Modified By Nicole Charles 166 Comments
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This AIP, vegan and nightshade-free Classic Nomato Sauce is so similar in taste to tomato sauce, you might even fool your tomato-eating friends and family members.
If you’ve been following the autoimmune paleo protocol for some time now, you’ve probably tried nomato sauce. “No”mato sauce, as the name suggests, is a tomato free marinara sauce. Since nightshades are a no-no on the AIP, the community has gotten really creative in creating substitutes for tomato sauces.
There are tons of nomato recipes on the internet, and I have tried several of them! After about a year of experimenting, I’ve put together this Classic Nomato Sauce recipe to add to the collection.
This recipe includes my favourite combinations of veggies and herbs to mimic the taste of tomatoes without tasting like beets.While I’m a big fan of beets, they’re not exactly what I’m in the mood for when re-creating tomato sauce. In fact, too much beet in a nomato sauce recipe can make the end product uncharacteristically sweet and earthy.
Here’s what you’ll need for this Nightshade free, AIP/Paleo Classic Nomato Sauce:
- chopped onions, garlic, carrots, celery, butternut squash and beets – these veggies create the base of this recipe. Don’t worry, you won’t taste the beet in here. The combination of earthy beet and sweet carrots and butternut squash are perfectly balanced in this recipe.
- dried herbs of thyme, basil, rosemary and oregano – these seasonings lend an Italian flavor reminiscent of a traditional tomato sauce. You can substitute with fresh herbs if you have them for even more flavor.
- red wine vinegar – offers a classic acidic taste that mimics the flavor that tomato would usually provide.
- honey – just a small amount is needed to perfectly balance the acidity. Substitute with maple syrup for a vegan version.
- sea salt – for seasoning
- olive oil – used to sauté the veggies. I always use extra virgin olive oil.
How to make your Classic Nomato Sauce
- First, sauté the vegetables in olive oil in a large stock pot.
- Next, add your liquids and bring pot to a low boil.
- Then, simmer on low heat until all the vegetables have softened.
- Allow to cool slightly.
- Finally, transfer to blender and puree to consistency of choice.
This sauce is so similar in taste and looks to tomato sauce, you might even fool your tomato-eating friends and family members. I certainly have 🙂
Classic Nomato Sauce Recipe FAQs
I don’t like beets, can I omit the beet in this recipe?
In addition to adding the red colour to this sauce, the beet adds a subtle earthy flavour. While some nomato sauce recipes include a lot of beet (which I too can find overwhelming), this recipe only calls for one. I wouldn’t recommend omitting, and I promise the sauce doesn’t taste like beets!
Can I freeze this sauce?
Yes! I almost always freeze this sauce as it makes a pretty big batch. I like to separate it into two or three smaller glass containers or for the ultimate hack, I pour into an ice tray and freeze. This way I can easily pop out a few cubes and use within dishes.
How can I use this sauce?
Use this as you would a classic marinara sauce. This recipe features in a blog reader fave – AIP Sweet Potato Lasagna. Use it in Spaghetti and Meatsauce, as a base for your favourite AIP pizzas, pastas, with gnocchi, with beef meatballs or as a dip for veggies on grazing boards.
Can I make this in the Instant Pot?
Yes! Per reader recommendations, you can try cooking for about 15 minutes and letting it release for 10 minutes before blending.
If you loved this Nomato Sauce recipe I would appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and short review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of the finished product and share it with me onInstagramorFacebook by tagging me @healmedeliciousand using the hashtag #healmedelicious.
Liked this AIP Nomato Sauce recipe? You might also be interested in:
- Moroccan-Inspired Lamb Meatballs
- Sweet Potato Lasagna
- Kale and Beef Casserole
- Nightshade-free, AIP/Paleo Chili
Classic Nomato Sauce (AIP, paleo, vegan)
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
4.9 from 73 reviews
- Author: Nicole @healmedelicious
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This paleo, AIP, vegan and nightshade-free Classic Nomato Sauce is so similar in taste to tomato sauce, you might even fool your tomato-eating friends and family members.
Ingredients
Units Scale
- 1.5 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 cup carrot, diced (about 2 medium sized carrots)
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 1 cup butternut squash, cubed
- 1 medium sized beet, finely cubed
- 1 tsp thyme (dried or fresh)
- 1 tsp basil (dried or fresh)
- 1 tsp oregano (dried or fresh)
- 1 tsp rosemary (dried or fresh)
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp honey or maple syrup for vegan
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, add olive oil and heat on medium heat. When the oil is hot, add onion, garlic, carrot, celery and squash and sauté 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add a splash of water if necessary to keep from sticking.
- Once onions begin to become translucent, add in beets, salt and dried herbs and sauté 1-2 minutes.
