Yummy Italian Vegetable Sauce for Pasta

A great, chunky Italian vegetable sauce, perfect to top an al dente pasta dish. Made with tasty Mediterranean vegetables like zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers, this pasta sauce is ready in 30 minutes, is extremely versatile, and stores wonderfully.

Jump to:

• Vegetable Sauce Ingredients
• How To Prepare Italian-style Vegetable Sauce?
• People Also Ask [FAQs]
• Tips and Tricks for Veggie Pasta Sauce
• Recipe

I won't bore you with a long story about how this recipe has been treasured for many generations in my family, as it has not.

My mother is a great cook, the best [!], yet there are SO many things she would rather do than cook. She's the adventurous type, she loves exercising and socializing, so it's no surprise a quick and tasty recipe is actually the fruit of her dislike of spending too many hours in front of the hob, especially when the sun is shining bright outside.

She and I always ate and still eat plenty of veggies with bell peppers, eggplant, and zucchini being summer favorites, so here I present you the perfect pasta sauce that can be eaten warm, cold, with pasta or without [try the sauce with some sliced mozzarella, yum!], and gets ready in 30 minutes flat.

Vegetable Sauce Ingredients

• Zucchini, Eggplant, Bell Peppers, Tomatoes: These are the chunky veggies for this pasta sauce. Choose fresh ripe vegetables, and go for more mature tomatoes, if you have them.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Onion, Garlic: The base for the vegetable sauce. If possible use good quality EVOO, but if you don't like it or don't have it, go for flavorless vegetable oil.
• Salt, and Pepper: To taste.

How To Prepare Italian-style Vegetable Sauce?

1. To start, chop all of your vegetables and keep them aside.
2. In a large saucepan, add the olive oil and, once warm, add the red onion and garlic and allow to lightly cook until the garlic loses its raw smell. This won’t necessarily mean that the onions are cooked thoroughly, but they will have the time afterward.
3. Once the garlic is cooked add all of the other diced vegetables, salt and some ground black pepper if desired.

4. Mix well and cover the saucepan with a lid. Allow the veggie pasta sauce to cook on low to medium heat for about 25 minutes, keeping an eye on it and mixing when needed.
5. Cook the pasta on the side and add it to the sauce.

People Also Ask [FAQs]

How to freeze veggie pasta sauce?

This vegetable sauce recipe can easily be frozen for up to three months. It is best to use an airtight container or sealed freezer bags. To serve, fully thaw the sauce overnight and warm up in a saucepan, adding a few tablespoons of water, or reheat from frozen in the microwave. Ensure the pasta sauce has been thoroughly reheated before serving.

Tips and Tricks for Veggie Pasta Sauce

• Veggies: This is a very versatile recipe that can be modified as needed. Should you have vegetables in different proportions, then use what you have, however, bear in mind that peppers are quite sweet and may need balancing out, perhaps with some parmesan cheese or crumbled feta.
• Peppers: Although I used red peppers for this recipe, any color will work. Red and yellow will give some nice contrast, however, green peppers taste just as divine!
• Size of Chunks: Depending on the size of chunks of vegetables, the pasta sauce will end up being smoother or chunkier, and that is all up to taste, so chop the vegetables to your preferred size.
• Tomato Sauce or Tomato Paste: If you prefer this sauce to be more traditional, then a great addition is some tomato sauce or tomato puree. Simply add the chosen ingredients 15 minutes after the vegetables have been added, and finish cooking as instructed. This method may require 5-10 more minutes of simmering to achieve the desired consistency.
• Spice it up: It is very easy to make this spaghetti sauce a bit different every time! Try adding some Italian spices like red pepper flakes, marjoram, basil, or thyme. For a more exotic taste, go for Mexican oregano or a little sweet paprika.
• Have it cold: You can easily enjoy this pasta sauce on its own, while cold. Serve it with a few green or black olives, artichoke hearts, and some sliced mozzarella for the ultimate summer meal.
• Top: Serve your penne pasta dish with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese on top!

I hope this penne pasta dish has made you want to add Mediterranean veggies straight to your shopping list for the week!

Whether you are looking for some quick dinner recipes, a way to increase your vegetable intake, or simply fancy a delicious meal, this vegetable sauce recipe is the one to try, and I hope it becomes a favorite like it has for me.

🥗 Have a look at these delicious pasta dishes too!

Recipe