This recipe for homemade Italian nomato sauce is so easy, you'll never go back to store bought! This sauce has so many uses – my favorite is to make it for lasagna or pasta. The texture and flavor are spot on with that of a traditional tomato sauce or marinara, but without all the inflammatory nightshade vegetables. AIP, Paleo, and Whole30 friendly!
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When I first started transitioning to the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) in 2014, I couldn't fathom the thought of not partaking in tomato sauce. It's the perfect combination of salty and sweet, and fills any boring food with flavor. Think about it – how much flavor does traditional pasta actually have on it's own? I'd stand to bet the majority of the population likes pasta recipes for the sauce, not the actual pasta.
At the time of starting AIP, I was a vegetarian who ate tomato sauce on a near daily basis. I'd top everything you can imagine with it: Tempeh, eggs, brown rice, steamed broccoli, even straight from the jar. You name it, I ate it topped with tomato sauce.
Fast forward to present day 2017, and I now know (all thanks to the reintroduction phase of AIP) that those daily binges on tomato sauce were causing constant inflammation within my body. If I choose to indulge in tomatoes these days, I'm sure to end up with achy joints in my hands and feet.
Which brings me to this AIP Nomato Sauce recipe.
Honestly, I can't believe it's taken me this long to share this recipe. I've been making some variation of it for the past 3 years! Sorry for hoarding it from you for so long ;). I'm here today sharing the recipe with you after finally perfecting the nomato sauce formula.
What Is Nomato Sauce?
Simply put, nomato sauce is a nightshade free version of marinara sauce. Not sure what nightshades are? Nightshade veggies are a classification of vegetables that have been shown to be a potentially inflammatory food. Nightshade vegetables are to be avoided for a period of time on certain elimination diets like the AIP diet.
I spent 3 years perfecting the nomato sauce formula, and the result is a truly authentic tasting nomato sauce. It even fooled my nightshade-loving husband! I attribute the authentic flavors come down to the following ingredients, so I highly encourage adding them to your sauce:
- fewer beets than other recipes – results in a less sweet flavor
- pumpkin puree – contributes to the authentic flavor and texture
- fresh basil – contributes to the authentic flavor
- bone broth – adds a richness to the sauce
- kalamata olives – umami flavor
- nutritional yeast – imparts a cheesy aftertaste
How to Make the Best Nomato Sauce
Beets
Most nomato sauce recipes call for lots of beets, which is a total faux pas in my opinion. It makes the sauce inauthentically sweet! My recipe calls for just one beet. If you're concerned about the earthiness of the beet, be sure to scrub it really well, or even peel it before you saute.
Onions
There are very few ingredients that can change in flavor as much as an onion does when going from raw to sauteed. Don't skip this step! It makes all the difference.
Carrots and Celery
These two ingredients add to the bulk, color, and mild flavor contributions to the sauce. I wouldn't recommend omitting or reducing the quantities, but in a pinch you could likely substitute in one for the other.
Secret Ingredient – Pumpkin!
Don't you dare skip this! This is the key to an authentic Italian marinara sauce flavor without the nightshade veggies. It contributes to the color, flavor, and texture of the sauce.
Bone Broth
I love adding bone broth to up the nutrient density of the sauce and bring an added richness. However, while following a low histamine diet, I used water in place of bone broth and it was still delicious.
Spices
Sauteed garlic, high quality Himalayan sea salt, and a good spice blend like the one from Primal Palate are totally worth the added upfront expense and time. Don't skimp out on these!
Optional Flavor Enhancers
I love to add all of these, but they aren't necessary! If you have them on hand, I highly recommend including them. If you're out at the store grabbing the ingredients, my favorite flavor enhancer is the fresh basil.
Can I Freeze It?
After having been through a low histamine diet, I can truthfully say most food do freeze well. Of course a meal is never the exact same as it was fresh from the oven/instant pot/skillet, but neither are leftovers.
This nomato sauce however, is perfect frozen, thawed, frozen and thawed again! It tastes just the same, so much so, that I've started creating a triple batch every time I make this and storing the leftovers in wide mouth mason jars in the freezer.
So now you know – this nomato sauce freezes well, and makes a wonderful sauce for just about anything you can imagine! What are you waiting for?!
Where Can I Buy Nomato Sauce?
If you'd rather not make it yourself, there are several online stores and retails stores that sell prepared nomato sauce. There are two brands you can find on Amazon, one brand is called ‘Nomato Sauce‘ and the other is KC Natural. These are great options if you're short on time, but my recipe is so easy, why would you want to go with store bought when you can have it fresh!
