Nothing beats homemade tomato sauce because I know what ingredients are being used. And since I almost always use seasonal, local ingredients, I know the flavour of the sauce will be bold and fresh.
These cheese-stuffed tortellini with zucchini tomato sauce is a wholesome, delicious meal for the kids, packed with manganese, vitamin C, and dietary fiber. Kids won’t eat their veggies? Zucchini is the ideal veggie to be sneaky with since it has such a mild, delicate flavour and in this traditional tomato sauce it goes completely undetected.
I’ve never been much of a fan of sneaking veggies into my kids’ meals. I’d rather they become accustomed to seeing veggies on their plates and (hopefully) eat them without any pressure…and enjoy them too!
Having said that, it suffices to say that it’s more than frustrating when the mere sight of veggies on their plates results in complete and utter veggie denial. So, sometimes you just have to sneak them in…right?
This particular recipe wasn’t intentionally made to be sneaky one. Sometimes inspiration hits when you least expect it to. I was preparing some sauteed zucchini for a frittata and some tomato sauce at the same time and decided on a whim to puree some of the zucchini and add it to the sauce. It’s a simple as that.
If your kids don’t get squirmy when they actually see vegetables on their plates you can serve this sauce as is, thick and chunky, otherwise, you’re best bet would be to puree the the zucchini so they go completely undetected.
In addition, peeling the zucchini will ensure no green bits end up on the kids’ plates. I make a large batch of this sauce and store family-size portions in the freezer for a quick and ready-made pasta sauce for those busy weeknights.
If you try this recipe (and love it!) be sure to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram with #bitesforfoodies so I can see your creation!
I wondered how you were going to smuggle in the “bigger bites”. My kids will swear up and down that they can’t stand zucchini but they eat it all the time. They just don’t know that they do 😉
This looks so yummy! Love how you secretly added veggies. hehe
Anything with Zucchini Tomato Sauce is simply delicious, is one of my favorite sauces, thanks for the great recipe | http://carmelapop.com
Thanks for this very yummy recipe. Will surely try it out too!
Yummy! I’m always in the lookout for vegetarian pasta recipes. And, we love zucchini! I’ve saved your recipe and will be making it very soon.
Oh yes, I definitely pinned this one. I can make a bunch of this and when the grandkids come over I’ll be the greatest NaNee in the whole world. hahaha I have 11 grandkids and 1 great-grandson. Besides kids? What about me and the hubby… looks great and what a great dinner this will make. Thanks for sharing. Yep definitely pinned this one! mmmmmm
This recipe sounds and looks amazing! Such an easy way to incorporate vegetables into a meal. Saving to make soon – sounds perfect for Winter!
I’m the same way…I want my kids to appreciate the veggies and actually learn to love and request them. That said, a mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do – and there’s no shame in using the sneaky method. Plus, it’s doesn’t necessarily have to be sneaky, just a delicious part of a recipe.
p.s. – just pass me that beautiful skillet full of zucchini and I’d be happy. 😉
Pinned you win! I think this would taste amazing!!
This looks like such a great recipe! I would love to whip this up for the family next week and see how it goes over with everyone.
I have never had a zucchini sauce but it sounds so good. I need to switch up my pasta sauce recipe.
Yum! That Tortellini with Zucchini Tomato Sauce looks amazing! I LOVE Tortellini so much. i’ll definitely be trying this recipe out soon <3
This sounds like the perfect weeknight meal. We love pasta, red sauce, and zucchini so this is right up our alley. Can’t wait to try it!
This dish looks totally amazing. I can’t wait to try it out for my family. Looks so good!
oh wow how delicious is this tomato sauce, I love making my own at home and like you said you know whats going into it.
Now this sounds like a great meal. The tomato sauce sounds delicious and I like all of the zucchini.
This looks so good! My husband loves pasta, and I think he would really enjoy this. We don’t make stuff with zucchini very often. This a great reason to buy some.
Mmm! I could just finish off a bowl of this now, and it’s still breakfast time! Love me some Italian food and zucchini in it too!
My husband really likes zucchini, so I’m guessing he’d enjoy this. He doesn’t get to eat it often as I don’t like it so I won’t make it.
I LOVE zucchini. It’s like my new best friend. I just bought some so that I could finally test out my Vegezetti (or whatever it’s called). This recipe looks appetizing!
I just made those the other day…gosh, they’re good!
Omg this looks absolutely delicious!!! I so need to give your recipe a try!!!! Too yummy 🙂
Thank you!
This looks so yummy – I love pasta and we have it a lot. Great recipe, thank you. Kaz
Oh man this looks so good! Ill have to remember this when I have fresh garden zucchini again 🙂
I love the flavour of fresh zucchini…you obviously grown your own, right?
Yep! We always grow it during the summer. Its the best. Zucchini bread, zucchini spaghetti, zucchini everything! Yumo
I love cooking with zucchini. Never made tomato sauce with it though. Got to try because it looks delicious!
Tomatoes and zucchini are delicious together! I often make it as a side dish…
Well now that looks so delicious, I’m going to print out your recipe. I can’t wait to try this for the grand kids this weekend.
Great! Let me know what they think of it! Do they like zucchini…or are you going to have to sneak it in?! 😉
This actually looks so delicious. Yummy!!! I have never made my own homemade tomato sauce with zucchini before so I will love trying this recipe. Thanks for sharing it.
It’s so easy! You can prep the zucchini beforehand and then just add it to fresh sauce last minute.
Oh yum, I love zucchini. I’m going to have to make this sauce myself.
That sauce would be great for so many things! I really like this recipe, thanks for creating it for us
Thank you Taty!
This looks really delicious! And your pictures are amazing! They make me want to make this RIGHT NOW :!
Thank you! I try…I still need to work on lighting and the basics 😉
This sounds amazing and something even my children will eat. I must confess I had to Google zucchini as I was a bit baffled by it. Turns out they are courgettes for any other British readers.
It looks amazing Lisa! I love that I have the option of blending it up and hiding it in there…more so from my husband than my kids. My kids actually like Zuchini, but my husband is a baby about it. 😉
I hear ya! My husband seems to be the picky eater sometimes 😉
This does look really good! My kids like zucchini and squash sauteed together, but I know they would love zucchini prepared this ways!
That’s a great combo!
This looks delicious and I love all the veggies in the sauce. I think I have all the ingredients now and it’s snowing here so I might whip this up this afternoon.
I literally just eat the zucchini by the bowlful!!