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Chef Linda
Linda Soper-Kolton, Chef, came to the Sanctuary as a guest chef to share her love of compassionate cooking in our then-fledgling culinary program. Lured by the magic of the Sanctuary, her love of animals and the urgency of our mission, Linda stayed on to lead and grow the culinary program, inspiring and educating with love, patience, and delicious food.
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Hearty Tomato Sauce

By Chef Linda

Use my Hearty Tomato Sauce as another opportunity to sneak in a little extra nutrition for yourself or picky eaters. The additions aren't completely out of left field (carrots, celery, red peppers, chickpeas), but they do add a level of depth, complexity, and flavor to plain tomato sauce. I recommend blending or pureeing the sauce after cooking because you can be less precise about your chopping. If you like a chunkier texture and aren't hiding veggies and beans in your sauce, by all means, skip that step.

And if you can, make extra for freezing…or for giving to friends and family along with a package of pasta and a loaf of crusty bread to make someone else's night a little easier.

Ingredients

 2 tablespoons olive oil
 1 large onion, chopped
 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
 3 large stalks celery, chopped
 1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
 2 teaspoons dried oregano
 2 teaspoons dried basil
 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
 2 teaspoons salt
 2 (28 ounce) cans of diced tomatoes
 3 tablespoons tomato paste
 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 1 1/2 cups cooked
 2 tablespoons real maple syrup (to balance the acidity of the tomatoes, use sugar if you don't have syrup)

Directions

1

Over medium heat, warm oil in a large pot. Add onions, carrots, celery, bell pepper, garlic, herbs, pepper flakes, and salt. Cook covered, for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have started to soften.

Remove cover and add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and chickpeas. Stir, then cook uncovered for another 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, if you like. When the carrots are tender, remove the pot from the heat. To blend, use an immersion blender (hand held stick blender) or let cool slightly, then carefully ladle into a blender and puree for a few seconds till desired consistency is achieved. Add maple syrup to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and adjust salt, if necessary.

Hearty Tomato Sauce
IngredientsDirections

Hearty Tomato Sauce

DifficultyEasyCook Time30 mins
YIELDS
About 1 1/2 quarts

INGREDIENTS

 2 tablespoons olive oil
 1 large onion, chopped
 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
 3 large stalks celery, chopped
 1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
 2 teaspoons dried oregano
 2 teaspoons dried basil
 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
 2 teaspoons salt
 2 (28 ounce) cans of diced tomatoes
 3 tablespoons tomato paste
 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 1 1/2 cups cooked
 2 tablespoons real maple syrup (to balance the acidity of the tomatoes, use sugar if you don't have syrup)

DIRECTIONS

1

Over medium heat, warm oil in a large pot. Add onions, carrots, celery, bell pepper, garlic, herbs, pepper flakes, and salt. Cook covered, for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have started to soften.

Remove cover and add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and chickpeas. Stir, then cook uncovered for another 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, if you like. When the carrots are tender, remove the pot from the heat. To blend, use an immersion blender (hand held stick blender) or let cool slightly, then carefully ladle into a blender and puree for a few seconds till desired consistency is achieved. Add maple syrup to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and adjust salt, if necessary.

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