This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.
Nomato sauce is a tomato-free alternative to marinara sauce, for those who need to avoid nightshades or have food sensitivities. It’s the perfect topping for pasta, pizza, and more!
Why You’ll Love It
It tastes amazing. This recipe gets its natural sweetness from carrots, and still has the Italian flavor you love, thanks to the addition of basil and oregano. The red hue comes from beets, but the beet flavor isn’t overpowering, so it still tastes similar to regular marinara sauce.
It’s made without nightshades. Nightshades are a family of plants that can be problematic for some, especially for those dealing with auto-immune conditions. These plants include tomatoes, peppers, paprika, eggplant, potatoes, and more, so this sauce is made without common tomato sauce ingredients, like bell peppers, tomatoes, and red pepper flakes.
It’s great for those following special diets. This sauce is naturally vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free, and it’s also Paleo and AIP friendly. Since it’s mostly comprised of blended vegetables and herbs, it’s a great way to add more nutrients into your life!
Ingredients You’ll Need
The carrots and beet make up the base of this nightshade-free sauce, and the onion, garlic, and herbs will help add the classic tomato sauce flavor. This recipe uses lemon juice instead of vinegar to help add a tangy, acidic flavor that the tomatoes would normally provide.
If you don’t have carrots on hand, you could also use a similar amount of pumpkin puree or butternut squash as the base of this sauce. You can also use extra veggies you have on hand, such as celery or zucchini.
How to Make Nomato Sauce
1. Saute the veggies.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet with a lid. Add in the onion and sauté until it’s soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.
Add in the garlic, basil, and oregano and stir until they are fragrant, about 1 more minute.
2. Simmer.
Next, add in the carrots, beets, water, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover the pot and lower the heat, so the veggies can simmer until they are tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.
3. Blend.
When the vegetables are soft and easily pierced with a fork, transfer them to a high-speed blender, along with all of the liquid in the pan.
Add in the lemon juice, then secure the blender’s lid and blend until the sauce has reached your desired consistency. (You can make it silky-smooth, or a little chunky, depending on your preference.) If you prefer a runnier sauce, you can add water 1 tablespoon at a time, until you are happy with the texture.
Safety Note: When blending hot liquids, be sure to cover the vent in your blender’s lid with a thin towel, so steam can safely escape as you blend, without splattering. Otherwise, the steam pressure may build up as you blend, causing the lid to blow off of your blender– which would be a very hot mess! Bullet-style & individual cup blenders are not ideal for blending hot liquids, since there is no venting option.
4. Enjoy!
Once the soup has been blended, adjust any seasoning to taste. If the beet you used was large, you may need to add more salt (just a 1/2 teaspoon at a time) to help counterbalance the sweetness of the root vegetable.
This AIP nomato sauce recipe makes roughly 4 cups, so you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or, you can freeze it for up to 3 months. (Be sure to leave a little room at the top of your storage container, so it has room to expand as it freezes.)
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can skip the olive oil in that case and simply add all of the veggies, water, and spices into the pot. (No sauteing required!) Secure the lid and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes, then let the pressure naturally release for another 10 minutes. Then move the steam release valve to venting to release any remaining pressure in the pot. When the floating valve in the lid drops, it’s safe to remove the lid. Blend the cooked veggies as directed, and adjust any seasoning to taste from there.
You can use half the amount of red wine vinegar, if you prefer, or any other vinegar that you like. Vinegar tends to taste more pungent than lemon juice, so start with a small amount and add more, to taste.
Sure, you can use bone broth for extra minerals, or any other veggie stock you prefer. Just keep in mind that this may increase the sodium, so you might not need as much salt in that case.
Looking for more pasta sauces? Try Butternut Squash Pasta, Creamy Cajun Pasta, or Pumpkin Pasta Sauce for more delicious ideas.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 yellow onions , chopped (about 2 cups)
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 pound carrots , peeled and chopped
- 1 medium beet , chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- In a deep skillet (with a lid), heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add in the onion and sauté until it’s soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add in the garlic, basil, and oregano and stir until it’s fragrant, about 1 more minute.
- Add in the carrots, beet, water, and 1 teaspoon of salt, then bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, and lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook until the beets and carrots are fork-tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.
- When the vegetables are soft, transfer them to a high-speed blender, along with all of the liquid in the pan. Add in the lemon juice, then cover the blender with a lid.Safety Note: Make sure that the steam can safely vent out of the lid, so the steam pressure won’t make the lid pop off during blending. (Cover the vent with a thin dish towel to prevent splattering.)
- Blend until the sauce is smooth, then adjust the seasoning to taste. Depending on how large the beet is that you used, you may need to add more salt. I start with a 1/2 teaspoon at a time (for a large beet you may need to add 1 extra teaspoon of salt in total) to help counterbalance the sweetness from the root veggies.
- Transfer the sauce to an airtight jar with a lid, and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. This sauce makes an excellent alternative to marinara sauce, so you can use it over pasta, pizza, in lasagna, and more. The sauce will keep well in the fridge for up to a week, but you can also freeze it for up to 3 months. (Just be sure to leave some extra room at the top of the jar, to allow for the sauce to expand as it freezes.)
