No-mato Spaghetti or Pizza Sauce

[Briza]

Since many people miss their pizza or spaghetti, I ran across this recipe here on the board for a sauce as a substitute for the usual marinara or tomato sauce, both of which are classic IC food triggers. There are notes to make any ingredients more tolerable to each patient, or if completely intolerable, notes on which ingredients should be left out. I really like this recipe b/c it does not contain red bell peppers (which I can tolerate but I do not care for the taste of). Also, since it was submitted by Bev Laumann, author of A Taste of the Good life: A Cookbook for an Interstitial Diet , and this book is sold here on ICN and since Bev has a column that she writes that is featured here on ICN in the IC diet section called "Fresh Tastes by Bev: A Monthly Column in Diet and Nutrition for IC patients," I suspect it is safe to post this recipe here.
Here's the link for the the page in the forum in which I found this great tasting and healthy recipe:
http://www.ic-network.com/bev/april00.html

Here's that recipe that I copy and pasted from another forum on this board...I hope others are able to enjoy it as much as I have...I haven't used it as a spaghetti sauce, but I have used it as a pizza sauce, and it is delish. No bladder issues for ME :)

"NoMato" Spaghetti Sauce
Basic Sauce:
6 carrots
1 beet, small (see note below)
1 onion, quartered (see note below)
1 celery stalk, sliced (see note below)
1 bay leaf, whole
1-1/2 cups water


The Flavor and Fun
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 small onion, minced (see note below)
1 teaspoon dried basil or dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons olive oil or sesame oil

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce, miso or tamari (see note below)
2 heaping tablespoons kuzu or cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water

For meaty texture add:
1 cup mushrooms, sauteed

Place Basic Sauce ingredients in a pot and boil, covered, for 30 minutes. (Or, place in a pressure cooker, bring to pressure and simmer 20 minutes.) Puree in a blender. Add water, if needed, until mixture has tomato sauce texture.

Saute garlic, onions, and herbs for 5 minutes in olive oil. Add parsley, mushrooms if desired, and saute 10 minutes more.

Add Basic Sauce and bring to a boil. Then, cover and simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors. Season with salt or soy sauce to taste.

Place kuzu or cornstarch in a small container and add water slowly while stirring. Stir until thoroughly dissolved in all the water. Add to sauce while it cooks, stirring until thickened.

Per serving: 436 Calories; 11g. Total Fat; 11g. Protein

Bev's notes: You can use 6 cups cooked butternut squash instead of carrots to make the sauce more orange and sweeter. Her recipe calls for miso or tamari soy sauce, but you can substitute 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt if soy sauce bothers your bladder.

About onions: We all have differing levels of sensitivity to onions. For some people, simply cooking them as Ruth's recipe indicates is sufficient to keep them from causing a symptom flare. For those who are slightly more sensitive, all the onions may have to be chopped and sauteed til translucent in oil or margarine before adding to the recipe. Another alternative is to substitute chives (which are milder) for the onions. For those who are most sensitive to onions, leave out the onions altogether or, leave out the onions and the soy sauce but use 1-1/2 tsp. onion salt in place of the soy sauce

[leelee88]

THANKS BRI!!!

I have been wanting another alternative to the Red Bell Pepper Sauce.. I do LIKE it though but still something different would be nice to try!!

[Briza]

For pizza I have only so far made it with the 6 carrots posted in the recipe (not the butternut squash listed as a sub at the bottom;I love butternut squash but SIX CUPS of cooked fresh butternut squash costs a lot more than 6 carrots ;)) Unless you grow butternut squash at home, which I have, and it is easy to grow. Just haven't grown squash in the past couple years, but squash of all kinds I have found to be very easy to grow.

If I were to make it for a pasta sauce or rice or meat sauce, I might make it in a smaller amount using less of all ingredients including less butternut squash. Since using the butternut squash WILL make it sweeter, I for one do not find that especially appetizing for a pizza sauce, but a sweeter sauce on pasta, rice, poultry, pork sounds tasty to me.

I really like the addition of the beet that gives it a nice red look and flavor...I like freshly sliced beets (not the canned or jarred) but have not found too many recipes using cooked beets that I like, but this is one that I do like where the beets work really well. So well I am planning to use an extra beet the next time I make this sauce.

Leelee, let me know how it works out for you if you make it! I'm also thinking of ways to make it into a no-mato basil soup, maybe w/ cream maybe not, but will post recipe if I come up with anything succesful.

[ICNDonna]

Usually when we have spaghetti, I serve regular sauce to my family, but I add just butter and melted processed cheese to mine. Sometimes I make a simple white sauce.

Donn

[Briza]

Yes, plain noodles with just cheese and /or butter or white sauce of course would probably be safe...but for me would get old very quickly:) I was hoping this recipe would be received as a bit more tasty, healthy, and exciting way to go, for those who are missing a sauce closer in flavor and texture to tomato or marinara sauce for pizza or spaghetti...something that many here miss and may want an alternative for that is at least somewhat closer to the "real" thing than just cheese or butter or white sauce, not to mention healthier.:)

[Sera]

Thanks for posting this, Briza!

I currently cannot tolerate garlic, soy sauce or onions, but I can tolerate cooked leeks in just about any quantity. Perhaps leeks would even be milder than chives and could be a good substitute for those who cannot tolerate onions.

This sounds like a good sauce for my brown rice pasta... mmm!

