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–+ servings
marinara sauce over spaghetti noodles in white bowl on blue background
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4.85 from 20 votes

Hidden Veggie Spaghetti Sauce

Hidden Veggie Spaghetti Sauce is loaded with simple, everyday vegetables hidden in plain sight. This tomato-ey, hearty vegetarian spaghetti sauce is from our easy vegan recipe collection made for stove or Instant Pot.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course, Sauce
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 5 1-cup servings
Calories: 81kcal
Author: Traci

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil or any cooking oil
  • ½ medium Onion coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1 large Carrot coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1 rib Celery coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 3 cloves Garlic minced
  • 1 cup Mushrooms coarsely chopped
  • 2 (15 ounce cans) Tomato Sauce
  • ⅓ cup Tomato Paste about half of a 6-ounce can
  • 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon Black Pepper
  • ⅛ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes optional
  • ⅓ cup Vegetable Broth or water

Instructions

Prep veggies

  • Place ONION, CARROT, CELERY, GARLIC, and MUSHROOMS in a food processor with the mixing blade in place. Note: you can grate everything by hand with a box grater.
  • Pulse the veggies into coarse crumbles (avoid "blending" vegetables into a puree).

Instructions for stove method

  • Heat OIL in a 3 quart saucepan on medium-high heat.
  • Add chopped veggies and sauté until fragrant (about 3 minutes), stirring as needed.
  • Add TOMATO SAUCE, TOMATO PASTE, ITALIAN SEASONING, SALT, BLACK PEPPER, (optional) RED PEPPER FLAKES, and BROTH (or water). Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring as needed.

Instructions for Instant Pot method

  • Press the “Sauté” button and add OIL to the pot.
  • When the display reads "Hot", add chopped veggies and sauté until fragrant (about 3 minutes), stirring as needed.
  • Add TOMATO SAUCE, TOMATO PASTE, ITALIAN SEASONING, SALT, BLACK PEPPER, (optional) RED PEPPER FLAKES, and BROTH (or water). Stir to combine.
  • Secure lid, turn pressure valve to "Sealing", and select "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" on HIGH for 2 minutes.
  • When cook cycle completes, allow cooker to sit undisturbed for a 10-minute natural pressure release (NPR).
  • Once depressurized, flip pressure valve to "Venting" to release any remaining steam. Press "Cancel", open the lid, and stir ingredients.

Serving and storage

  • Serve spaghetti sauce over your favorite pasta and (optional) garnish with Parmesan cheese.
  • To store, allow sauce to cool and refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 90 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 81kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 444mg | Potassium: 295mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2713IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg