Whether it’s whole wheat spaghetti, rice penne, shirataki noodles, or spiralized zucchini almost everyone loves a bowl of “pasta” topped with tomato sauce. Sadly, most store bought sauces are full of sugar and preservatives. But, why buy from the store when making your own tomato sauce is quick and simple. This Rustic Marinara sauce is delicious, and it only takes about 1 hour to make. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week and frozen for 3-4 months.

I love this recipe because it is hearty and full of vegetables. Roasting the vegetables, rather than cooking them down in a kettle, adds a caramelized flavor that sets this sauce apart.

No matter what you put them on, homemade tomato sauces are full of nutrition. Tomatoes contain lycopene, beta carotene, vitamin C, potassium, and folate among other vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. Cooking tomatoes makes lycopene more available to the body, so enjoying a homemade tomato sauce is a great way to get this nutrient into your diet.

Rustic Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 pound zucchini, chopped
• 1/2 pound yellow squash, chopped*
• 1 cup mushrooms
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Tablespoons red wine or water, if desired

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Combine tomatoes, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, onion, garlic and basil in a large bowl. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
• Place all ingredients on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
• Roast vegetables in the oven for 10 minutes, stir and roast and additional 10-15 minutes until vegetables are soft and caramelized.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.
• Place 1/2 of the vegetables in a food processor or power blender and process until smooth.
• Add 2 tablespoons of wine or water to mixture and pulse to combine.
• Remove to a bowl and add the remaining vegetables to the sauce and stir to combine.
• Use over pasta, spaghetti squash, spiralized vegetables or on top of bruschetta.
• Store extra sauce in the refrigerator or freezer.

This recipe produces a chunky sauce, so if you like a smoother sauce simply purée all of the roasted vegetables to your preferred consistency.

*If you are not a fan of yellow squash, try adding 3/4 cup of chopped carrot instead. Actually, feel free to experiment with any vegetables of your choice. I like spinach and eggplant in this recipe as well.