Video
Nutrition
Whether you require a nightshade-free marinara sauce, or are just looking to change up a recipe in your weekly dinner rotation, I hope you’ll enjoy this nomato sauce recipe! Be sure to leave a comment and star rating below if you give it a try.
I had just begun researching ‘no-mato’ sauce and since I love your blog I was thrilled to see you made this! I made it tonight, adding basil, oregano and lots of extra garlic (we love garlic!). It is so delicious!! Not exactly like tomato sauce (well there aren’t any tomatoes so….lol!), but we LOVE it!! Using it in lasagna right now. Thank you so much!
I was disappointed with the flavor of the Marinara Sauce. It was very bland. I put more garlic and basil plus fresh oregano. What can I do? Why would this happen? I’m hoping it will pick up flavor over time. Any suggestion? Thanks, Linda
I think I will try it with with some nutritional yeast and vegan parmesan. If you’re not vegan you might try and add a parmesan rind while the sauce simmers. Also, the longer you let a marinara simmer, the more the flavors will permeate. When I made traditional marinaras, I’d put a small handful of basil, a tablespoon of dried oregano, maybe a teaspoon each or so of dried thyme, dried rosemary, dried marjoram and dried fennel, salt and pepper to taste, and let a parmesan rind simmer in the pot. I’d add more freshly grated parmesan at the end. You can also add some crushed red pepper flakes if you can tolerate a little spice. Hopefully that’ll help!
If you want to give this more of an Italian flavor like a real pasta sauce, use a tablespoon or so of Italian seasoning along with fresh garlic and simmer for an hour, continue to add more water if needed. I usually use two cans of 16oz carrots one can of beats rather than fresh. I blend them up in a blender or food processor. Drain the justice off first. Then I chop up an onion garlic and simmer in olive oil then I add the beets and carrot mixture and add in one tablespoon of Italian seasoning and red some wine vinegar.
Thank you for this recipe, my son has many intolerances including nightshades and I really do struggle cooking for him sometimes. I made this dish last night, and used balsamic instead of lemon. My son loved it. Will definitely be cooking this again.
This looks great! Any recommendations on a substitute for the beets? More carrots? I realize this would make it less sweet but beets are a big no.
Yes, I’d just replace the beet with more carrots.
My SO went on a nightshade-free diet a few months ago to treat his psoriasis, and it seems to have been helping his symptoms. I’ve found the exclusion of the nightshades from my cooking to be REALLY frustrating at times (tomato products and potatoes are just SO good — and USEFUL — in so many dishes!), and I was JUST lamenting about needing to come up with a tomato-free pasta sauce. Now I don’t have to! In your pics, the sauce looks identical to tomato-based ones; amazing!
I have given up most nightshades for the past 15 years. I do miss the occasional tomato on a sandwich out (I usually substitute cucumber slices), jalapenos in my queso, or baked potato slathered with butter from time to time. As you can see I’m not that strict with some of the things ppl are avoiding around this blog. Moderation works for me. So I love this recipe for giving some variety.
I don’t notice any ill effects from these rare lapses, probably because they are maybe 1x month.
I gave up nightshades, not for autoimmune challenges, but because I follow the Blood Type diet and these are avoided by Type As (and some for Bs). I will say, that when I eat multiple non-A foods at a meal, or in a day, I have noticed symptoms around my small intestine meridian (ex. tops of shoulders next to my neck)–horrible spasms.
It was explained to me that there is an immune response happening in my small intestine when the non-blood type food gets absorbed into the bloodstream. The molecules are attacked as “not similar enough to become part of me.” When this chronically happens (like at every meal), then the small intestine meridian becomes too stimulated; it runs alongside the neck at the shoulders. That’s the way I understand it happens for me anyway.
This has happened consistently enough that I don’t doubt it at this point. Ppl might want to check it out and see if it helps. I found I didn’t notice much symptoms except this and fatigue after non-type meals, and only after being pretty strict with it for at least a month.
http://www.4yourtype.com It has the food lists for each type there.
The books are best for the full explanations of the theory.
I too follow the blood type diet and my son is blood type A and I was looking for an alternative for tomato sauce. This is awesome. I have found there is nothing better. I will eat this way forever and change recipes when I need to
I cooked dinner for a special group of my coaching clients 2 weeks ago, and 3 out of 10 had noticed a sensitivity to nightshades! Awesome recipe, I’ll definitely try this!
Thank you for this! My mother and I both cannot eat nightshades, I cannot wait to try this!!
Oh my gosh! My sister linked me to this post because I can’t eat nightshades…they irritate my gut & give me eczema! I cut them out of my diet nearly 2 years ago. I can’t wait to try out this recipe as I miss having a marinara sauce!
My husband has lupus and tried giving up night shades for awhile and didn’t notice any difference. We too were happy about that since we like a lot of those foods. He has improved giving up gluten, dairy, and refined sugar (oddly easier than the night shades) I would still like to try this recipe though since tomatoes are going out of season here and carrots, beets, and onions are about to be in abundance! Great seasonally minded recipe, especially over spaghetti squash!