- Next, add in red wine vinegar and cook a couple minutes to allow the vinegar to evaporate.
- Finally, add in water and honey or maple syrup. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat and cover.
- Simmer on low for 30 minutes or until carrots, beets and squash are soft.
- Once your veggies are soft, remove from heat and allow everything to cool.
- Blend ingredients into a smooth sauce using an immersion blender or carefully transfer to a blender. Season with salt as necessary once blended
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Sauces
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian American
Reader Interactions
Comments
Heleen Amazing, I was pretty sceptical but this turned out delicous! Thank you!
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- Jean Vincent
@healmedelicious This was both easy and delicious! Thank you for sharing this. I made the 3x recipe and made five and a half jars to freeze.
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Hi Nicole! This recipe and your entire website saved me when I was first and finally diagnosed with system sclerosis (diffuse cutaneous). I am so grateful and thank you for making healing so delicious. Also from Caribbean ancestry, we love food with rich, bold, smack your gums flavors. You have made it easy, thoughtful and delicious. I don’t review all your recipes, but I am using them and I haven’t run in to one I don’t enjoy. Thank you for being so thoughtful. Best to you. Side note: if anyone had trouble chopping mirepoix, etc., because of your hands and joint mobility use a food processor or chopper that works for you.
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Thanks so much for your kind words and review, Jen!
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- Jake
What constitutes a serving? How is it measured?
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Hi Jake, it’s about 1/2 cup
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- Gabi
Hi, I haven’t tried any other nomato sauce recipe, this is my first but it will be the only one. It does taste like some kind of italian pasta sauce and it’s still cooking. 😀 I’m using white wine vinegar instead of red and sweet potato instead of butternut squash and they’re giving me the same impression. Let me get the blender… Thank you! 😊
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- Heather
Can I use canned beets and frozen butternut squash, or do they need to be fresh?
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Yes to both, though the color of the canned beets will likely not be as vibrant as fresh beets and the sauce might be less red, more orange/pink in color.
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- LK-in-sea
My husband is nightshade free but I am not. I’m trying to be more supportive and am modifying what I like to be hubby friendly. I live for tomatoes and anything they are cooked into. I was totally skeptical of Nomato sauce; me a convert! Absolutely delicious exactly as written. I wouldn’t change a thing.
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- Karla
This nomato sauce is incredibly good. I have tried other recipes but this one is my favorite. Thank you for sharing it.
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- Marie Nachman
This stuff is great! I added a ton of Italian seasoning and it was great on zucchini based pasta.
The consistency is good and I didn’t feel deprived while others ate tomatoes all around me. Thank you for putting together recipes that help make the transition from the ‘normal’ American diet to something to help heal the damage of the beer and pizza life.Reply
- Denise Sammons
I’m so excited to find your website and this nomato sauce recipe! The reviews/comments were so positive, I made 6X the amount, which yielded about 32 cups of sauce–excited to stock my freezer! I adjusted spices to my preference, adding some anchovy paste as suggested by another reviewer for more umami flavor. When I first finished the recipe using a food processor to blend it, it didn’t have the right “mouth feel” for me (and didn’t coat my wooden spoon as I expected) , so I put it in a crockpot on low overnight, then ran it through my Ninja blender. Perfectly silky smooth and saucy! Important to note that after cooking on low for so long, the color had changed from red to light orange. I didn’t want to add more beets, so I added red food coloring–a no no for staying “natural,” I know, but I knew my family wouldn’t eat it unless it was red… and it is beautiful! An incredible marinara flavor and texture! Thank you so much for this awesome recipe!
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- Annika
Hi,
Do you know how this would go storing larger quantities? I want to seal some in mason jars but not sure if it would last in the cupboard or not.Reply
Hi Annika, I recommend storing in the fridge or freezer and doing so in mason jars is fine!
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- Marie Nachman
This is a low acid sauce, totally unlike tomato sauce, so you would need to pressure can it in mason jars for it to be shelf stable.
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I am so excited about this sauce. It’s delicious beyond my expectations. I’ve been following you on IG and loving your offerings. Only recently I got to make this sauce. It’s also my first time making “tomato” sauce without nightshade veggies, which I’ve been avoiding due to health issues. Not only is this sauce tasty, but it is also versatile, easy, and fun to make. I made your Moroccan-inspired meatballs to go with this sauce. The next day, I had some leftovers and added coconut milk to the pan of sauce & meatballs. I had it with brown basmati rice. It was as if I suddenly had a curry dish. So good. This will be one of my staples moving forward. Thank you!
