Looking for a flavorful pizza sauce you can whip up while your oven pre-heats? Then this is the pizza sauce for you! This kid-friendly Hidden Veggie Pizza Sauce is perfect for pizza, pasta, or as a dipping sauce. Plus, it can be made in 15 minutes, is freezer-friendly and is perfect for any type of homemade pizza!

Graphic for post - hidden veggie pizza sauce - made in 15 minutes, freezer friendly, kid-friendly. Image is of a silver saucepan full of red pizza sauce with carrots and ingredients spread around it on a white background.

Medically reviewed and co-written by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).

Pizza Sauce

Needing to up the veggie intake in your family, but not sure how to begin? Allow this hidden veggie pizza sauce to help you take one small step to getting veggies regularly in your kid’s meals.

And while store-bought pizza sauce is fine when you’re super short on time or just don’t feel like doing anything in the kitchen, it’s not always the most flavorful option. Plus, many store-bought sauces have added sugar and excess sodium, not something you really want to serve to your kids.

The good news is that this hidden veggie pizza sauce is easy to make, healthy, and even freezer-friendly. It’s perfect for so many different pizza ideas – bagels, English muffins, tortilla pizzas, and more!

Feeding kids can be tricky! But, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Here you can find 40 Family Dinner Ideas, over 100 Kid Snack Ideas, great Hidden-Veggie Recipes, 50 Cooking with Kids Recipes and so much more! And for even more family-friendly recipes, check out my best-selling cookbook Little Foodies: Recipes for Babies and Toddlers with Taste.

Silver saucepan on a marble counter with a red pizza sauce, basil and a wood spoon resting inside.

Reasons to Love this Pizza Sauce

  • toddler, kid and adult-friendly
  • easy to make – 10 minutes
  • hidden veggies
  • healthy
  • freezer-friendly
  • is naturally gluten and dairy-free
Related

Kid-Friendly Spinach Basil Pesto

spread of ingredients for recipe on a marble counter top.

Ingredients

  • Canned Whole Peeled Tomatoes: we prefer to use Italian San Marzano tomatoes for this recipe. If your sauce is too acidic, then you may need to add in 1-2 tsp of honey (for 1-year-olds and older) or 1 tsp of butter to calm it down.
  • Tomato Paste: to give the sauce a rich flavor
  • Shredded Carrots: pre-shredded or shredded or grated at home both work for this recipe. You can also add shredded zucchini instead of carrots.
  • Dried Oregano or Italian Seasoning
  • Olive Oil
  • Garlic
  • Salt

Health Benefits of Hidden-Veggie Pizza Sauce

The word pizza does not usually equate to the word healthy but in this case, it does! This sauce is full of nutrients!

  • Tomatoes are full of vitamins A and C and fiber and contain multiple antioxidants.
  • Carrots are a great source of fiber and vitamin A.
  • Garlic contains a compound called allicin that may help fight some viral and bacterial illnesses.
Silver saucepan on a marble surface with cooked carrots and garlic inside.
Cook garlic and shredded carrots in olive oil.
Silver saucepan on a marble surface with ingredients inside for a pizza sauce for kids.
Add in tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and salt.
Silver saucepan on a marble surface with cooked down tomatoes and veggies for a pizza sauce.
Let simmer for at least 10 minutes.
Silver saucepan on a marble surface with cooked pizza sauce blended.
Using an immersion blender or blender, puree until smooth.

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, bring olive oil to medium heat and then add garlic and carrots. Cook for 2 minutes.
  2. Add in tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and salt. Bring to a simmer and let cook for 8-10 minutes.
  3. Transfer the sauce to a blender and puree until smooth.
  4. Top on your favorite pizza.

How to Use Pizza Sauce

I love thinking slightly outside the (pizza) box and using this sauce for lots of fun pizza spin-off ideas and more.

How to Store and Freeze

This pizza sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To defrost – take the sauce out of the freezer and put it into the fridge 1-2 days before you want to use it. If you are in a rush, you can always take it out of the freezer, and place it into a sink full of hot water for 15 minutes before placing the sauce into a saucepan and reheating it on the stove. It will still be a lump of sauce but as it gets hot, it will thin out.

Silver saucepan with red pizza sauce and a tan dishcloth and carrots and garlic scattered around.

Expert Tips

  • If using whole carrots or fresh zucchini, no need to worry about chopping your veggies too small, as you’ll use your blender to puree everything together at the end.
  • You can easily make a double batch of this hidden veggie pizza sauce and freeze what you don’t need for later.
  • Freeze this pizza sauce in ice-cube trays or silicone molds for the perfect portion when you need it.
Silver saucepan with red pizza sauce and a tan dishcloth and carrots and garlic scattered around.

Get the recipe: 15-Minute Pizza Sauce (Hidden Veggie)

5 stars (8 ratings)
Looking for a flavorful pizza sauce you can whip up while your oven pre-heats? Then this is the pizza sauce for you! This kid-friendly Hidden Veggie Pizza Sauce is perfect for pizza, pasta, or as a dipping sauce. Plus, it can be made in 15 minutes, is freezer-friendly and is perfect for any type of homemade pizza!
Yield: 3 cups
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Author: Michele Olivier
Course: Main Course
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Leave a Review

Ingredients 

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2-1 cup carrots, shredded or finely chopped see notes
  • 1 28 oz can peeled whole tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp oregano or Italian seasoning

Instructions 

  • In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, add the olive oil and let warm for 2 minutes. Add in the garlic and carrots and saute for 2 minutes.
    Silver saucepan on a marble surface with cooked carrots and garlic inside.
  • Add in the tomatoes, tomato puree, salt, and oregano. Turn heat to medium and let simmer for a minimum of 8-10 minutes.
    Silver saucepan on a marble surface with cooked down tomatoes and veggies for a pizza sauce.
  • Transfer to a blender and puree for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. You can also use a hand immersion blender. Let cool slightly and use it for a pizza.
    Silver saucepan on a marble surface with cooked pizza sauce blended.

Notes

Age: 9+ months
Note on Tomatoes: I prefer to use Italian San Marzano tomatoes for this recipe. If your sauce is too acidic, then you can add in 1-2 tsp of honey (for 1 year olds and older) or butter to calm it down.
Note on Carrots: you can use 1/2-1 cup of shredded carrots. Adding 1 cup of carrots will result in a slightly earthier taste of pizza sauce, and adding in 1/2 cup of carrots will go unnoticed. 
 
 

Equipment

Saucepan
Blender

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