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This delicious tomato marinara sauce tastes as good as usual, yet it’s hiding lots of veggies and beans inside for extra protein!
Hidden veggies reporting for dinner duty! ♡
Yes, I admittedly pull the mom hack of sneaking a bunch of veggies and white beans into our marinara sauce. But honestly? We adults love this recipe just as much as the kids. It’s smooth, cozy, and full of rich tomato-garlic flavor, with a sneaky boost of nutrition blended right in. A dinnertime win for everyone!
The veggies completely melt into the sauce after a quick blend, the beans add extra creaminess and protein without anyone noticing, and a humble can of tomato paste adds a bold boost of concentrated tomato flavor to make this taste like your favorite marinara. Toss it with your favorite pasta, layer it into lasagna, or stash some in the freezer for an easy weeknight win. It’s one to bookmark, for sure!
Hidden Veggie Marinara Sauce Ingredients
Here are a few quick notes about the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe (amounts listed in the recipe card below):
Veggies (carrot + red bell pepper + zucchini): These colorful fresh vegetables add natural sweetness, subtle earthy flavor, and a boost of nutrients to the sauce. Once cooked and blended, they virtually disappear into the marinara.
Aromatics (onion + garlic): Diced onion and garlic add depth and savory flavor to the sauce. Feel free to double the amount of garlic if you prefer an extra garlicky sauce.
Beans: Canned white beans add creaminess, protein and fiber. I used Great Northern beans here, but any mild white beans (such as cannelini, navy or butter beans) would work well.
Tomato paste:A full 6-ounce can infuses the sauce with rich, concentrated tomato flavor and plenty of umami flavor.
Parmesan: A generous cup of freshly-grated Parmesan melts into the sauce and adds a salty, savory depth that rounds everything out.
Dried seasonings: Dried oregano brings that classic Italian flavor. As always, be sure to use plenty of salt and pepper as needed to season.
Recipe Tips
Detailed instructions are included in the recipe below, but here are a few more tips to help make this recipe a success!
Dice veggies smaller for faster cooking. If you’re in a hurry, dice the veggies nice and small so that they’ll cook even faster.
Use a high-speed blender. If you want this sauce to be velvety smooth, it helps to use a high speed blender.
Add a splash of broth or water if needed. If the sauce seems too thick or is having trouble blending, add in a splash of vegetable broth or water (even better if it’s starchy pasta water) to thin it out slightly.
Double the batch and freeze half. This sauce freezes beautiful, so I love making a double batch to save for the next time.
Taste and adjust seasoning after blending. Don’t forget to give the sauce a taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Recipe Variations
This recipe is incredibly flexible, so feel free to customize and make it your own! Here are a few more fun ways that you can change things up:
Roast the veggies. Instead of sautéing the veggies, roast them on a sheet pan at 425°F until tender for an extra layer of rich, caramelized flavor.
Add fresh herbs. Add some fresh basil, parsley or thyme to the sauce in the blender.
Add extra greens or veggies. Add a a handful of fresh baby spinach to the veggie sauté for extra nutrients, or you can also swap in some other sauce-friendly veggies such as cauliflower, mushrooms or sweet potatoes.
Add extra acid or sweetness. Add a splash of lemon juice or balsamic vinegar for a lovely extra acidic, or add a teaspoon or sugar or honey to sweeten.
Add cream. Add a splash of cream while the sauce is blending to make it extra creamy.
Swap beans for lentils. Use cooked red lentils in place of the beans, which will also blend well and add a light earthy flavor to the sauce.
More Hidden Veggie Recipes To Try
Looking for more recipes that are made with an extra boost of veggies? Here are a few of our favorites:
This delicious tomato marinara sauce tastes as good as usual, yet it’s hiding lots of veggies and beans inside for extra protein.
Ingredients
Scale
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2/3 cup diced white onion
1 large carrot, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
5 large garlic cloves, minced
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 cup cooked white beans, rinsed and drained (Great Northern, cannellini, navy beans, etc)
1 teaspooneach: dried oregano, fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1 cup (1 ounce) freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Sauté the veggies.Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. Add the bell pepper, zucchini and the remaining oil. Sauté for 5-8 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and lightly caramelized around the edges. Add the garlic and tomato paste and sauté for 2 more minutes, stirring frequently.
Blend.Transfer the entire veggie mixture to a blender. Add beans, oregano, salt, pepper and ½ cup water and purée until completely smooth. (If need be, add in extra water so that the sauce can blend.) Add the Parmesan and purée until smooth.
Serve or store.When combining the marinara with pasta, I recommend reserving and adding in some of the starchy pasta water (at least ¼ cup per 1 cup of the marinara) to thin out the marinara and help it cling to the pasta. Any leftover marinara can be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Enjoy!
Notes
Tossing with pasta: One batch of this mixed with a pound of pasta (after it has been cooked) will make for a pretty saucy pasta, similar to the photos above. Feel free to use less sauce if you prefer.
