no-mato marinara

Eliminating nightshades on the Conscious Cleanse can be challenging. Life without tomatoes takes some getting used to, as Jules will attest! Enter “no-mato” sauce—that is, marinara sauce made without tomatoes. We love this over zucchini noodles with our Plant-Powered Not-Meat Balls or even on top of roasted veggies. Top with some goat cheese when not cleansing for an extra-creamy treat!

Yield 2 cups
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 75 minutes
CLEANSE

1 small beet

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium white onion, diced

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup cubed summer squash

2–4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1½ tbsp dried Italian seasoning

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

4 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1½ tsp Himalayan pink salt

1   Preheat the oven to 375°F. Rinse the beet and trim off the leafy top. Wrap loosely in foil, and place in the oven. Roast for 1 hour or until soft. Remove from the oven, take off foil, and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, cut off the top and peel the skin. (You should be able to do this easily with your fingers.) Cut into quarters, and set aside.

2   In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrots, and sauté for 4 minutes or until the onions become translucent.

3   In a high-speed blender, combine the roasted beet, cooked onion and carrots, squash, garlic, basil, Italian seasoning, lemon juice, vinegar, and salt. Blend until smooth.

4   Transfer the blended ingredients to a saucepan, and simmer for 15 minutes. Store in a glass container in the refrigerator for 7 days.