Vegan Tomato Sauce

💚Why you will love this recipe 

• Vibrant, delicious, and rich in flavor 
• Quick and easy to make - ready in 30 minutes 
• Incredibly versatile and works well in a variety of dishes 
• Stores well and is freezable 

🍅Using fresh tomatoes instead of canned 

This recipe calls for canned crushed tomatoes, but you can substitute them with fresh ones.

• Thoroughly rinse and core your tomatoes. Using a knife, score an ‘X’ at the bottom of your tomatoes. 
• Blanch them for 30-60 seconds in boiling water. 
• Transfer blanched tomatoes immediately into a bowl of ice-cold water. 
• Peel your tomatoes, and you can either puree them in a food processor or finely dice them up before use. 

For every 14oz can, you will need 1lb of fresh tomatoes. Hence, for this recipe, you will need around 2lbs of tomatoes. 

🥕What you will need 

📃Ingredient notes and substitutions 

• Crushed tomatoes - Can be substituted with passata. Alternatively, you can use diced tomatoes in place if you prefer a chunkier sauce. 
• Maple syrup - an optional ingredient, help balance the acidity of the tomatoes. 

🔪How to make 

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a cast-iron skillet or non-stick pan. Add onion, carrot, and celery. Saute until they have softened.

Add garlic next, and fry for a minute until fragrant.  

Now, pour in crushed tomatoes, oregano, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, and let it cook for 15-20 minutes. 

Remove from heat, and stir in chopped basil along with maple syrup. Give everything a good stir, and your vegan tomato sauce is ready to be used. 

✔Helpful tips 

• You can chop your veggies in a food processor to make the process easier. Place onion, carrot, and celery in the food processor and give it a few pulses or until everything is finely chopped. 
• I highly recommend using San Marzano canned tomatoes. They have the perfect balance between sweetness and acidity, which are great for sauces. 
• While cooking, stir your sauce occasionally to prevent ingredients from sticking to the bottom. 
• Tomato sauce will thicken as it cooks. Hence, if it is getting too thick for your liking, add a splash of water to thin it out. 
• If you prefer a smoother tomato sauce, blend parts or all of it in a blender or immersion blender before serving. 

🍝How to serve 

Pasta - For a quick and easy meal, cook up pasta of choice and toss it in this vegan tomato sauce! You could throw in some vegan Italian sausages or tofu chunks to bump up the protein content. 

Pizzas - This sauce also works great on pizzas or flatbreads. 

Meatballs - You could use it as a sauce for meatballs or vegan meatballs, like my TVP meatballs. 

In mains - This sauce can also be used in place of marinara sauce to make lasagna, pasta bake, and casseroles. 

❄Storing suggestions 

Fridge - Store leftover vegan tomato sauce in a sealed jar, and it will last for up to a week. 

Freezer - Before freezing, portion the sauce into individual servings using freezer containers or ziplock bags. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. Let it thaw completely in the fridge overnight before using. 

❔Commonly asked questions