Veggie Packed Pasta Sauce

I started making my own spaghetti sauce way back in 2001 when we first moved to Spain. In fact, I started making a lot of thing back then. . . Anyway, over time, my sauce has improved from a rather watery concoction flecked with bits of Italian seasoning to a robust, flavorful, and nutritious sauce with lots of body. Whenever I feel like the girls are lacking in veggies, I make this and know with confidence that they are getting the vitamins and minerals they need.

One medium onion, chopped
3-4 medium carrots , chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
One red bell pepper, cut into chunks

Sauté all of the above in ¼ cup olive oil. Once the onions and peppers are soft, add 2 tsp. parsley, 2 tsp. Italian seasoning (or when available ¼ cup fresh chopped basil). In the summer when I have fresh basil growing, I always choose the basil - it makes a fantastic sauce.

Then add one large can of tomato sauce, and one large can chopped tomatoes (drained) and ½ tsp. salt. Let all this simmer for at least 20-30 minutes, then blend it all up to your desired consistency with a hand immersion blender. Since my girls are not fond of chunks, I blend up everything till it's pretty smooth.

Enjoy!!