Roasted Vegetable Marinara
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
This Roasted Vegetable Marinara is the perfect recipe to sneak some extra veggies into your dinner – baby-friendly and so good!
I originally made a version of this Roasted Vegetable Marinara for my son – he is 8 months old and on his solids journey. I adapted the leftovers to make dinner for my husband and I and that’s when I knew I needed to make this an actual recipe. It is hearty, healthy and super yummy. A great way to get lots of veggies into pasta night!
here’s what you need
ingredients
- zucchini
- red onion
- tomatoes
- cherry tomatoes
- garlic
- oil
- dried oregano
- dried basil
- salt & pepper
- marinara
equipment
You need a baking dish, food processor and stock pot!
steps
step 1: roast the veggies
I love a tray of roasted veggies. Whether I’m eating them on their own, making a soup or a sauce, they always turn out tasty – and they make the whole house smell good!
Add the veggies, oil & dry seasonings to the baking dish and toss to coat. Place in the oven for 20 minutes. Toss and place back in the oven for 10-20 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
step 2: blend
This sauce is meant to be a little chunky. So when it comes to blending the veggies you can really blend them as much or as little as you want.
Transfer the veggies (and all of their liquids) to a food processor and blend. You can pulse until you get the right texture.
step 3: finish & serve
Like I mentioned earlier, I originally made this recipe for my son. I roasted the veggies (adjusted the seasonings to make them baby-friendly), blended them and served his like that – with a little bit of blended spaghetti.
But, to make this more adult-friendly, I took one extra step to add in a little more depth of flavor. Add the blended veggies to a stock pot with a jar of marinara sauce and stir to combine. Give it a taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Some fresh basil is also great at this point!
Cook up some of your favorite pasta and serve the warm marinara over it!
tips & tricks
The texture of this sauce is meant to be a little chunky. If you want it to be smooth, I would use a blender instead of a food processor.
Adjust the veggies to what you have on hand – you could even sneak in some spinach or cauliflower!
To make this baby-friendly: adjust the seasonings when roasting (if omitting salt from your baby’s diet), blend and serve with pasta. We’re basically omitting the jar of marinara. I also pulsed some cooked spaghetti with his.
need more recipe inspo? check these out:
Roasted Vegetable Marinara
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini chopped
- 1/2 red onion chopped
- 4 tomatoes quartered
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons oil I used avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 28-ounce jar marinara
Equipment
- baking dish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking dish with parchment paper.
- Add the veggies, oil & dry seasonings to the baking dish and toss to coat. Place in the oven for 20 minutes. Toss and place back in the oven for 10-20 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
- Transfer the veggies (and all of their liquids) to a food processor and blend. You can leave this as chunky or smooth as you want.
- Transfer the veggie mixture to a stock pot and add the jar of marinara. Cook over low heat until heated through. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Serve over your favorite pasta.
Video
Notes
- The texture of this sauce is meant to be a little chunky. If you want it to be smooth, I would use a blender instead of a food processor.
- Adjust the veggies to what you have on hand – you could even sneak in some spinach or cauliflower!
- To make this baby-friendly: adjust the seasonings when roasting (if omitting salt from your baby’s diet), blend and serve with pasta. We’re basically omitting the jar of marinara. I also pulsed some cooked spaghetti with his.Â