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- Susan
It really is an amazing sauce! Would never believe it, but I absolutely trust all of your recipes without hesitation. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
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- ella
i used to make this all the time, when i first discovered aip two years ago. and i would freeze leftovers in a big ice cube tray and just cook em up when needed- my kid (4 at the time) absolutely devoured this sauce and it was awesome to have an aip recipe for the whole family. i would also make pizzas & handpies wjth this sauce- honestly a staple. it’s going on a pizza tonight and some meat sauce pasta tomorrow. thanks for sharing!!!!
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- Allison
Loved this recipe for my 11 year old who has Lupus, couldn’t tell the difference! I had a question on how long it can last in the fridge? I made a batch this past Sunday (so 4 days ago), would it still be good to use?
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- Mike
Trying to cook for a friend with nightshade allergies, she is unsure about the red wine vinegar, can this be substituted for rice vinegar?
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apple cider vinegar would be my recommendation!
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- Caroline
Oh my I’ve just been reading about the mentioned nightshade, I’m afraid I didn’t know what you were all talking about, you have definitely educated me thank you x
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- Caroline
Hi I suffer with ibs, about 10 years ago I stopped eating meat which helped a bit, then this year I found that too much dairy doesn’t help either. Resolved this but found my favourite lasagne began to upset me so wanted to try without tomatoes.
I found your recipe which I’ve made today, it smells and looks amazing but like another comment I removed a good portion of the liquid after simmering, I also made 6x quantity. Can’t wait to try it in lasagne tomorrow…. I’ll let you know how it goes.
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I can’t wait to try this. Is it ok to use canned beets? I find fresh beets stain things.
Thanks!
DarleneReply
Hi Darlene! Canned beets are fine, just note that the color of the sauce might not be as bright as canned beets tend to be a bit duller in color.
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- Terry B
This sounds delicious but I am also sensitive to celery and squash. What can I use in their place?
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Hi Terry, unfortunately those are two key ingredients here, sorry about that!
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- cara trussler
this is a great alternative, I would like to just add we don’t get fresh beetroot in many places here in the UK but it’s vital for that red colour, pre cooked ones just don’t quite give the right brightness. Fresh beetroot it the key!
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- Ellen Mullis
OH MY GAWD!!!!! My 13 year old daughter has recently become allergic to all nightshades and has really struggled with this. I’ve had my own allergy struggles with having Alpha-Gal so when I saw her have the same emotional breakdown in the store the other day that I’ve had, I knew I had to do something. She has a passion for Italian food and was really starting to grow in her cooking when this allergy really took hold. I made this for the first time tonight and we are both in tears with how good it is!!! We are currently brainstorming all kinds of future dishes to make with this!!!
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- Anna
Can’t believe how well this came out! seriously delicious, 5 stars.
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- Angela
I made this and it was delicious. However, I found out my daughter is allergic to carrots which cause migraines. Of course, the only vegetables she likes. 🤦🏻♀️ What can I substitute to still stay compliant with AIP?
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Hello! Perhaps add a bit more of the squash? Not quite the same amount as the carrots though because that could cause the sauce to taste too sweet.
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- Becky
This is outstanding!!!! I have an autistic child and tomatoes are a no go for him. He reacts terribly to them! I found this recipe and was sooo skeptical! I tried it and he ate it for dinner!! BLEW MY MIND! All I can say is thank you!!! I will DEFINITELY be trying other recipes! Amazing job!
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- Sophie Jenkins
I absolutely love this recipe! My daughter is allergic to nightshades but I love tomato and hate beetroot so I was at somewhat of a loss when it came to cooking until I found this recipe. I tweak it depending on what I’m using it in and what I have on hand; I always use courgette rather than celery but it works perfectly every time. This recipe provides a variety of veggies and tastes amazing; it’s an absolute staple in my house now 😊
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- Melissa Visek
This sauce is amazing! My only issue is that when I freeze it and then thaw it out and heat it up, it turns from red to a brownish color. It still tastes great, but the color is just not the same. Is there anything that I should be adding to it so it doesn’t change color, like some sort of preservative? Or do you think I am doing something wrong when I originally make it?
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It’s normal for the color to change as the beets cook further they lose their brightness. This happens to me sometimes when I make meatsauce and am cooking the sauce for a very long time. I have no recommendations for color additives though, sorry!
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- Katie Nicholls
Game changer! Found recipe by chance, my gf is allergic to nightshade, this has opened up s heap of recipes. THANK YOU
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Oh my goodness! This Classic-Nomato recipe is “the bomb”!!!! Made the recipe today and I’m in heaven! I’ve missed tomato sauce based recipes for a year! No more. This recipe will be a regular staple from now on. Thank you so much!!
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- Stacey
What kind of voodoo magic is this?! Served it tonight with chicken meatballs over spaghetti squash. Made regular spaghetti for the hubs but served him this sauce. After he cleaned his plate I asked him if he liked my nomato sauce. He said, “That wasn’t my regular tomato sauce?? Whoa .. I had no idea!”
