Chock Full O Veggie Pizza and Pasta Sauce

I had a bunch of summer squash sitting on my counter, left over from a recent CSA basket. I have received 5-7 summer squash every week since the first Wednesday in May; Let me tell you, I am so incredibly tired of zucchini, patti pan, and yellow crook-neck squash, that if I never see them again it will be too soon. But, I don't want to waste pounds of perfectly edible food that I paid for just because the thought of it puts my taste buds to sleep. It also doesn't help that my husband doesn't like any of the aforementioned veggies.


Great.

Time for some kitchen deception. I pulled out the food processor, washed and de-seeded all the squash, and quickly shredded them. Perfect for hiding in....pizza sauce. Yes, pizza sauce.

Simmer some tomato paster, herbs, garlic, and all that shredded squash, and voila, a tasty and healthy pizza or pasta sauce. Pizza for dinner with several servings of real nutrition. Whodda thunk it?

Note: I don't have kids, but I do have a picky husband, and he loves this sauce. So if you have picky eaters at home (kids, husband, yourself), whip up a small batch of this sauce and give it a try. You may just have a new way to actually eat those dreaded vegetables.

This recipe makes a ton of sauce, which I like to then dump into a ziplock bag, and store it in the freezer. You can easily halve or quarter this recipe as needed.

Pizza/Pasta Sauce
(my own concotion)
Printable recipe


Ingredients
3 cans tomato paste, plus 1 1/2 cans water to thin out
6-8 tomatos
1 onion, shredded (food processor)
4-6 squash, any variety is fine, shredded (food processor)
1 handful fresh basil leaves, torn (or 1-2 tablespoons dried)
1 small handful fresh oregano leaves, torn (or 1 tablespoon dried)
4 fresh sage leaves, torn
4 garlic cloves, diced
1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1- 2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons pepper

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a simmer.

(For the tomatos, you can either chop or dice them, or simply just squeeze/smash them into the tomato sauce. I do both; squeeze about 3/4 into the sauce, and then chop the remaining tomatos into large chunks to mix in as well.)

Stirring occassionaly, simmer for 20-30 minutes. This allows the vegetables to cook, while also combining the various flavors. Taste after about 15-20 minutes and add more seasoning as desired.



Spread on your pizza crust and top with cheese and other goodness, or smother a mound of spaghetti in this veggie-rific sauce. Have another way you'd use it? Leave me a comment and let me know!