Tomato-Free Pizza & Meatball Sauce

By: Susan Joy

I’m delighted with this tasty tomato-free pizza/meatball sauce. Many of us love Italian food but we need to eliminate tomatoes or can’t tolerate nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, capsicum, peppers, chilli, white potato, eggplant). No one will guess there’s no tomatoes in this delicious sauce. Use the sauce to spread over Paleo pizzas, with meatballs, lasagna and noodles. If I hadn’t told my hubby it didn’t contain tomatoes, he said he wouldn’t have known (he loves the sauce).

Serves: 1.5L  | Prep Time: 00:10 | Cooking Time: 00:35 |

Ingredients

  • 1 lge onion(s)
  • 2 lge (320g) carrot(s), peeled
  • 1 sml-med (260g) sweet potato, peeled
  • 1 med-lge (200g) beetroot, peeled
  • 1 lge celery stick(s)
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 2 bay leaves, dried or fresh
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp Italian herbs
  • 2 tsp coconut sugar, or honey
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper, ground
  • 500ml chicken broth/stock, or vegetable stock can be used
  • 10 (1/4 cup) pitted kalamata olives, (adds a depth of flavour)

Directions

Chop the onion, carrot, sweet potato, beetroot and celery into small chunks and add them to a food processor or similar machine. Add in the garlic and bay leaves, and process for 10 seconds or until all the vegetables are chopped finely.

Heat a large heavy based saucepan on medium heat. Add the oil and vegetables and cook for 5 minutes. Stir the vinegar, Italian herbs, coconut sugar, cinnamon, salt and pepper through the vegetables.

Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cook covered for 30 minutes or until the vegetables have lost their raw veggie taste.

Add contents of the saucepan to a high-speed blender with the olives (be careful not to burn yourself). Blend until you reach a smooth sauce.

Once the sauce has cooled pour into glass jars, seal and store in the fridge for up to 4 weeks or freeze for up to 6 months.

Article supplied with thanks to The JOYful Table.

About the Author: Susan is an author of The JOYful Table cookbook containing gluten & grain free, and Paleo inspired recipes for good health and wellbeing.