Other recipes you'll like:
AIP Pizza Bites
AIP Mashed Cauliflower Breakfast Bowl
AIP Sweet Potato Fries with Bacon Jam Dipping Sauce
Without further ado, here's the recipe (with secret ingredient!) for my AIP diet Nomato Sauce.
AIP Nomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 medium onion
- 3 ribs celery
- 3 carrots
- 1 beet
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 1/2 cup bone broth, can substitute water, see note #1
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 tsp Garlic Herb Primal Palate Blend from the Everyday AIP spice blends pack , can substitute granulated garlic and dried parsley to taste
- Optional flavor enhancers
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
- 10 pitted kalamata olives
- 1/2 juice of a lemon
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Heat coconut oil in a sauce pan over medium low heat. Chop onions and add to coconut oil.
- Chop remaining veggies while onions saute. When onions are slightly translucent, add chopped celery, carrots, and beet to onions.
- Once all veggies are soft, add pumpkin puree, diced garlic, bone broth, sea salt, and Primal Palate spice blend. Cook about 10 minutes.
- Add optional flavor enhancers like lemon juice, basil leaves, olives, and nutritional yeast.
- Blend with an immersion blender in the sauce pan, or transfer to a blender or food processor. Pulse until you achieve the desired texture.
Notes
- If you prefer your sauce to be a bit thicker, you can reduce the bone broth or water, and if you prefer a thinner sauce, you can add more. I've found 2 1/2 cups to be a good middle ground, so I would give or take from there.
- Enjoy with my AIP Pizza Bite recipe, or add to spiralized zucchini noodles for an AIP take on traditional spaghetti.
Thank you for this recipe! It brought life back for may daughter. She loves anything with red pasta sauce as well and she was recently diagnosed with juvenile Reumatoidea Arthritis, and can’t have any nightshades… needless to say it was a hit with her and everyone else at hone !
I’ve been wanting to try this for so long! My only problem is, SO is allergic to yeast.. is there something I can substitute for it? Or possibly leave it out? Thank you! 🙏
Curious if you could recommend an alternative to the lemon juice.
Hi Jami. I have histamine intolerance and cannot have lemons. I used apple cider vinegar in place of it for this recipe. You can also mix ascorbic acid powder and some water to create a Lemon juice. Works well.
Sounds good but I can’t tolerate onions and I’ve been allergic to all squash since I was a tot.
So I cannot say enough about how delicious this recipe is!! I made it last night – didn’t tell my hubby what it was and just asked him to taste my new sauce I just made (he knows I am trying to convert to everything homemade that I possibly can to control ingredients) he tasted it and said it was the best “tomato sauce” he has ever had! Imagine his surprise when I told him it had sero tomatoes!!!! I then took a small sample to my mom’s and did the exact same taste test with her and my brother – they both echoed my hubbs in that it was the best tomato sauce ever and were in disbelief when they found out was all veggies and a few “enhancers.” I followed your recipe exactly – added in every flavor enhancer – and it turned out a beautiful deep red color and the taste was truly amazing! I cannot tell you enough how excited I am and the possibilities that it now provides to now have pasta and pizza and lasagne and and and!!!! Thank you for all your years of testing and creating!! I will be forever grateful as it helps me lead a healthier and MUCH happier life!!
It’s good but it’s not red at all. How large a beet did you use? And was it a fresh not cooked beat?
Thank you
Made this tonight. It tastes quite good. But it is not at all red. I wonder why? I used a medium sized beet. It looks like carrot soup and for my brain to really equate it with tomato sauce, it kinda needs to look red like in your photos. Did you use a really large beet? But it does taste really yummy!
I’ve tried a number of nomato sauce recipes over the years and this one is hands down, the best. The olives, pumpkin, lemon, yeast…it all works together and is totally worth the extra time. I made a double batch and froze half for later. Thank you for sharing your delicious recipe!
This is a fabulous sauce! I’ve been making it for a daughter who is intolerant of night-shades. Now my father needs to be on a low potassium diet (no tomatoes). Do you know what the potassium values are for this?
I made this today using fresh beets from our organic garden. Wow, it is so yummy!! I want to can this recipe and wondered if anyone has tried to do that with this? Should it be water bath canning or pressure cooking? I need advice….
I haven’t tried canning, but I’m sure it would work! Please let me know what process you try if you do 🙂
Probably pressure canning. No way to be sure it is acidic enough to be safely water bath canned.
As someone who cannot have even a hint of tomatoes without a reaction I really enjoyed this sauce. After years of limiting my diet, it’s been beyond great to finally enjoy so many recipes that use tomato sauce again thanks to this recipe. I was wondering what you would suggest I could use as a substitute for the celery. My son has been told he has a celery allergy and I can’t use this recipe in family meals. Cabbage, zucchini, cauliflower and apple are internet recommendations for various attributes of celery, but I’m not sure how well any of them will work.