Voodoo.
Magic.Reply
Hahah, thank you Stacey!
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- Nathalie
This was the first nomato I’ve ever made. So surprising, so good. Love it!
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The Nomato sauce recipe is fantastic and very useful. I like to keep a batch in my freezer in various portion sizes for various recipes. Everyone that had eaten it comment how great it is. 5 stars.
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- Maria
This smelled so good when cooking! Unfortunately it was really sweet. Maybe I used too many beets? I will definitely leave out the honey next time although it was such a small amount I doubt it contributed to the sweetness. It was very good with the meatballs but too much for the pasta. I’m going to try it with chicken parmesan with the leftovers… something where the sauce isn’t the main character. And I’ll definitely try less beet next time I make it. So happy to have found a recipe. Just needs some tweaking.
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- Angela
Any ideas for a substitution for the vinegar? I was wondering if I could use like lemon juice or lime juice for acid- not sure how much I would use instead. Thank you:)
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Citrus won’t impart the same acidity here. If you can do apple cider vinegar you can try that?
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- Louise Hankin
Wow so tasty! I’m really impressed. you have inspired me to grow all of the ingredients. wish me luck 😁
Thank you for sharing this recipeReply
Hi Louise, we’re so glad you like it! We think it’ll taste amazing with your homegrown ingredients. Good luck 😃!
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This recipe is awesome! I made a 6X batch (had a big butternut squash and based the quantities off of that). Used dry spices, everything as written. The sauce was amazing with Cassava spaghetti and AIP meatballs. Delicious! I’m so excited to have a freezer full of scrumptious, nutritious, compliant sauce to use this winter. Thank you for taking the time and energy to develop such a wonderful recipe!
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- Heal Me Delicious Team
Hi Carolyn, thanks so much for leaving a review. We’re so glad you like this recipe!
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- Marlena Edney
What’s the measurement for the beets? I always struggle when a recipe says “medium” or “large” because I have no clue what’s considered the right size for a vegetable I don’t normally eat. I think I may have used too much beet.
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About 1/2 cup diced beets
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- Marlena Edney
Ohhh, definitely used too many last time 😂😂 Thanks!
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- Sharon
I agree it has a really strange sweetness, I’ve never had beets before so couldn’t figure out if that’s what added to the sweet taste. Maybe if the recipe said exactly how much beet should be added it would be better…I think my medium beet turned into a full cup of beets. I may try a small 1/2 batch just to see if the beet ratio was the culprit. My batch wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t good either..I kept trying to figure out what it was missing or what I could add to mask the sweetness.
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- Julia
I have been eating AIP for about 5 years now and this is the best nomato sauce I have found. My entire family enjoyed it and it tasted like real tomato sauce.
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- Heal Me Delicious Team
Hi Julia,
We’re so glad you liked it! Thank you for leaving your review.Reply
- Shelley
I did not read all of the comments, so if this is a repeat, I’m sorry. I can my own spaghetti sauce and salsa for my family. Is this something that can be canned?
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- Heal Me Delicious Team
Sorry, we don’t know much about the canning process. It freezes really well, though!
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- JOYCE
Hi,
I love this sauce! …..and I love bolognese, which I now make using this sauce.
My only question is, Bolognese requires a 6 ounce can of tomato paste. What would you recommend to replace it?
Thank you!
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- Heal Me Delicious Team
Hi Joyce,
We’re so glad you love the recipe, thank you for your review.
You can use the Nomato Sauce as a replacement for tomato paste.
You might also like this Spaghetti and Meat Sauce recipe.Reply
- Robin Curry
Fantastic! I made this for the first time today – doubled the recipe based on all the positive reviews. Good “mouth feel” and great flavour. (I’m from Canada – I’m allowed the U). Nothing complicated in this recipe, and it’s perfect for the fall when the squash, beets and carrots are available from our local farmers.
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- Marlena Edney
How long can this last in the fridge if I choose not to freeze it?
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About a week I’d say!
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- Cecilia
Soooo Delicious! I cooked mine in the Instant Pot – so easy and again Delicious!
I also used bone broth for the water for added healing nutrition. Thank you for this excellent recipe!Reply
- Annie
THIS IS LEGIT! So so good! I really couldn’t imagine what it would taste like but it fooled my husband and my mom. And now my daughter can have no-matoey goodness! Thank you so much for this recipe! XO
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- cait
this is my favorite recipe of hers. its so delicious. i used it as a sauce over a can of sardines (which are highly nutritious but gross) and it was awesome
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- Emily
WOW. This recipe is incredible- the texture flavors and acidity/sweetness perfectly mimic tomato sauce. The only thing I personally changed was draining out some liquid (after simmering) before I used an immersion blender. This made it a chunkier texture which I wanted since I was using it for pizza sauce. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!!
