Lydia's No-mato Sauce

 Lydia's No-mato Sauce

     If you ever find yourself in a position where you can't have tomatoes this sauce will help fill that void in your life! If you can have tomatoes it is a delicious sauce that you can top pasta with, dollop on top of a taco, or dip your fries in! I've been using it for all of the above and even eating it on it's own! Roasting the veggies in this recipe really brings out the flavor of them.
    Even if you don't like one of the ingredients listed try it first before you leave it out. The sauce has beets in it, but doesn't taste like beets. It also contains a lot of roasted carrots. I usually dislike cooked carrots but roasting them changes the flavor and adds a sweetness and depth to the sauce. This sauce is a nutrient powerhouse. Butternut squash and beets have so many vitamins and minerals in them such as vitamin C, and magnesium! There are many recipes for no-mato sauce out there but most had ingredients I couldn’t eat right now so I tweaked this until I found the perfect sauce for me! Honestly if you can have onions or garlic I would add a little, but it’s so flavorful I don’t miss them!

Ingredients

-2 cups cubed butternut squash

-2 cups carrots cut in half and then into 2 inch spears

-2 cups celery cut into 2 inch spears

-1/2 cup cubed raw beets ( you can also use pre-cooked beets just add the last 15 minutes of cooking)

-1 tsp sea salt divided plus more for taste

-2 TBSP olive oil

-1 tsp fennel seed

-1 tsp dried basil

- 1-2 cups of water

Instructions 

1) Pre- heat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Place all cut up veggies on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the veggies with the 2 TBSP olive oil, and 1/2 tsp salt.

3) Roast the veggies in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove and add the basil and fennel seed to the pan. Stir the veggies around, roast for another 10-15 minutes until slightly browned and fork tender. Cooking the spices will help this to be more friendly for those with digestive issues.

4) Remove veggies from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. 

5) In a large food processor add the roasted vegetables and spices, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 cup of warm water. Process the mixture until smooth. If it is still thick add more water 1/4 cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. I usually add a full two cups of water to mine. 

6) If you are serving right away add to a small saucepan and heat until warmed through. This will keep for 5 days in an airtight container and you can heat up on the stove as needed. You might need to thin with a little more water as you reheat it.

Enjoy!

adapted from https://www.meleatswell.com