I’m open to any suggestions. Thanks for your amazing recipe! ♡♡♡♡
This is an outstanding recipe! Husband is allergic to tomatoes and this has allowed me to once again make some of his favorite dishes. I had tried another recipe a few years ago and the results were so-so. This recipe has the correct taste and texture, and holds its color when cooked, it stays a nice reddish pink instead of turning to a muddy brown when using in lasagne or similar recipe. If you are unsure if you should try it- DO IT!!!
Thank you so much for the review! I’m thrilled you and your husband loved it.
Is there any way to make a sauce like this without onions and garlic? I love them both but can’t have them anymore 🙁
I would give it a try simply omitting them. The flavor will be different, but I don’t think it would taste bad.
I know you commented months ago, but try FreeFOD garlic and onion replacer…they are game changers!!! These are made by a company that makes a lot of low FODmap products. They are certified by Monash as well 🙂 I ordered them both and highly recommend!
Is it a replacement for spaghetti or lasagna like foods only or can you make like pizza or chilli with it?
Hi Sarah! You can use Hearts of Palm noodles, Sweet Potato glass noodles, zoodles (zucchini noodles), etc. Lots of options!
Jovial brand pasta makes a cassava flour only spaghetti pasta. They also make elbow noodles and other pastas. It’s in a blue box, not to be confused with the regular Jovial pasta. Keep an eye on it while it’s cooking some people say 12-14 minutes cooking time is best. Really depends on you, just dkntnkvercook or it gets mushy.
The cassava pasta is the best it tastes most like regular pasta. Oder right from the company for better pricing.
Dawn
I think you could just adjust the flavorings like the basil and add in spices you would normally use in chili. I plan on using it as a base for my soups and recipes that call for tomatoes canned or puréed. I’ll just omit the marinara seasonings and use the seasonings that match the dish I’m making.
I just made the recipe and I’m surprised how delicious it is!!! I will be making this over and over again. I could eat it just like that, nothing else needed😊 Thank you so much for creating this recipe and sharing it with us. All the best!
How long does it stay good for in the fridge? It is absolutely life changing!!
About a week, but I actually double or triple the recipe and freeze it! It works really well to thaw a day or two in advance in the fridge before using leftovers.
How long can it last in the freezer?
Hello!
I really dislike the taste of beets.
Can you taste the beet in it?
Thanks!
Hi Sarah! It’s really very mild, especially compared to other nomato recipes I tried. If you scrub your beet really well before, you’ll omit some of the “earthy” flavor of the beet. Try it with a small beet, I think you’ll enjoy it!
Can I substitute sweet potato purée for the pumpkin? Pumpkin is high in lectins (Plant toxins) and not compliant for the Plant Paradox plan.
Yes, I think that would be a good replacement. I will say, the sauce will end up sweeter overall with the substitution, but I think the texture would be similar. Make sure it is very well steamed (and peeled) prior to adding it to the blender.
i can’t have garlic or onion – any thoughts on substitutes for that ?
Try using Asafoetida powder. I use it all the time in my curries.
https://thespicepeople.com.au/shop/asafoetida-powder/
I tried a Nomato sauce when my husband and I started AIP…It was so horrible Tasting, that my husband told me to throw it out. WI happily obliged. This recipe looks amazing, and I am going to try it today.
Do you think it would be good with AIP Italian meatballs and glass noodles?
Yes, I think that would be great!
Absolutely loved it! Thank you!
Thi is WONDERFUL Tastes like an Italian Red sauce. BUT without the tomato there’s no acid in my belly. I made 1 batch and ended up with 3 small canning jars to play with. The color looks like the spaghetti sauce we grew up on. I can dip all sorts of veggies in this. OR add some healthy grass fed beef etc… to it.I will enjoy playing with this.
OMG!!! This recipe is the BOMB! Based on what I had on hand, I modified it just a bit. I used in EVOO instead of coconut oil and then didn’t use the olives. I used 2 carrots and 1 parsnip. I also added about a tablespoon of minced tart cherries. As a “flavor enhancer”, I opted for a liberal splash of balsamic vinegar. I’m 5 weeks into AIP elimination and have come to the conclusion that all my life “food” has just been a means of conveyance for sauces, condiments, and SPICES. Of course, I can’t have any of my old standbys on AIP. I am so grateful you created this recipe. I did purchase one bottle of the KC Pasta sauce, and while it was quite delicious, my budget simply cannot accommodate that on a regular basis. Your recipe made a full quart jar, so now I can make your recipe for a fraction of the cost. It tastes fabulous. Kudos!
Yesss! Love hearing this.
I used balsamic too. So yummy ?