This low acid pasta sauce was inspired by a couple of people in my family who need low-acid recipes. Tomato-based pasta sauce is not a good option for them. Even though it is sweeter than tomatoes, butternut squash is a wonderful substitute. Add all the traditional herbs, spices and aromatics and you have a pasta sauce that will make the house smell like traditional marinara.
Quick and Easy Pasta Sauce
Prepping and cooking the squash is a little time consuming, so I wanted the rest of the recipe to be quick and easy. I used dried herbs and spices to speed up the process. If you would like to use fresh ingredients, saute 1/4 c chopped onion, 2 garlic cloves and add to the blender along with a handful of basil leaves, 1 Tbsp oregano leaves and leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme. Either way this low acid pasta sauce will give you that pasta sauce aroma and flavor you’ve been craving.
In order to get a little tang like you would have with tomatoes, I include 2 tsps of lemon juice. I know that some low acid diets include lemons. You can also use lemon zest. This is the yellow outer layer of the skin and it has all the bright lemony flavor. If you need a quick tutorial on how to zest a lemon, check out this post. Leave the lemon out if you do not tolerate them.
Butternut Squash
Some markets carry peeled and cut butternut squash. This is a great time-saver but I find that it can be pretty expensive. It takes a couple of minutes but this is the most efficient way I’ve found to do it yourself:
Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. I find it easiest to hug the squash so that I can use enough pressure for the tough skin.
Peel down to the bright orange flesh
Peel the bottom
Trim the top and bottom to create flat surfaces
Cut in half lengthwise, top to bottom
Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. The seed pod is slimy, so scrape all the way down to the firm flesh and it will come out much easier.
This was a 1 1/4 lb squash (on the small side), so I just cut off the rounded part on the bottom. The remaining large piece was about 1″ thick. If you have a larger squash you may want to cut it in half (top to bottom) to make the slabs about 1″ thick.
Cut into approximately 1″ strips then cut across into cubes.
Low Acid Pasta Sauce
This low acid pasta sauce contains no tomatoes but gives you all the flavors of a marinara.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs butternut squash
- 2+ c low sodium broth*
- 1/2 c grated Parmiggiano or Romano cheese
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning (or a combination of oregano, basil and thyme)
- 2 tsp lemon juice, If tolerated
- 3/4 tsp table salt
- 1/4 tsp granulated garlic
- 1/4 tsp granulated onion
- 2 pinches red chili flakes
Instructions
- Peel the butternut squash with a vegetable peeler. Cut off the ends and cut into 1" cubes.
- Two options for cooking the squash:
Roasting: Toss the squash with 1 Tbsp of the olive oil, spread out on 2 sheet pans and roast at 400°F for approximately 20 minutes or until soft.
Stove-top: Heat a large pot with 1 tbsp oil. Add the squash and cook, stirring occasionally until soft. - Remove the plastic center piece from the blender lid. This will allow the steam to escape and prevent an explosion of sauce all over your kitchen!
- While the squash is hot, add it with the remaining ingredients (starting with 1/2 tsp salt) to the blender or food processor and puree for at least one minute.
- Scrape down the sides and blend for another 30 seconds on high.
- The sauce should be smooth. If it is too thick add 1/4 c additional broth and blend.
- Taste. If needed add additional salt or chili flakes to amp up the other flavors.
Notes
I highly recommend Imagine "NO Chicken" broth for this sauce. It is vegan and has the perfect flavor.
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