[KarenAnne]

Donna, What processed cheese do you use, & could you please post your white sauce recipe? Thank you, Karen

[ICNDonna]

I usually just buy American cheese. The white sauce is very simple: Melt a tablespoon of butter, add some finely chopped leek and cook over medium heat until the leek is done. Then I add about a tablespoon of flour to a cup of milk and blend with a whip until there are no lumps. Stir the liquid in with the butter and leek and cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens. I usually add some cheese to melt in the mixture. I just pour some over the spaghetti. You can also add other herbs that you can tolerate.

It's not tomato sauce, but I really like it. I have a severe allergy to tomatoes so I'm not even tempted to try anything containing it.

Donna

[KarenAnne]

Thanks Donna! I miss my tomato sauce but this looks like something I can make.

[Briza]

Thanks for posting this, Briza!

I currently cannot tolerate garlic, soy sauce or onions, but I can tolerate cooked leeks in just about any quantity. Perhaps leeks would even be milder than chives and could be a good substitute for those who cannot tolerate onions.

This sounds like a good sauce for my brown rice pasta... mmm!

Yes, I have issues with soy sauce and miso, too, especially when symptomatic, so at those times I avoid.

As Bev noted in the recipe provided...a little extra salt can be used instead of soy sauce or miso...I did not use soy sauce or miso when I made the recipe and a I used MUCH less salt than she recommended as a sub...I generally don't like things with too much salt, so a dash will do me, but in this case the flavor from all the other herbs (even if you have to leave out onions, leeks, chives, or garilic) I found that just a tiny pinch of salt was more than enough...and absolutely, like you said....leeks or chives may be better tolerated and the flavor is not much different from onions, in most cases very similar but often better taste than onions:)...I tolerate cooked onions really well, and well, onions are cheap and last a long time, and you can get a lot for your money, so I use a lot of cooked/sauteed onions since I can tolerate them...but when budget allows it or have special dinner for guests planned will stock my fridge w/ leeks and chives because they are pretty and do have a slightly different taste, esp when used as a garnish...I like pretty foods and nice tasting tolerated garnishes!! :lmao:

Well, let me know if you make the sauce and how you like it!
Bri

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sidenote to those looking to expand their diets, now or in the future!!! :)

....And of course any of the other herbs or seasonings in the no-mato sauce recipe can be left out or subbed with what each person can tolerate...if anyone has any concerns about any of the ingredients in this recipe I highly recommend taking a look at the IC diet and diet cheatsheet provided in my signature to see what is considered usually ok for IC patients. The IC diet is highly individual to each patient...what is ok for one may not be ok for another, regardless which column it falls in on the diet cheatsheet.
All IC patients should take the responsibility for their own diets and help themselves by looking up and printing out information from the IC diet overview and cheatsheet, both of which there are links to in my signature, and posting that info next to their computers and on their refrigerators!!! Will be of much help to any patient when trying foods or suggesting foods to other patients. If a patient sees a recipe that looks tasty, use that cheatsheet to help determine what may or may not be safe for your to eat. When beginning an IC elimination diet or trying to determine specific food triggers, then by all means, it is wise to stick to the "usually ok" column of diet cheatsheet, but even then a patient may find that those foods are problematic, while other foods in the other columns are not probematic. However, sticking to the usually ok column of foods is highly advised when symptoms are mod-severe and/ or if patient is in the beginning stages of IC (beginning meaning as less as one day to possibly two or three years or even more if just dxd or not having adequate medical treatment regimen).

I have found that other patients' experiences with foods that are not on the "usually ok" list has been of great help to me in expanding MY diet to include a wider range and variety of foods which are necessary for a body's overall health, which I believe will in turn may contribute to a healthier bladder. I am lucky to be at the point on the IC road that I have good drs, adequate and appropriate for ME treatment regimen, and am willing to take the risk to try foods that may be out of the normal comfort zone for many IC patients.

I did not get to this point overnight, it took a few years and much trial and error with drs, treatments, and foods, but at this point I am willing to take risks to expand my diet to include a wider and defintely healthier range of options than than I was during those first 2 or 3 yrs.
Take care;)

[Sera]

Briza, I know what you mean about leeks being expensive. Try finding some that are less than 50% leaves! That and I think they may be going out of season soon, which makes me sad.

I will definitely let you know if I try the recipe. Thanks again for posting it! =)

Take care,

[mello64]

I tried it this weekend. I actually made an adaptation of it by combining it with the roasted red pepper sauce idea and made a great big batch. I didn't use any soy or miso either, and I know nothing about leeks, so I didn't use them either.

I just sauteed onions & garlic in olive oil, cooked a bunch of carrots and roasted a bunch of red peppers, then combined it all in the blender, then salted to taste. I froze some jars of it that way, to substitute for plain tomato sauce in recipes, and I put some in hamburger to use for taco meat. Then I added fresh basil and some other Italian seasonings to the rest and froze jars of that for spaghetti sauce, etc. I combined some of that with hamburger too, for lasagna. We made homemade pizzas on Friday night and while the rest of the family used marinara sauce, I used my Italian No-Mato sauce and it was delicious! Really I thought it was every bit as good as tomato sauce.

And, as an extra bonus, I now have a couple weeks worth of meals started in my freezer, which will make all this from-scratch cooking so much easier during the week.

My sister liked the idea so much that she's going to cook up carrots and red bell peppers to add to her tomato sauce, just to get more veggies in her kids lol!

Anyway, this whole little experiment has gone a LONG way towards making this dumb diet more enjoyable and do-able for me, so thank you!!!