Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce with Hidden Veggies (Whole30 Paleo) 
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Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce with Hidden Veggies (Whole30 Paleo) – a quick and easy sauce perfect for adding to your favorite Italian recipes. With hidden veggies, this spaghetti sauce recipe is nutrient dense, freezable, and totally kid friendly!
I know many of you are going to ask, “why should I make my own spaghetti sauce when it’s so much easier to buy it at the store?” Fair question. The answer is in the nutrition label! You’ll find preservatives, additives, and unnecessary ingredients like excess sugar and sodium in many store-bought versions of spaghetti sauce. Making your own is super easy and you control the ingredients. Besides being healthier, another bonus to making your own spaghetti sauce? It’s easy on the budget and you’ll get more for your money!
Another trick I love is hiding veggies in soups and sauces. It’s a simple way to make a nutrient dense meal out of basic ingredients. In this recipe for Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce, the added veggies give a nice boost of extra nutrients and fiber, while also bumping up the flavor profile. If you struggle to get your family to eat their vegetables, try this hack!
Ingredients
Olive Oil
Onion
Carrots
Celery
Bell Pepper
Frozen Cauliflower Rice
Canned Crushed Tomatoes
Basil
Instructions
Prepare the onion, carrots, celery, and pepper by finely dicing them
Using the Sauté mode on the Instant Pot, cook the vegetables and garlic in the oil
Add the cauliflower rice, crushed tomatoes, basil, and salt and cook on Manual mode for 4 minutes
Puree the sauce using an immersion blender
See the recipe instructions for how to make on the stovetop
What Vegetables to Add to Spaghetti Sauce?
The best vegetables for adding nutrients and flavor are carrots, celery, and bell peppers. Carrots and red bell peppers are especially good in spaghetti sauce because they add a touch of natural sweetness, which balances the acidity of the tomatoes. Spinach, finely diced mushrooms, zucchini, and other mildly flavored vegetables are also good options.
Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
Want to make this recipe with meat? No problem! Simply stir in browned ground beef after blending the sauce. Ground turkey or venison are good options too. This can be a last-minute add-in before serving or added to the sauce before freezing. I like to have both options available depending on the meal and who’s eating it.
Can I Freeze Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce?
Yep! This is a great recipe to make in bulk and freeze for future meals. I like to keep cans of crushed tomatoes on hand in my pantry and make this sauce when I have extra veggies to use up before they go bad. To reheat frozen sauce, I like to put it straight into a large deep skillet and slowly defrost it over low heat. It can also be thawed ahead in the refrigerator.
How to Use IP Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Serve over pasta, zucchini noodles, or spaghetti squash
Serve with these Gluten Free Baked Chicken Meatballs
Use in place of the sauce in this Chicken Parmesan Meatballs Recipe
Try it in this Easy Lasagna Skillet
Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce with Hidden Veggies (Whole30 Paleo)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 bell pepper, orange, red, or yellow - diced
- 10 ounces cauliflower rice
- 2 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
Instructions
- Heat the oil in the Instant Pot on the Saute mode. Add onion, celery, carrots, and peppers to the pot, cooking and stirring for 3-4 minutes until just tender. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the cauliflower rice, tomatoes, salt, and basil to the pot, and stir. Seal lid and set the pot for 4 minutes on the Manual mode.
- When cycle completes, let pressure release naturally (or perform quick release). Using an immersion blender, puree the sauce until smooth or desired consistency.
- Taste and add salt and pepper if desired.
Stovetop Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the diced veggies to the pot and cook, stirring frequestly for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, salt, and basil. Stir well.
- Bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for at least 30 minutes.
- Using a hand immersion blender, puree the sauce to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
Nutrition
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Vegetarian