No-Mato Sauce
No-Mato Sauce
Intermediate | 60 MIN | About a quart
We developed this delicious sauce for our clients who can’t have tomatoes and have found, to our delight, just about everyone enjoys it, whether they can have tomatoes or not. Use it anywhere you would want tomato sauce. If you can’t have onion or garlic check out our Allium-free No-Mato Sauce.
Consider doubling this sauce to make enough to freeze.
Ingredients
- 3 T olive oil
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 large onion, diced
- Sea salt to taste
- 1 lb carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 small/medium beet, peeled and diced
- 1 to 4 tablespoons red wine or balsamic vinegar – all depending on how much acidity you would like in the dish start with less, get the dish cooked and pureed, and put back on the stove to simmer, then gradually add more vinegar to your taste.
- Optional: A little red wine is nice in this sauce also – just a splash
- 2 cups either: water, Imagine Foods No-Chicken Broth*, or chicken broth
Herbs
You can use the following herbs or use an Italian herb blend
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Optional spices
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of clove
- Onion powder and/or garlic powder to taste
Directions
- Put the oil into a stockpot or large sauté pan and add the garlic to the cold oil.
- Turn on the heat and sauté the garlic on a medium heat until it changes color slightly, but be careful not to brown it.
- Next add the onions, a pinch of salt and sauté until the onions are creamy and translucent. Add a little water if necessary to prevent burning.
- Once the onions are well cooked add the carrot, beets, oregano, basil, and 1 tablespoon red wine or balsamic vinegar. Hold off on adding more vinegar until the sauce is puréed and it’s simmering back on the stove.
- Add 2 cups water, chicken broth or Imagine Foods No-Chicken Broth*.
- Put a lid on the pot and simmer until all the vegetables are very soft- about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how large you cut your veg. Stir regularly.
- Once the veggies are soft enough use either an immersion blender or food processor to puree the sauce.
- Return the pureed veggies to the pot if you did this in a food processor. Add a bit more liquid if you would like a thinner sauce.
- Adjust the seasonings to your taste as needed and simmer a few more minutes to let the flavors meld.