Call it red sauce, spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, or… if you're really traditional… gravy. But at its core, it’s the basis for just about every delicious Italian recipe you’ve ever had. A true, from scratch, right from the old country Italian tomato sauce that’s going to blow your mind.
VEGETARIAN TOMATO SAUCE RECIPE
The beautiful thing about this sauce is that once made, it can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for later use. Even better still, like most slow-cooked concoctions, it only gets better with age. Use it over your favorite pasta like spaghetti, rigatoni, fusilli, or any gluten-free or standard pasta you desire.
My favorite pairing is Julián carrots, zucchini, squash, onion, and broccoli to use in place of noodles. You might want to serve up some roasted potatoes and Brussel sprouts or a zucchini bake casserole with your vegetarian spaghetti.
For a quick meal, pair it with impossible sausage or meatballs for an authentic Sicilian flavor. Use it in your eggplant parmesan or as a delicious topper for your next impossible meatloaf.
Spaghetti is a very common dish when it comes to meal time. Whether you are making your vegetarian spaghetti using sauce from a jar or perhaps you are making your own vegan spaghetti sauce from scratch.
Thankfully, this is a simple yet delicious sauce and can be made either from fresh tomatoes or your preferred canned ingredients, and it’ll be equally yummy. With the addition of fresh bell peppers, onion, and garlic, combined with a quality red wine and just a few dry ingredients, you’re sure to wow your friends and family with this one!
If you make this with fresh tomatoes, use Roma tomatoes, about three cups diced. This would require blending the tomatoes to create a smooth sauce.
In this version, I’m going to show you the easiest method using canned diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato puree. I use red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and brown sugar to kick it up a couple of notches. Ready to dive in?
It is such a fun process to create the sauce, and the kitchen smells amazing. In addition to a comfort meal, it also brings about the itch to travel! I'd love to travel to Sicily someday! Can you imagine all the fantastic food there?
Consider this vegetarian spaghetti sauce with a minimalist approach.
INGREDIENTS IN VEGETARIAN TOMATO SAUCE
Tomatoes - For this recipe, we are using canned sauced tomatoes, tomato puree, and diced tomatoes infused with Italian seasonings. You may use Roma tomatoes if you want to have fresh ones.
Olive Oil - We'll use this to sauté our onion, pepper, and garlic; use whatever light-flavored oil you like. Avocado oil would work well.
Onion - Diced fresh onion adds a lovely warm flavor. For the sauce, I prefer yellow onion so it's not too sweet.
Bell Pepper - For the recipe, I used an orange pepper, but you can use a green pepper, which is savorier. Any color of pepper, green, yellow, orange, or red, will work for the sauce.
Garlic - Diced, fresh garlic gives a warm flavor.
Red Wine - A good red wine helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes and vegetables.
Brown Sugar - A bit of sweetness to the tomato sauce.
Seasonings - we're using garlic powder, salt, and red pepper flakes. If you use plain diced tomatoes or fresh ones, you will want to add basil and oregano. You can add or change this to suit your own tastes.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you ASAP!
We are taking a minimalist approach to our vegetarian spaghetti sauce because we want to let the simple ingredients do the talking. Not only does this meatless spaghetti sauce pack the flavor, but it can pair with any pasta or vegetable.
Spoon the Vegetarian Tomato Sauce over anything, and they will love you forever!
HOW TO MAKE VEGETARIAN TOMATO SAUCE
Instructions:
- Start by slicing up all the fresh ingredients ahead of time. That way, you’re ready to add as you go.
- Add 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil to a medium stock pot, 4-6 quart size will do in this case.
- Heat the oil on medium, then add the bell peppers and stir. Let it cook 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add onion and stir. Add a few dashes or a few grinds of salt and stir. Let cook for another 3 minutes.
- With your large wooden spoon or spatula, sweep out a clear circle in the center of your veggies and add the garlic. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add your red wine and stir thoroughly until it begins to bubble.
- Let the wine boil for a minute or so and then reduce heat to low.
- Add your canned sauce and diced tomatoes, stir thoroughly. Note: use half of the tomato paste, the other half can be frozen for another time.
- Add your dry ingredients – sugar, red pepper flakes, garlic and salt. Also add Italian seasoning if you have it.
