About recipe

Take your red sauce to a whole new level of deliciousness and healthfulness by piling in those veggies. Cook them low and slow, and you will be blown away by the depth of flavor you can achieve. Consider this recipe a base to build from. Feel free to add in whatever other vegetables you have on hand; fennel, mushrooms, eggplant, summer squash, the options are endless!

Ingredients (serves 8)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 zucchini or yellow squash, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 28 oz. can no salt added crushed tomatoes
• 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup balsamic or red wine vinegar
• 2 cups water or low sodium vegetable stock
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 lb whole wheat pasta

Preparation

1. Gather and prep all of your ingredients.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add
   the onion, celery, and carrot. Cook until tender, 5
   -7 minutes.
3. Add the zucchini and cook for an additional 3-4
   minutes. Add the minced garlic and allow it to
   cook for 1 minute.
4. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste,
   vinegar, sugar, water, and herbs and stir well,
   scraping up any bits of vegetables that may
   have stuck to the pan. Allow the sauce to simmer over low heat for a minimum of 15 minutes.
   The longer it simmers, the more flavors will develop from the cooking vegetables.
5. Adjust seasoning and serve with your favorite
   whole wheat pasta.