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Tomatoes are my favourite vegetable (or fruit). I have stage 4 kidney disease and have been told no nightshade veggies. I made this recipe with hope, but not really believing it was going to taste like tomato. Was I wrong!! Even my sister who was sure it would be a failure has just finished a bowl of sauce with garlic bread. Thank you so much!!!!! This is one recipe that will always be in my freezer or refrigerator.
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- Zainab
I am in love. I was a little skeptical to begin with but I have to say I can’t believe how much it replicates the taste. I didn’t have any celery so I made it without it and It still tasted the same.
This recipe is a life saviour. Being an Indian, tomatoes is the base to all Indian dishes and now I can actually make them.
Thank you!!!Reply
- M.C. Gardner
It tastes great but I was just wondering how soft the vegetables should get while simmering. I followed the recipe as directed and let it simmer for more than 30 minutes, but the beets and carrots never really got that soft. I don’t have a blender and was just using a potato masher to make the sauce, but it was difficult (more like a chutney).
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a blender is pretty key here – or a food processor to get the flavors to meld. if you aren’t using those then I would say cook until the vegetables have completely cooked down!
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- Michelle
do you think your nomato sauce could be used as pizza sauce?
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absolutely!
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- Shay
Hi. Do I need to cook the beets before chopping them?
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nope!
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- Barb
Absolutely the real thing!! My husband couldn’t tell it wasn’t tomato based. I’m so excited because I have really missed my Italian food!!
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- Jodi
I haven’t had tomato sauce in a year. I made this tonight and it was fantastic! My family said it tastes like the “real thing”. I will be making this in batches to freeze. So good. Thank you very much for this recipe.
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- Michelle
I absolutely love this recipe! It’s my first time making any nomato sauce and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect…WOW how yummy it is! I didn’t have red wine vinegar, but I had white so I substituted white for red. My hubby made chicken Parmesan with it and raved about it. Mine also came out more orange than red, I added more beets but I didn’t want to add to much. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
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- Anneke
Hello, I’m excited to try this, as I’m quite new to alternative cooking due to food sensitivity testing. Is there a good substitute for onions? Thanks!
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Hi there, I’d just omit them!
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- Lezlie
Hi 🙂 I am going to try this recipe this weekend. I have acid reflux and was wondering if there was a substitute for the vinegar?
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Vinegar gives it that zing so if you omit, it won’t have that acidity tomatoes usually have but otherwise it’ll be okay
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- Hannah
Hey there! I am trying this recipe today but am allergic to Citric Acid(all fruits but a few, tomatoes, and much mor.) I cannot use any wine vinegars or cigar vinegars and was curious if I could use white vinegar as a substitute? If so, how much would you recommend in replacement? TIA!!
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- Heal Me Delicious Team
No, the white vinegar won’t work unfortunately. You can skip the red wine vinegar altogether but it will be missing the acidity characteristic of tomatoes so it won’t be the same.
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- Jessica Welch
So delicious!!
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- Chelsea
YES! This recipe is amazing!!! I’ve been trying to find a no tomato sauce but almost everything uses tomatoes and/or carrots. This recipe lets you customize it, to a certain extent, which is awesome for me!! 10/10 would recommend.
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- Cathryn
Excellent recipe, and it’s not my first rodeo as far as nightshade free sauces go. I’m nightshade toxic and I made a double batch so I’d have extra. Tonight I made lasagne and it turned out really nice. I would share a picture if I could figure out how!
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- Kenzie
Wow!! You are an absolute food wizard! 🤲✨This sauce is sooo good! I added Italian sausage to mine. This is my first attempt at a nomato sauce and I hit the jackpot choosing yours! I was expecting to have something that was “good enough”… this is one of the best marinara sauces I’ve had not just for AIP, and my husband was in shock there’s no tomatoes! 😋🙏
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- Laurie Burnside
I am brand new to the AIP diet and this sauce was an absolute game changer! I use it as one would a traditional red sauce, I add it to soups, stews, Shepherd’s pie – I don’t think I’ll go back to full-on tomato sauce even when I’m able to… It’s THAT good!
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- DeAnna Morgan
Just made this and I’m amazed! You cannot tell there is no tomato in this sauce. And, more importantly, I cannot taste the beets! This sauce is delicious. I was skeptical as I purchased no mato sauce when I first started AIP…and promptly threw it away because it was awful. I’m so excited that I will be able to enjoy Italian meals again. I forgot to pick up a butternut squash, so I substituted with pumpkin purée. I do have a question though. How long with this keep in the refrigerator?
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- Laurie Burnside
I had it in the fridge for a week and then had to leave town for a funeral. It is still great – taste, smell appearance. I’m going to use it up today as I don’t want to push my luck, but at least a couple of weeks.
