Veggie Rich Pasta Sauce

"Mom, why do you have to keep trying to get us to eat more veggies?"  This is the complaint that came with the serving of last night's dinner.  My husband and I decided that we screwed up on the eating thing when it comes to raising my daughter.  This is a shame, because as you see we eat good home cooked real food with lots of veggies. Okay, we did one thing right, she doesn't like McDonald's.  Well, except for the Sausage McMuffin that we have once or twice a year when we are at the airport and good food choices are slim. 



The Veggie Mix

My advice for all parents who have yet to dine out with their children is to never, EVER order off the children's menu.  The high fat, low nutrient value of these meals will ruin your child's palate.  This combined, of course with the pizza and chicken nuggets, etc that we all serve at birthday parties and such, because we know this is what children will actually eat. Yes, I know I am living in a fantasy world even considering that it would be possible to keep these types foods out of my child's reach or that this has caused the strife we sometimes have at the dinner table.  But I do think that maybe a little more vigilance on this effort would have at least made some difference.  Anyway there it is, one of maybe many things I would do differently in raising my child if I had a do over.


Served Over Cheese Ravioli

I shouldn't complain, my child does eat a fair amount veggies and even some unusual ones. The real deal with last night's dinner is that she doesn't like red sauce on pasta. I know this is usually a go-to meal for most mom's, kids love red sauce.  For those mom's if you make this recipe, you may want to grate most of the veggies in this dish or at least chop them smaller.  You may get some extra veggies in your kid without them knowing it.  Doesn't work for us, so I make the veggies the highlight of the sauce.

Anyway this is a pasta sauce chock full of veggies and I make it different each time. That's because you can use whatever you like or have on hand.  Make a large batch and freeze half for another meal.

Veggie Rich Pasta Sauce

 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and diced (keep the seeds for spicier sauce)

1 green pepper, chopped

1 italian eggplant, chopped

6 cloves garlic, pressed

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 large carrot, grated

1/4 cup red wine

54 ounces crushed tomatoes

5-7 fresh basil leaves, chopped or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat olive oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat.  Add in onions and cook for a few minutes to soften. Add the jalapenos, green pepper and eggplant. Saute 2-3 minutes and then add the mushrooms and garlic. Saute until mushrooms are slightly softened. Add the carrots, cook 1 minute then add the red wine, crushed tomatoes, basil red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on low for 20-30 minutes. Serve over any type of pasta.