Sneaky Veggie Spaghetti

Author: R. E. Hayes

My Sneaky Veggie Spaghetti recipe was born out of desperation. My family would not consciously eat nutritious foods so I started sneaking them into their regular meals. First, our usual angel hair pasta was replaced with an organic, whole wheat version. (Prior to cooking, the whole wheat version is darker, but when cooked the difference is barely noticeable.)

Then I switched the pasta sauce. Switching from a conventional pasta sauce to an organic version went undetected, but introducing new vegetables into the sauce would be risky. If it was discovered, the sauce would be dismissed as "gross" before anyone ever tasted it.

My first attempt began with buying fresh, organic greens. I planned on steaming and pureeing them myself, but I never seemed to get around to it. Bag after bag of greens found their way into my compost bin, instead of my sauce pot.

I had just about given up on the idea of introducing new veggies into my pasta sauce when I wandered down the baby food aisle at the local grocery store. That’s when it dawned on me -- I could buy organic, pureed vegetables and store them in my pantry.

I purchased jars of sweet potatoes and carrots and began my greatest deception of all. One jar made its way into the organic pasta sauce and was a hit. Over the next few weeks, I experimented with increasing the number of jars and different vegetables into the pasta sauce. My family has eaten pasta sauce with carrots, sweet potatoes, and even green beans without noticing. Even out-of-town relatives never caught on.

After a number of months, I finally told my family how I had deceived them into eating the very vegetables they found disgusting. They responded not with anger at the deception, but with joy at my having found a clever way to help them eat healthier.

Sneaky Veggie Spaghetti Recipe

Ingredients

2 - 15 ounce cans organic tomato sauce
3 - 2.5 ounce jars first stage organic baby food (Must be completely pureed)
½ cup shredded Italian cheese
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons Italian seasonings
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon sugar
Organic, whole wheat angel hair pasta
Dash salt (Optional)

Instructions

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients except angel hair pasta and salt.
Cook over medium heat. Stir frequently, until simmering.
Reduce heat. Continue to stir frequently.
Prepare desired amount of angel hair pasta, according to package directions.
Optional: Add salt.
Sauce will be ready when pasta is drained.

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