Simple Tomato & Veggie Pasta Sauce
Prep Time:3 mins, Cook Time: 12-18 mins, Total Time: 15 - 21 mins
September 1, 2013
I have to admit to feeling a bit of a fraud posting this recipe, in that it’s hardly a recipe being so impossibly simple and quick, but it’s something we eat pretty often round here!. Whenever I’m low on time or ingred’s and the kids are low on their daily veggie intake I invariably make a veggie pasta sauce, and serve a generous amount of the sauce with a few pasta shapes and a sprinkling of cheese. A healthy, nutritious meal made in minutes.
Do use whatever veggie’s you happen to have in. As well as the red pepper, courgette and sweetcorn I used here I’ve often thrown in some finely diced carrot, butternut, aubergine, green beans or a handful or two of peas. Just cook a little longer for the harder root veggies. This is an excellent veggie disguise of a sauce if you dice finely enough. And if your kids are particularly little or veggie adverse you could just blend the whole lot up and call it Tommie Sauce. Please do also bob over to see my Kids 5-a-day Pasta Sauce recipe.
As you’ll see from the pics, my resident sous chef Jacques is getting pretty adept at his knife skills these days. Over the summer he’s become very accomplished at using a plastic serrated ‘lettuce’ knife I bought for him in a local kitchen shop for the grand price of £1.50! He manages to successfully cut his way through courgettes (his fave), peppers, cucumber, potatoes, tomatoes, beans and pretty much anything else I put his way. And successfully manages to avoid any possibility of cutting or harming himself. It’s a great bit of kit, though the kitchen shop were a tad alarmed I bought them for my three and four year olds to use!.
Another very worthy purchase on the safe kid’s kitchenware front were my Turtle Graters. Simply brilliant for kids to grate their own cheese with, making mealtimes a whole lot more fun!. I’m definitely going to be stocking these when I get my new Kid’s Kitchen & Bakeware shop up and running – do watch this space.
Tinned Tomatoes, Sweetcorn, Courgette, Red Peppers AND any other veggies you add
Great For:
First Foods 6 – 9 months (if the sauce is blended and served with teeny pasta stars or other very small pasta shapes), First Foods 9 – 12 months (if the sauce is whizzed, crushed or veggies cut extremely finely and served with very small pasta shapes), Toddlers, Pre-schoolers, Big Kids, Family Dinners, Quickie Mid-Week Wonder Meal, Hidden Veggie Wonder, Vegetarians, Freezing
Notes:
Makes 6 small portions. To up the health stakes serve with wholemeal pasta. To add a little protein serve with a sprinkling of cheese. Use any veggies you have in or your kids particularly like, adjusting the cooking times to ensure they are all fully cooked through.
Special Equipment:
Nil
Simple Tomato & Veggie Pasta Sauce
Ingredients Prep Time:3 mins, Cook Time: 12-18 mins, Total Time: 15 - 21 mins
To make 6 small portions:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, very finely chopped
1/2 red pepper, finely diced
1/2 courgette, finely diced
1 x 200g small tin sweetcorn (no added salt), drained
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
a pinch of black pepper
1 heaped tablespoon creme fraiche, half or full fat, optional
1) Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan
2) Stir in the finely diced onion and garlic, saute for 5 minutes, stirring regularly
3) Stir in the red pepper and courgette, saute for a further 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly
4) Stir in the sweetcorn, chopped tomatoes and black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover the pan with a lid and allow to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until the veggies are very soft. Stir occasionally.
5) Stir through the creme fraiche for a slightly creamy sauce.
Serve with your child’s favourite pasta and a sprinkling of grated cheese.
