This sweet and creamy hidden veg pasta sauce is going to become one of your regulars. Easy to prepare, suitable for babies and older kids, and you could add more spices to your family's liking.
Pasta is one of those easy meals that the whole family enjoys. This hidden veg pasta sauce is easy to prepare and has a mild sweet flavor from the roasted veggies. I like to serve it with short pasta like penne or farfalle that is easier to handle for little ones.
You can serve it with salad on the side or some more veggies for extra goodness. If you are looking for more pasta recipes to share with your little ones, then take a look at my veggie loaded pasta bolognese.
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👩🏻🍳 Why you should try my recipe
- Easy to make with just a few ingredients.
- Suitable for babies from 6 months old.
- You could use different spices to your liking.
- Freezable before mixing with the pasta.
🥘 Ingredients
To make this delicious hidden veg pasta sauce, I'm going to use half an onion, a carrot, tomatoes, celery sticks, a bell pepper, garlic cloves, olive oil, ground pepper and cream cheese.
I'm using roma tomatoes that have more flesh and less juice in them. These are perfect for sauces and will give us a nice thick pasta sauce. To make the sauce creamier, I'm using cream cheese that I blend with the veggies before adding the pasta. You could also use ricotta cheese or cottage cheese that are both low in sodium.
Of course, you could add more vegetables if you like. You could start with what I'm including in this recipe that will give you a nice, sweet flavored tomato sauce that your little one is going to love.
For full quantities and to print the recipe, see the recipe card below.
🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
So get your ingredients ready and let's get started!
01. There is no need for special preparation to make this hidden veg pasta sauce. In a tray, I add the tomatoes that I have cut in quarters and the onion roughly chopped in big chunks.
02. I'm adding a bell pepper, two garlic cloves, one or two carrots and two celery sticks, all cut into big chunks. Instead of bell pepper, you could also use 2-3 mini sweet peppers.
03. Before placing the tray in the oven, I drizzle the vegetables with the olive oil and mix them a little bit to coat them on all sides. It takes about 45 minutes for the vegetables to get soft.
04. While the vegetables are cooling down, I cook the pasta according to package instructions. I move all the veggies to a blender or a food processor, along with the juices and olive oil from the tray.
05. I add the cream cheese to the blender and ¼ cup of pasta water, and then mix everything until I have a smooth texture. If it's difficult to blend or you like the texture creamier, you could add more pasta water and continue blending.
06. Moving to the stove, I empty the sauce in a pan and turn the heat to medium. I add some ground pepper, the cooked pasta and a quarter cup of pasta water. I mix the pasta with the sauce until it's all coated, and now we are ready to serve.
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- You could use a teaspoon of oregano or mixed dry herbs or Italian seasoning for some extra flavor.
- You could use ricotta or cottage cheese instead of cream cheese.
- For toddlers and older kids, you could add some salt to the sauce.
- Instead of bell pepper, you could use 2-3 sweet mini peppers.
🍽 Serving suggestions
If you are sharing this hidden veg pasta sauce with a baby under 12 months, then I don't recommend adding any salt when preparing it. You could add some salt to your plate when served, or keep some sauce aside for your little one and season the rest.
I like to serve the pasta with some cucumber sticks on the side, or some steamed broccoli or cauliflower. For some extra aroma and freshness, you could chop some fresh basil and add some on top.
For some extra protein, you could serve the pasta with some homemade chicken nuggets or chicken drumsticks.
🧰 Storage
If you have any leftovers of this hidden veg pasta sauce after mixing it with the pasta, then you should store it in the fridge and consume it within 3–4 days.
The sauce is also freezable before mixing it with the pasta. Just store any remaining sauce in a freezable container and store it for up to 3 months. You could thaw it overnight, cook the pasta and mix it on the next day, or you could add it frozen in a pan with some pasta water and simmer until it's hot and creamy.
❓ FAQ
Some spices that go well with this hidden veggie loaded pasta sauce are crushed peppers (if your kids don't mind hot spicy flavors), oregano or Italian seasoning, sweet paprika and ground allspice.
You could add some chopped fresh basil or parsley for freshness and aroma. You could also add some grated cheese, oregano or dried herbs.
📋 Recipe
Easy Hidden Veg Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 tomatoes
- 1-2 celery sticks
- ½ onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 carrot
- ½ cup cream cheese (110gr or 4oz)
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 3 cups pasta
Instructions
- Cut the tomatoes into quarters. Cut the carrot, onion, celery sticks and pepper into big chunks. Peel the garlic cloves.
- Add all the veggies to a tray and drizzle with the olive oil.
- Bake in a preheated oven to 375℉ / 190℃ for 45 minutes.
- While the veggies are cooling down, cook the pasta. Reserve half a cup of water for the sauce.
- Add the vegetables to a blender with the cream cheese and ¼ cup of the pasta water. Blend until smooth. If needed, add more of the pasta water.
- Transfer the sauce to a pan and add the ground pepper. Turn on the heat to medium.
- Add the cooked pasta and the remaining pasta water. Mix everything well until it's hot and all pasta covered with the sauce.
Video
Notes
- Reserve half a cup of pasta water for the sauce.
- You could use 2-3 sweet mini peppers instead of a bell pepper.
- For older kids and adults, add some salt to the sauce or when serving the pasta.
🥣 More to try
If you liked my hidden veggie loaded pasta sauce, you should try some of these recipes too:
Maria
We loved the hidden veggies pasta sauce, very tasty and creamy. Can we freeze any leftover sauce?
Julia Droulia
Thank you, Maria! After you blend all the veggies with the cream cheese, you could add it into freezable bags or containers and store it in the freezer for up to 2 months. When you are ready to use it, thaw in the fridge overnight, or you could place it straight from the freezer in a heated pan with a little bit of water and cook until it's creamy again.