some lean ground beef to this recipe, but it’s completely optional.

Vegetables

You can add just about any vegetables you have on hand to this sauce. Carrots are one of my favorite veggies to add because you can’t see them, which is important for picky eaters. They tend to pick up on green specks floating through the sauce, but that doesn’t mean green veggies are off limits. I actually add broccoli to this recipe often because it adds so much nutritional value and blends so small you can’t see the green specks. 

Cauliflower is another great option that adds a creaminess to the sauce. Spinach and kale, although green, can be used in this hidden veggies pasta sauce because they don’t alter the flavor at all. Use whatever fresh vegetables you have on hand!

One sweet potato, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces is also an awesome addition to this sauce!

This is also a great dish to make when you have leftover cooked veggies from the night before that you aren't sure what to do with. Just blend them with the jar of marinara and heat on the stove until warmed through.

Another little trick I've used in the past is to blend a few jars of baby food veggies into my pasta sauce. It's a great way to use extra jars of baby food your kids didn't like.

Hidden vegetables are a great way to add nutritional value to your kids' food without them knowing it!

Meat

To make this into a meat sauce, you’ll obviously need some ground meat! I prefer extra lean ground beef, but ground turkey or even ground chicken work just fine, and all 3 are Whole30 compliant. You could even use ground sausage if your picky eaters like sausage.

For a vegetarian spaghetti sauce, just omit the meat!

Noodles

You can serve this sauce over gluten free noodles, zucchini noodles, regular pasta, edamame pasta, or spaghetti squash. The choice is yours! To keep with Whole30, you’ll want to opt for spaghetti squash or zucchini noddles.

For an easy way to cook spaghetti squash, click here.

Special Equipment

You’ll need either a blender or food processor for this recipe. Any type of blender with do, including an immersion blender or hand blender. I personally use a $10 blender I bought from Walmart and it works perfectly. Just place your cut up raw veggies into the bottom of your blender and then pour the jar of marinara over the top and blend together until smooth.

Heating the Vegetable Pasta Sauce

If you’re using raw veggies, you’ll want to cook the sauce a bit in either a deep skillet with your browned meat or in a large saucepan over medium heat for at least 10 minutes before pouring over your noodles. 

Storing Leftovers 

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. This sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months. To thaw, set container in fridge overnight or up to 24 hours. You can freeze this sauce before or after you cook it.

Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce Ingredients: 

• 32 ounces Rao’s Marinara 
• 1 cup chopped broccoli
• 1 whole carrot, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• Noodles of choice

Directions:

Add cut up veggies and sauce to a blender and blend until smooth. 

In a deep skillet, brown beef until cooked through.

Add sauce to browned beef and simmer for 10 minutes on low heat, covered

Cook noodles according to package directions.

Pour sauce over noodles and serve!

It’s that simple to create a healthy pasta sauce even your picky kids will love!