Allergic to tomatoes? Following AIP? Plant Paradox? Suffer from IBS, acid reflux, and/or arthritis? Avoiding nightshades and/or lectins? If any of these are you (and even if they're not!), and you still NEED to enjoy Italian cuisine, this "nomato" pasta sauce is for you!
At a young age, I developed an allergy to tomatoes. Imagine growing up with a Sicilian father and finding out you're allergic to tomatoes - cue instant diet-induced depression! I succumbed to internally sulking as my family enjoyed spaghetti dinners on Sundays, eating pasta with garlic olive oil instead (don't get me wrong - that was delicious, but my great-grandmother's homemade pasta sauce cannot be topped).
As I got older, I really missed tomato sauces and salsas, and became desperate to find a suitable alternative. Because of my numerous other allergies and intolerances, I also had to beware of added sugars and salts, certain spices and oils, etc. (can you believe that some people use an oil other than olive for pasta sauce?! That's a sin in our household!). I've heard of other "nomato" sauces, but they typically use potatoes and carrots - both to which I am allergic.
Rather than accept my fate as a tomato-less Italian, I took it upon myself to craft a "nomato" sauce recipe that was simple to make and tasty enough to pass as the real thing. While no one will ever replicate Grammy's pasta sauce, my house full of allergy-free Italians agreed that this stuff is one heck of a marinara!
Ingredients:
2 diced onions
3 diced beets
15 oz can of sweet potato puree
2.5 cups water
1 tablespoon garlic infused olive oil
1 tablespoon salt (I used NU-Salt - potassium chloride salt substitute)
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon basil
Instructions:
In a medium saucepan on medium heat, saute the onions in olive oil.
Once the onions begin turning translucent, add the diced beets, and continue to saute.
When the beets become soft, add the sweet potato puree, water, and spices. Mix well.
Bring the sauce to a boil on medium-high heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking and burning.
Once the sauce boils, lower the heat to a simmer, allowing the sauce to thicken. You can simmer the sauce for as short/long as you want to get the desired consistency, but I did it for about an hour or so.
Serve immediately over your favorite Italian dish, store in the refrigerator in an airtight container, or even freeze for later use!
Relish in your newfound freedom to enjoy Italian dishes without compromising your gut!
*Stay tuned into my blog to learn how to transform this pasta sauce into a spicy, tangy BBQ sauce for all your comfort food needs without the sugars, chemicals, and preservatives of the conventional stuff!
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