nightshade-free no-mato marinara built on beets, carrots and celery, blended with kalamata olives for umami, tomato-free

Tomatoes anchor most red sauces, and cutting them out for this protocol usually takes the whole sauce with them. Beets and carrots simmer down into a base with real depth, and kalamata olives carry the salty savor a tomato usually supplies, so a ladle over spaghetti squash still tastes like dinner.

The color here comes from betalains, the plant pigments in beets that early research links to antioxidant activity in the body. Carrots contribute their own sweetness and a little fiber, and a good squeeze of lemon at the finish keeps the whole pot from tasting heavy. Nothing in this sauce is hidden. It is whole vegetables and dried herbs, simmered until they taste like far more than their parts.

Make a full batch and freeze it in jars. There is something steadying about pulling a homemade sauce out of the freezer on a tired night, knowing exactly what went into the pot and exactly why each vegetable earned its place.

Ingredients

• 2 to 4 tbsp fat of choice (bacon grease works well)
• 1 large onion, chopped (about 3 cups)
• 4 ribs celery, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 lb carrots, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 3 medium beets, peeled and chopped (about 3 cups)
• 4 to 8 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1/2 to 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 to 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 to 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• 2 dried bay leaves
• unrefined salt to taste (black pepper omitted, it is a nightshade-free seed spice excluded on AIP)
• bone broth and/or filtered water, enough to barely cover
• 15 to 20 kalamata olives, drained

Method

Warm the fat in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until they soften and turn translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute until fragrant. Add the carrots, beets, dried basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram, bay leaves, and a little salt.

Pour in enough bone broth or water to barely cover the vegetables. Add the lemon juice. Bring to a gentle boil, then drop to a simmer, cover, and cook until the beets and carrots are completely tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Tender vegetables blend smooth.

Fish out the bay leaves. Add the drained kalamata olives. Blend the sauce in batches in a blender, or use an immersion blender right in the pot, until silky. Taste and adjust the salt. Loosen with a little more broth if you want a thinner sauce.

Use right away, refrigerate up to 5 days, or freeze in jars for up to 3 months.

Instant Pot variation

Use the saute function to soften the onion and celery in the fat, then add the garlic for a minute. Turn it off and add the carrots, beets, herbs, bay leaves, salt, lemon juice, and just enough broth or water to barely cover, staying below the max-fill line. Seal and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before venting. Remove the bay leaves, add the olives, and blend smooth.

Slow cooker variation

Soften the onion, celery, and garlic in the fat on the stove first if you have a minute, or simply add everything except the olives straight to the slow cooker with enough broth or water to barely cover. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours until the beets and carrots are soft. Remove the bay leaves, add the olives, and blend smooth.

*Adapted from thecuriouscoconut.com*