Veggie Red Sauce
Probably one of my most used recipes as it is a base for so many dishes. Evolved through years of hiding vegetables from children!
Low Sugar
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
2 of 5 A-Day
Veggie Red Sauce
Servings:
4
Ready In:
30-45 mins
Good For:
Lunch or dinner
About this Recipe
This is such a versatile recipe, you can make it your own with any veggies you like. You could use a tin of cooked pulses chucked in at the end of you like (reduce the liquid a little). And if you don’t want to whizz it up, then don’t! Sometimes I cook the veg 1st, blend, then add the lentils, or swap the lentils for veggie mince.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil (or your choice of oil)
- 1 large onion (I use red) - chopped
- 2 stalks celery—chopped
- 2—3 garlic cloves—chopped
- 1 thumb-nail piece of ginger - chopped
- 1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 red pepper & 1 yellow pepper— sliced
- 1 courgette—chopped
- I carrot—chopped
- 100g red lentils— drained & rinsed, (soaked in advance if you can)
- 1 tin of tomatoes (2 if you want) - could also use fresh if you lots
- Herbs—handful of mixed Mediterranean fresh if you can, or 2 tsp dried
- 1 tbsp low salt soy or tamari sauce
- Black pepper (optional)
Method
- Warm the oil in a large saucepan then add the onion on a low heat., cover & cook for approx 5 minutes until a little soft
- Add the celery, garlic & ginger, cook for a couple of minutes
- Add the vinegar, & all the other veggies, stir well & turn the heat up to medium. Cook for 5 minutes, covered.
- Add all the other ingredients. If using 1 tin of tomatoes then add refill the tin with water and pour this in too.
- Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat then cover and cook for 15 minutes
- Check the consistency—if too dry add more water, if too much liquid leave the lid off.
- Check again after another 15 minutes, the veg should now be soft and lentils cooked. If you prefer them softer, keep going.
- When you are happy with it, whizz up using a hand-blender. Season to taste.
Great for Bolognese, chilli, pizza sauce (make it thick), lasagnes, ……..
Health Benefits
Tomatoes are rich in Vitamins A & C + minerals such as calcium, phosphorous, potassium & sodium. Great for detoxifying the blood & strengthening digestion. Probably best known though is the amount of lycopene they contain, which increases in cooking tomatoes. This powerful anti-oxidant is thought to help reduce the bad cholesterol & be effective in cancer prevention.
Red onion, garlic, celery—This basic stock base is great for the gut (prebiotic fibre), reducing blood pressure, the heart. Multitude of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Celery is a great detoxifier. Garlic is nature’s own antibiotic. Red onions contain potential cancer fighting compounds.
Beans & lentils - Great for the heart, steadying blood sugar levels, satiety levels and energy, fibre. They have high levels of polyphenols in the darker beans, and count as 1 of your 5 a day. High in folate, manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, copper & iron.
Peppers are a colourful & versatile ingredient. They contain higher levels of Vitamin C, (particularly the reds), calcium, & potassium, plus anti-oxidants which are thought to protect the eyes from age related macular degeneration.
Herbs— antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, glucose & cholesterol-lowering activities as well as properties thought to improve the brain function & mood.
