This recipe is a real lifesaver in our house when we are tired and want to cook something very easy but still healthy. It is a pasta sauce that I make for the whole family, and everyone eats it. My little one likes red lentil pasta or green pea pasta, although sometimes she also has brown rice pasta with us.
The sauce takes about 5 minutes to prepare and around 40–60 minutes to cook. Ideally, I leave it for about an hour, so that the vegetables become really soft and the flavours have time to develop.
There are three different tomato sauce bases that I usually use, depending on the occasion and who is eating it.
I love Sugo Basilico from Alnatura. It is a great option for families with young children because it is delicious, not spicy, and made with organic ingredients. It contains sea salt and olive oil.
Another option is Sugo Picante from Alnatura. It is spicy, so I would not recommend it for young children, but it has a very simple ingredient list and is made with organic ingredients. It contains sea salt and no added fat.
The third option is La Selva Pomodoro al Basilico. This sauce is a good choice if you are looking for a sauce without added fat or salt. It is also made with organic ingredients.
Frozen mushrooms can be found in organic shops, or you can freeze them yourself when you have some time. This is what I usually do.
I make a double portion every time. The recipe below makes 6 portions, so I keep half for another day and simply heat it up when we need it.
Ingredients — 6 portions
* 3 cans/jars of one of the tomato sauces mentioned above
* 750 g frozen haricots verts
- 750 g fresh or 600 g frozen champignon mushrooms
- A few pieces of frozen cauliflower (optional)
Cook everything covered for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and cook for another 20–30 minutes, allowing the excess water from the mushrooms to evaporate and the sauce to become nice and thick.
If you would like to make it a little healthier and have another 5 minutes, I sometimes take one can/jar of the sauce and blend it with one onion and several cloves of garlic using an immersion blender.
While the sauce is simmering uncovered, cook your brown rice pasta.
I keep the sauce in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.