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- Barbara
Is this recipe able to be canned?
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I don’t know much about that, sorry!
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- Heather
Very good and easy to make, thank you.
I made mine in the Instant pot.
I didn’t have fresh beet but I had slice beets in a jar so I used that instead.
I also added a little bit of Tamarind. You can buy it in a jar or can find it fresh.
Tamarind can give a very nice zesty .tang like tomatoes do. I think adding that enhanced my sauce and gave it the kick I was looking for.Reply
- Mari McKinley
Could you please tell me much is a medium sized beet? ~1cup?
All the other veggies are measured in cups.
Don’t want to put too much or too little.
Thank youReply
3/4 cup sounds about right!
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- Kc
This is amazing! Hands down the best I have tried! I froze some and forgot to label it and asked my partner to taste it to tell me if it was tomato or nomato and he couldn’t tell 😂🙌🏼 Sooo good! Game changer for nightshade free folks! Thank you!
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- Olivia Hand
Delicious! Next time I need to double the recipe because I ate this all myself in a day!
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- Amy
Best nomato sauce I have tried! Simple to make and the whole family liked it.
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- Liz
Hi! I have a very crazy question! I want to make your sauce but I don’t have beets on vine. I have Kirkland Costco beets I think already cooked but soooooo much easier to cut up. I have RA & all the chopping tends to totally inflame my hands/wrists. Can I use this, it’s organic & wonderful.
Also don’t have red wine vinegar. What to substitute? Your recipe is the first that has asked for that 😉
Thanks soooo much!! Love your site but wish had more recipes to use crockpot. I am a dud when trying to convert. Sorry I’m a baker not a cook 🤣
Happy New Year!! All the best for 2022! Stay safe everyone!
LizReply
- Stacey
This sauce is just delectable! I’ve made other Nomato sauces in the past and I honestly haven’t been a fan and found the beetroot overpowering. This recipe however is spot on! I’d happily use this in place of tomato sauce, AIP diet or not. Thank you!
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- alissa
absoooluuutely fan of this sauce. first time making it tonight and it tasted delicious straight out of the pot.
but mines pink??? did I not add enough of something? I followed the recipe to a T
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- Corde'
Mine is pink too. What did I do wrong?
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did you use canned beets? also, sometimes when you cook beets for too long they lose their bright color
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- Christi
This recipe is amazing! Thank you! I can’t have nightshades due to an autoimmune condition. I grew up on Italian food at least once a week and have been missing it greatly. Now, if I could find a rice pasta that was equally great. Unfortunately, so many GF pastas are made with potato or corn, which I also can’t have.
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Thanks Christi! Have you tried the Jovial brand of cassava pasta?
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- Lisa
Hi there. I really like the tinkayada brand of brown rice pastas. They hold up really well when cooked and don’t have that woody texture like some other non-wheat varieties. You can find it on well.ca for sure.
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- Pennie
OMG, same! I’ve missed tomato based recipes. I was diagnosed with a severe allergy to tomatoes only two years ago, so I’ve had to avoid completely anything nightshade. This recipe went down a treat and tasted 100% tomato-like. A-mazed!
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- Emily Ensminger
Even though you suggest not substituting the beets in this recipe, I currently have to stay away from beets from a food sensitivity test, while also trying to follow an AIP paleo diet for 30 days. Is there something that you can think of that I could use in place of the beets that would still make this sauce delicious??
Thanks!
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Hi Emily, the sauce won’t be red without the beets but won’t be too different taste wise. i’d suggest adding a bit more vinegar.
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- Michele
I have done sauce with strawberries for a bbq nomato… perhaps that could work with this one?
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I wouldn’t substitute strawberries here but I have a bbq sauce in my pulled pork recipe that you can try: https://healmedelicious.com/instant-pot-bbq-pulled-pork/
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We absolutely loved this nomato sauce! My husband is very picky and he loved it when I made spaghetti with it. I am going to try to add different spices and make chili next.
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- Lisa
OMG! Tastes like tomato sauce – no it’s even better than tomato sauce!!! I am so excited. The only thing I did different was use balsamic vinegar because I didn’t have red wine vinegar. As it was cooking the house smelled like tomato sauce. I am so happy with how it came out & I froze 4 extra servings!
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- Gina
I became allergic to tomatoes almost 8 yrs ago. After searching thru a multitude of Nomato recipes, I chose this one after reading the reviews. I had no celery so I used celery salt. Adjusted the herbs to my liking and used water. It is the closest thing to real tomato sauce pasta sauce that I have found. I can’t wait to make a lasagna and Eggplant Parmesan. Bless you for sharing this recipe.
