It's time I give in and spill my guts about how amazing this Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce recipe is from Blendtec. Oh wait, I already did that on the my blog... The real news is that I've discovered it's a versatile crowd pleaser, even for kids! And it's 100% healthy. For kids! Healthy! Okay, so are mine the only ones that hate vegetables?
Yesterday I put it to the test. In honor of our electricity bill, I left the oven off and cooked the ingredients in the crockpot. All was smelling and tasting great. Then I pushed the limits by adding half of a large zucchini (I would guess I added about 2 lbs) and two carrots. When all of the vegetables got soft I blended it all and returned it to the crockpot. Even more daring, I decided to cook the pasta in the sauce so that it soaked up flavorful vegetable juices. I think I added a little over a pound of broken up whole wheat spaghetti, but it could have used more. I stretched this recipe far. Turns out it can cope. Both of my children gobbled it up. These, the children that don't eat vegetables. Jaime ate two and a half bowls of the stuff and Vida couldn't get each tiny fist full of noodles shoved into her little mouth fast enough. True story. Justin and I loved it too. It's not very often that we have this big of a success for our entire family on both fronts - health and satisfaction. That's why I'm sharing this today. It also happens to be a fantastic recipe for enjoying a plentiful garden. Enjoy.
Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce
- 2lbs of tomatoes, quartered
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- [2 lbs seeded and chopped zucchini]
- [2 large carrots, shredded]
- 8 cloves garlic [I used pre-minced]
- 3 TB olive oil
- 2 TB fresh oregano [I use 1 TB dried]
- 1 tsp salt
- [parmesan or feta cheese as at-table garnishes]
Toss all ingredients in a glass baking dish. Roast for 1 hour at 375 degrees and remove from oven. Let cool slightly, transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.
[Alternative: Place all ingredients in large crockpot and cook on high for 6 hours, stirring occasionally. Transfer to blender and blend until smooth.]
