Aidan's Pasta Sauce

We all love pasta, except for Aidan's grandma (my mom). Aidan likes his pasta topped with a bit of french fries instead of meatballs... *sigh* what can I say, I give it to him, so long as he eats something.

So, to make this oh so yummy sauce, you'll need:

1 large brinjall/aubergine, cut into large chunks
1 large very ripe tomato, quartered
1/2 large onion (or 1 medium onion), quartered
1 large red bell pepper (can use green or yellow instead), quartered
1 clove garlic, skin removed and left whole
1 medium-large carrot (any color), cut into 1inch thick medalions
1-2 tbsp olive oil or any veg. oil
1.5 to 2 cups store bought tomato based pasta sauce or pre-made sauce

1. place all vegetables + garlic in large baking dish and drizzle with olive oil.

2. mix to coat vegetables evenly with the oil.

3. place in a 180'c - 200'c preheated oven for aprox. 20-30mins until vegetables appear golden and smell beautifully roasted. as an indication when checking for doneness, the skins of the bell peppers should be blistered not burnt and the carrots should be cooked through and tender when pierced.

4. place roasted vegetables in a blender with aprox. 2 cups of ready made pasta sauce and puree. taste and season with extra salt & pepper if needed. the outcome is a thick, flavourful sauce that's good enough to eat on it's own.


Note: The red peppers and the ripe tomato help ensure that you end up with a beautiful red sauce and fussy tots, like Aidan, who don't like vegetables won't know they're actually eating vegetables. I also, tend to use store bought tomato-based pasta sauce for this coz it's easier than making my own from scratch... I used to, but any woman with young kids will understand when I say you just don't have that kind of time on your hands to be spending hours in the kitchen standing over a hot stove.