This versatile nightshade-free marinara sauce recipe can take the place of any tomato sauce. It can be used for pizza, zucchini noodles, and even as a dip!
Nightshade-Free Marinara Sauce
Nightshades are a group of vegetables in the Solanaceae family. These include tomatoes, white potatoes, peppers, and eggplant. For those who are sensitive to nightshades, “tomato” sauce seems out of the question. Thankfully, this combination of beet and sweet potato creates a delicious alternative.
Ingredients
- 1 medium beet
- 1 small sweet potato (or two medium carrots)
- 1 small onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1–2 tablespoons lemon juice (or 1/2 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar)
- 1/2–1 cup water for steaming
- 1–2 tablespoons cooking oil for sautéing the onions and garlic
Directions
Chop the beet and sweet potato (or carrots) into small chunks.
Place into a small saucepan.
Add water. (I use the least amount I can to be sure the mixture steams properly but maintains texture.)
Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer until well cooked.
Meanwhile, sauté the onion and minced garlic in your cooking oil until translucent. Combine. Add seasonings and lemon juice (or vinegar) to beet mixture. (The salt, seasonings, and lemon juice/vinegar will help make this less sweet.)
Pour into blender or food processor. Blend until desired texture is achieved. (I use my hand blender.)
Serve immediately or save in the fridge for 5 days or so. This works great as a pizza sauce with my delicious grain-free pizza crust. It’s the ultimate pizza for those with food sensitivities! Find the recipe here.
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium beet
- 1 small sweet potato (or two medium carrots)
- 1 small onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1–2 tablespoons lemon juice (or 1/2 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar)
- 1/2–1 cup water for steaming
- 1–2 tablespoons cooking oil for sautéing the onions and garlic
Instructions
- Chop the beet and sweet potato (or carrots) into small chunks.
- Place into a small saucepan.
- Add water. (I use the least amount I can to be sure the mixture steams properly but maintains texture.)
- Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer until well cooked.
- Meanwhile, sauté the onion and minced garlic in your cooking oil until translucent. Combine. Add seasonings and lemon juice (or vinegar) to beet mixture.
- Pour into blender or food processor. Blend until desired texture is achieved. (I use a hand blender.)
- Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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Love this option! I’m sure this is so yummy. I LOVE beets! Thanks so much for sharing this with us at Savoring Saturdays gluten free linky party!
Do you peel the beet & sweet potato before cooking them? I would like to make this for a family member who cannot tolerate nightshades. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Looking forward to trying it.
Yes, I peel them. Makes for a smoother texture. Hope your family enjoys it!
What seasonings do you use? I see it says to add seasonings but couldn’t find which ones specifically so I chose parsley and oregano.
My kids like Frontier’s Pizza Seasoning blend. Italian seasoning is nice too. The parsley and oregano should be great!
Do you put real cheese on it? I can’t have dairy, allergic to casein…I can use buffalo cheese, but don’t know if it melts…..can’t wait to try your no mato sauce! I am AIP also, no nightshades, it’s changed so much the way we eat! Thank you for offering such a great recipe.
We use raw milk cheese but haven’t tried any alternatives. I think it’s great without any cheese!
Would this freeze well if I make a large batch? Also wondering, if anyone has tried goat cheese? I am new to AIP eating. Thanks!
We have enjoyed goat cheese in the past. We now do fine with raw milk cheese, so I haven’t used it in awhile. This should freeze fine!
Have you tried using strawberries to replace tomato? I tried it in a borscht recipe and it seemed to work OK.
Never tried it. Thanks for the suggestion.
I’ve used strawberries to replace tomatoes in guacamole. The guac was awesome, friends actually thought they were tomatoes too.
Can this be used as a pasta sauce? Thanks!
Yes, definitely.
Like this better than tomato pizza sauce!
How many servings does this make?
Approximately 1 cup.
OMG, thank you!
what kind of onion did you use?? Wondering if it would make a big difference if I used a red onion opposed to a yellow. Thanks
That should work fine.