This vegan sweet potato sauce is a baby led weaning sweet potato recipe I began making when Mini Jones was little. Using sweet potato in a tomato sauce is a great way of making a delicious tomato sauce without adding any processed sugar. The sweetness of the potato balances the sharpness of the tomato, instead of adding a pinch of sugar to your sauce. Sweet potatoes also make the sauce rich and creamy, in a healthy way!
Shh! This sweet potato sauce is a hidden vegetable pasta sauce with 6 different vegetables blended into this sauce, it is a great way of increasing the vegetable intake into your child’s meal. Whilst it is always good to show them a variety of vegetables on their plate, sometimes it’s just not feasible! Blending the vegetables this way to get a smooth sauce also helps those who struggle with the texture of vegetables.
This veggie packed sauce can be used in a variety of dishes:
- As a vegetable sauce for pasta (cheese optional, for meat eaters some ham, cooked bacon or leftover roast chicken would make a tasty meal).
- Smear on pizza base of your choice – either homemade dough, or use pitta bread, flatbread or naans. Add a handful of grated cheese, and you have yourself a quick pizza that kids love – and one with all those veggies in it.
- Cook eggs in the sauce, shakshuka-style
Serve the sauce as an alternative to tomato sauce/ketchup, with fish fingers, Garlic Mushroom Quinoa Bites, Vegetarian Sausage Rolls
It is a versatile dairy free sauce that uses simple ingredients and can be altered to use what’s in season, and therefore is a healthy, budget friendly recipe to have to hand. Zucchini (courgette) expensive – then add an extra carrot or pepper, swap the red pepper (capsicum) for a green one (although this can make the sauce a dull brown red rather than bright red which is something to bear in mind if serving it to kids.
Serving this sweet potato sauce for BLW:
Either stir into soft cooked pasta, or serve as a dip with the cooked pasta served on the side.
Can I make the sweet potato sauce ahead?
Yes, it will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Can I freeze the sweet potato sauce?
Yes you can! I like to make a big batch and freeze in portions. It defrosts quickly, and is far healthier than a bought tomato sauce high in salt and sugar.
Make it Your Sauce:
Mix up the vegetables: add an extra carrot rather than zucchini, or yellow capscium. You can use green capsicum but bear in mind that too many green vegetables can make the sauce look brown red rather than bright red.
Like Spice: Add a pinch of dried chilli flakes
If you like this recipe, you may also like:
Avocado Spinach Pesto – a dairy free and nut free pesto, another great baby led weaning pasta sauce
Roast Vegetable Sauce – a lentil based sauce
Veggie Packed Lentil Bolognese – even the most avid meat eaters in our house love this!
Coconut Chickpea Curry – a toddler friendly rich and creamy vegan curry
Satay Pumpkin Curry – another kid friendly creamy vegan curry
Sweet Potato Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 medium red capsicum/pepper roughly diced
- 1 medium zucchini/courgette roughly diced
- 1 medium carrot peeled and roughly diced
- 1 medium sweet potato roasted/steamed *
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 390 g tin tomatoes no salt added
- 1 bay leaf
- 250 ml water/stock
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat, and gently fry the garlic, capsicum, zucchini and carrot until soft.
- Stir through the tomato puree, then add the tomatoes, bay leaf and stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the sweet potato and simmer for a further 5 minutes, then take off the heat and blend until smooth.
Notes
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