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- Elizabeth
Is there any way to substitute the carrots? My son cannot do tomatoes or carrots.
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You could try subbing the carrots with more of the squash!
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- Priscilla
I haven’t had any tomato product in 10 years since having an anaphylactic reaction to tomatoes. I missed spaghetti and lasagna and all those other delicious dishes so much! Then my daughter came across your recipe and we decided to give it a try. I wanted to cry!!! It’s so delicious and tasted like tomato sauce. I’ve made spaghetti and zucchini parmigiana and cannot wait to make a pizza and lasagna! Thank you so much for bringing those dishes back into my life!❤️
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I’m so happy to hear this Priscilla! Thanks for taking time to leave a review.
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- Sue A.
Simply divine. Thank you for a great recipe. Sue
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- Jo
1st time making a nomato sauce, picked this sauce after looking at loads of different recipes online. Made a fantastic, versatile marinara style sauce. I used brown & red onions and cooked up a large batch, freezing some & to use later. Thanks for the recipe.
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- Samantha
We made this tonight and we loved it. My husband is a very picky eater and his bowl was clean after he was done. My teenager even had seconds! Has anyone pressure canned this?
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- Nadine
Just made this sauce, its so yummy. I did mine in the Instant Pot. Easy peasy! The only changes I made was I only added half the water since it was in the pressure cooker, and I also did not have any butternut squash so I just used some crown pumpkin. I have just made a meat sauce with it for your AIP lasagna. Wow its good. I only made the single amount and I still have 2 jars left. I am looking forward to trying the lasagna tonight! Thanks for this!
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- Christina
Really good and not beet-y. I’ve tried several sauces and this actually really reminded me of tomato… although admittedly I haven’t had tomato in almost 20 years haha. My hubby said it tasted like tomato and I used it as pizza sauce for him. I didn’t have celery so I subbed a peeled zucchini and celery salt for the salt (I’ve successfully reintroduced celery seed), and your recipes are always successful so i doubled it. I later added (to leftovers) about 1/2 tbsp of tamarind paste and tsp of anchovy paste for extra umami. Thank you for all the work you put into these fabulous recipes!!
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ooh i love those additions Christina! Thank you for taking time to leave a review!
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- Tammy
Absolutely delicious. I have been missing tomato sauce so much. I made the base sauce and added grass fed ground beef. My picky dad even complemented it. Thank you so much.
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- Pish Hugo
Very surprised with this. I made it without squash and celery. Still tastes like the real thing.
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- Sarah
This was fantastic. I tweeted it a bit I used canned pumpkin instead of squash, balsamic vinegar, and homemade beef bone broth. This is my new favorite AIP recipe
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- Kelsey
Best no-mato sauce (tried a lot).
Based on other comments put everything in (only 1/2 the liquid) the instapot per other suggestion. Then used food processor to blend until smooth.
Used 1/2 the liquid and used chicken bone broth instead of water.
The balance of veggies, vinegar and maple syrup made for the perfect (taste and color) sauce!!
Thanks for another winner Nicole!!Reply
- Heal Me Delicious Team
Thank you Kelsey! So glad you enjoyed it.
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- ahs
I am new to nomato sauce and delighted at this recipe! I tripled it up in order to freeze a large portion and I’m excited to have it on hand for future recipes. Tonight I used the sauce for Sweet Potato Lasagna: https://healmedelicious.com/sweet-potato-lasagna-aip/ and it was fantastic!
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- Heal Me Delicious Team
So glad you enjoyed it!
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- Julia
We had this for dinner tonight with spaghetti squash and chicken meatballs and it was so good! We aren’t fully AIP here, but my daughter is currently supposed to be eating an anti-inflammatory diet, and I’m finding that AIP recipes are super helpful as I’m trying to figure out how to avoid certain foods. I’m so glad to have been directed to your blog!
PS – I agree, it definitely doesn’t taste like beets!
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- Jeanne I.
This is hands down the best nightshade free Nomato sauce recipe out there. I love tomato sauce and salsa but now they are on my foods to avoid list. I substituted fennel for celery as celery is also a NoNo for me. This is an easy recipe and would you never know that there are no tomatoes! Thank you for sharing this will be a staple in my home.
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Thank you so much Jeanne! Glad you enjoyed <3
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- Jessica
As someone who cannot have even a hint of tomatoes without a reaction I really enjoy 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, but I’m not sure how well any of them will work.
I’m open to any suggestions. Thanks for your amazing recipe! ♡♡♡♡Reply
- Jeanne I.
I need to avoid celery so I used fennel, it was great!
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- Mary T
I just made this for the first time. I’m new to AIP and I already wasn’t doing nightshades so I’ve been looking for options. This tastes so good. I also hate beets and I can’t taste it. I think I could fool a few people with this one. Thanks for the recipe!!