- Extra tip: if you have fresh herbs, add 3 or 4 basil leaves and several oregano leaves. Rub them through your fingers a bit to bruise and release the flavors. Stir in and cover.
- Note: Now here’s the thing about sauces like this. The longer they cook, the more the flavors will integrate. 4 hours or more is best, but it’ll be ready to eat in one. Give it at least one hour, because by then the herbs and pepper flakes will mature and you should taste a good balance between the sweet and the spicy. Just a hint of spicy.
TIPS AND VARIATIONS FOR VEGETARIAN SPAGHETTI SAUCE
- So much of this sauce is really a matter of taste. I’ve included suggested amounts of dry ingredients. But you’ll want to taste test after an hour. If you wish to, kick it up with more red pepper. If you want less kick, add a bit of sugar or more garlic powder. It’s really up to you and what tastes good.
- For those using pressure cookers like an InstaPot, set to pressure cook for 30 minutes and taste test. If you’re happy, go ahead and serve. If you want to tweak the flavors, add extra ingredients and pressure cook for another 30 minutes.
- This is a classic family favorite and comes loaded with wonderful flavors and lots of healthy ingredients, including loads of anti-oxidants from those peppers! That’s it, easy as pie!
WHAT IS MARINARA SAUCE?
Marinara sauce is a tomato sauce that is made by combining tomatoes, onions and herbs. It has a wide range of variations to the basic recipe. Marinara sauce is frequently used in American and Italian Cuisines.
IS MARINARA SAUCE VEGAN?
Yes, in its basic form, marinara sauce is vegan. It is a combination of tomatoes, onions and herbs.
CAN YOU FREEZE VEGETARIAN SPAGHETTI SAUCE?
Yes, this meatless spaghetti sauce freezes well. I often make a double batch when all my garden tomatoes ripen at once!
WHAT ABOUT TOMATO SKINS?
Some vegan spaghetti recipes that use fresh tomatoes remove the skins. If using fresh tomatoes, use high powered blender to blend our meatless spaghetti sauce. If you do not have access to a high-powered blender, you can boil the tomatoes first to remove their skins.
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Nona's Homemade Vegetarian Tomato Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 24 ounce tomato sauce
- 30 ounces diced tomatoes
- 3 ounces tomato paste
- ½ cup red wine
- 2 bell peppers order of lowest to highest sweetness, bell peppers range from green, yellow, orange to red
- 1 onion yellow preferred
- 7 garlic cloves 6 to 8 cloves
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp Italian seasoning if tomatoes are plain
Instructions
- Add 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil to a medium stock pot, 4-6 quart size will do in this case.
- Heat oil on medium and when heated, add peppers and stir. Let cook 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add onion and stir. Add a few dashes or a few grinds of salt and stir. Let cook for another 3 minutes.
- With your large spoon or spatula, sweep out a clear circle in the center of your veggies and add the garlic. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add your red wine and stir thoroughly until it begins to bubble.
- Let the wine boil for a minute or so and then reduce heat to low.
- Add your canned sauce, paste, and diced tomatoes, stir thoroughly.
- Add your dry ingredients – sugar, red pepper flakes, garlic, and salt. Also add Italian seasoning if you have it.,
- Extra tip: if you have fresh herbs, add 3 or 4 basil leaves and several oregano leaves. Rub them through your fingers a bit to bruise and release the flavors. Stir in and cover.
- Let the sauce simmer for at least an hour. Check for taste and add additional spices for flavor. Note that the longer the sauce can simmer before serving, the better.
Notes
- So much of this sauce is really to taste. I’ve included suggested amounts of ingredients here, mainly the dry. But you’ll want to taste test after an hour. If you wish to, kick it up with more red pepper. If you want less kick, add a bit of sugar or more garlic powder. It’s really up to you and what tastes good.
- For those using pressure cookers like an InstaPot, set to cook for 30 minutes and taste-test. If you’re happy, go ahead and serve. If you want to tweak the flavors or add extra ingredients, pressure-cook for another 30 minutes.
- This is a classic family favorite and comes loaded with wonderful flavors and lots of healthy ingredients, including loads of antioxidants from those peppers! That’s it, easy as pie!
