Chunky Veggie Spaghetti Sauce

I’ve been making veggie spaghetti sauce since I was in college.
When I had my baby, my in-laws came over to help out, and they made a big pot of this, but they put garbanzos and red kidney beans in it too! This makes for a quick and filling meal that tastes so good. I always make my sauce with red kidney beans in it now.

Here’s what I put in my sauce, change it up as you see fit!

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1/2-1 chopped onion (or a whole small one)
1-2 Tbs chopped garlic
1 green bell pepper- chopped
2 jars of tomato sauce or marinara
1/4 head of cauliflower, chopped into small pieces
1 zucchini cut into chunks
1 yellow squash cut into chunks
2 tbs fresh, chopped parsley (or a little bit of dried Italian seasoning)
1 package mushrooms cut into halves or quarters (or leave them whole for “meat balls”)
1-2 carrots cut into small pieces
1 can drained & rinsed dark red kidney beans
1 can drained & rinsed garbanzo beans
S & P to taste

Directions:
– heat the oil in a large stock pot
-sauté the garlic and onion until translucent
– add the bell pepper and sauté for another minute
-add the sauce and stir
– put in the rest of the ingredients and simmer on low for 1-2 hours or until the carrots are tender.

*serve over quinoa or whole grain pasta with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.

(You could also cook this in the crock pot.)