Homemade Veg Loaded Vegan Spaghetti Sauce
This homemade veg loaded vegan spaghetti sauce is rich, thick, and packed with vegetables. It’s an easy, hands-off weeknight pasta sauce that comes together fast but tastes like it cooked all afternoon.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion medium, finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper large, finely diced
- 1 carrot small, grated
- ½ cup cremini mushrooms finely chopped
- 8-10 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup white wine or veggie broth
- (2) 28-ounce cans Whole San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds or ground fennel
- 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1.5 teaspoons sea salt or to taste
- 15 leaves fresh basil optional, chopped
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion with a pinch of salt and cook 3-4 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add green pepper and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in carrot, then mushrooms. Cook another 2-3 minutes until everything is soft and fragrant. Stir in garlic and cook just 30 seconds.
- Splash in a little white wine (or broth) and scrape up the good bits from the pan.
- Add both cans of tomatoes and gently mash with a potato masher or fork. If you’re making pasta with this, I usually start the water now.
- Stir in basil, oregano, fennel, tamari, and maple syrup.
- Bring to a rolling simmer. Cover partially and cook on low for about 25-30 minutes.
- Stir in fresh basil and salt. Adjust salt to taste.
- Leave it chunky or blend part of it with an immersion blender if you want it smoother. Serve over pasta noodles of your choice.
Notes
- I like to chop the veggies small. Make sure they're uniform in size.
- Depending on the size you cut the veggies, it could be more of a mushroom spaghetti sauce. If that's not your thing, chop them small or blend them at the end; either way, they give this pasta sauce great flavor.
- If it tastes a little bright at first, don’t worry. Give it the full simmer, and it settles in.
- If you don't use San Marzano tomatoes and the sauce tastes acidic (once fully cooked), add ⅛ teaspoon of baking soda when the heat is off, to soften (only if needed, taste first).
- No wine? Veggie broth works just fine. You just want that little splash to lift the flavor.
- Want it smoother? Blend half with an immersion blender and leave the rest chunky. Best of both worlds.
- Salt tip: Pinches as you go, then one final taste at the end.
- Toss in cooked lentils or vegan sausage crumbles in the sauce for the last 5 minutes for a "meaty" texture.
- Oil-free option: You can sauté with a splash of broth instead of oil. Flavor still holds.
Nutrition
Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1139mg | Potassium: 689mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 2162IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 135mg | Iron: 4mg