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- Shannon
I have made a variety of nomato sauces over the years and this is honestly the best I’ve made.
The colour was closer to tomato sauce and it has the perfect acidity. The only difference is that I did this is the instant pot for 15 mins and let release for
10 and it turned out perfect. I think this will be my go to nomato sauce for now on.Reply
Thanks so much Shannon! I’m so glad you enjoy and thanks for sharing your Instant pot timing!
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- Heather fa*gan
This nomato sauce is amazing! My son, who can eat regular sauce, really likes this sauce too. I used Shannon’s instant pot method. This will definitely be my go-to for a marinara sauce.
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- Cathy
Can you make this in the instant pot? How long would you cook it in the instant pot?
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Hi Cathy, I’m sure that would be fine, it all gets pureed so it’s impossible to overcook.
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- S.B
Going into an AIP journey is not for the faint of heart!! Especially if you are like me and tomatoe sauce is your absolute favourite and your body craves it often. Learning I had to give it up made me feel defeated. But I had hope! I made a beet nomato sauce I found online once and I literally cried,it was horrible. Thankfully I came across this recipe and all I can say is, I aslo cried!!? tears of happiness! This recipe was beyond my expectation and ny whole house smelled like spaghetti sauce. Guilt free, healing, nutrition,full of flavour and just like real sauce. Im so grateful for all the recipes she makes. Especially this one❤️
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Thanks so much for leaving this review. I’m so so happy you enjoyed it <3
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- Mallory
Could I use a can of butternut squash purée in place of the cubes? If so, do I add it at the same time?
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Hi Mallory, that should be fine and timing won’t matter too much.
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- Amanda
This sauce is really good! I don’t fully eat AIP, so I do eat tomato sauce occasionally, but it tends to give me heart burn. This sauce is a nice alternative for when I don’t want to suffer after. It’s a bit time consuming, but totally worth it.
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- Nancy
I’ve made other nomato sauce recipes. This one tops them all. I think it’s the red wine vinegar. I didn’t purée it. I did brown some ground beef and mushrooms, added it to the sauce and put it over cassava noodles. So satisfying. Thanks for another great recipe.
NancyReply
Thanks so much Nancy!
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- Sam
This sauce is legit! This was my first foray into a nomato sauce and I had reviewed a few recipes before settling on this one. I liked the addition of butternut squash rather than a heavy reliance on carrots. I had zero expectations for this actually tasting anything close to tomato sauce. I’m making a few AIP recipes this week (including chicken cacciatore and zucchini enchiladas) that call for a nomato sauce so I really figured this would do the trick and the flavors in the rest of the dish wouldn’t make me miss the real tomato sauce.
After it was done, though, oh my stars. I tasted a spoonful to see how it came and out this sauce blew my mind! It has the color and texture of tomato sauce! My husband tried it and was equally surprised! He noted more of the sweeter butternut squash tones but said that was a great sauce tomatoes, or no! I tossed it with some cassava noodles for lunch and immediately started a second batch to ensure I had enough for my meal prep this week and froze some for later!
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- Barb Hamilton
This is surprisingly easy and so fantastic. I’ve made it a number of times and its great to keep some always on hand frozen!!! This site is my go to for AIP recipes!
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Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, Barb. So glad you enjoyed and I totally agree re:keeping some on hand. It’s my #1 AIP hack!
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- Jelena
Any suggestions on what I can use instead of red wine vinegar? Thank you!
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Hello! You can try Apple cider vinegar instead
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- Danielle
I’m searching for a vegan nomato sauce recipe and clicked this one because the title says “vegan”, but honey isn’t vegan.
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- Cindy
Hi Danielle – I made it with maple syrup and it was delicious! I highly recommend this recipe.
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- Hannah
the best nomato sauce i’ve made!
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Thanks so much ?
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- Katie
Hello, I am loving your recipes. Two questions:
1-Could I make this with another squash? My daughter is allergic to butternut squash.
2-Could I use garlic infused olive oil? I am sensitive to too much garlic.Reply
Hi Katie! Thanks so much. Yes and yes! Acorn squash, delicata squash and even sugar pumpkin would work well in this recipe 🙂
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- Olivia
Can I use kabocha squash instead of butternut squash in this recipe?
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yep!
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- Laura
Would it still work without the vinegar? I have a another autoimmune disease that effects my bladder and I can’t eat anything acidic (like vinegar).
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Hey Laura, the vinegar is what gives it the taste of tomatoes due to the acidity but it still tastes delicious without it!
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- Ann
As a first time “nomato” maker, I was deeply skeptical of a beet masquerading as a tomato. But this was so good!! The sweetness of the honey and the sourness of the vinegar is really well balanced and is a very good replacement for marinara sauce. Highly recommend.
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