Tomato-free AIP ketchup: beets, carrots, and applesauce doing tomato's job

Losing tomato means losing ketchup twice over, once as a condiment and once as a cooking ingredient that shows up in meatloaf, glazes, and sauces. This version rebuilds it from steamed carrots and beets instead, which supply the color, body, and mild sweetness tomato used to.

The beet color fades during steaming unless you protect it. Reserving the steaming water and blending it back into the finished ketchup is what keeps the ruby color from washing out, an easy step to skip by accident and worth not skipping.

Ingredients

• 2 cups carrots, chopped (roughly a 2:1 ratio of carrot to beet)
• 1 cup beets, chopped
• 1 tablespoon cooking fat
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons applesauce
• 1 to 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Sea salt, to taste
• Water, as needed to thin

The original recipe lists black pepper as an optional addition for non-AIP eaters. It is left out here, since it is a seed spice outside strict AIP elimination and the garlic and onion carry the savory side just fine on their own.

Method

• Steam the carrots and beets together until fully tender, about 15 to 20 minutes (or 10 minutes in an Instant Pot). Reserve the steaming water and set the vegetables aside to cool slightly.
• While the vegetables steam, saute the onion in the cooking fat over medium heat until soft and golden, about 5 minutes.
• Combine the steamed vegetables, sauteed onion, applesauce, honey or maple syrup, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, and salt in a blender. Add a splash of the reserved steaming water.
• Blend until completely smooth, adding more of the reserved water a tablespoon at a time until it reaches ketchup consistency.
• Taste and adjust sweetness or acid. Refrigerate up to 4 days, or freeze in small portions (an ice cube tray works well for 2-tablespoon portions).

*Adapted from unboundwellness.com by Michelle Hoover*