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READY IN ABOUT 1½ hrs

Spaghetti Sauce with Cauliflower

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Read Reviews (11)

"Serve this sauce over your favorite pasta. This recipe goes back to the Great Depression. My large Italian family gathered in the kitchen and tried many ways to prepare Sunday dinner on a tight budget. My friends and family couldn't believe that there is no ground beef in this sauce. I bring it into work the next day and share. Co-workers love it. " — impellizzeri kitchen

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Original recipe makes 8 servings Change Servings

1/4 cup olive oil
6 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 sweet onion (such as Vidalia®), chopped
3 cups chopped cauliflower

1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

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Directions

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan or soup pot, and cook the garlic, onion, and cauliflower, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is browned and tender, about 30 minutes. Pour in the basil, black pepper, and crushed tomatoes, and simmer until the sauce is thickened and the flavors have blended, about 30 more minutes.

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PREP 20 mins
COOK 1 hr
READY IN 1 hr 20 mins

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Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Nov 29, 2010

We often have a vegetarian meal a few nights a week, and I wanted to do something different with my cauliflower. I will make this again-I did however use bought pasta sauce with Italian seasoning. I then tossed the sauce with cooked rigatoni pasta, transferred into a serving dish. I mixed a cup of shredded Italian blend cheese with 3/4 cup of sour cream, spread it over the top and grilled until brown and bubbling. A yummy hearty meal. Thanks.

—joan

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Aug 14, 2011

This was very difficult to rate. For creativity, definitely 5 stars. We all liked it and it is healthy too. But I don't think you can confuse it with a meat sauce. One reviewer suggested adding tomato paste and more seasoning. I would agree with that. Only giving 3 stars but maybe it should be 3.5 or 3.75. I would make it again.

—CALIFORNIADREAMIN

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11 Ratings

Jul 21, 2010

i really like the texture the cauliflower gives this sauce. i added more herbs to suit my tastes because as written it wouldn't have been flavourful enough for me.

—Sarah

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Aug 26, 2010

Good basic recipe. I added some Italian Seasoning, and a bit of brown sugar. I made a baked Spaghetti dinner with Mozzarella Cheese on top. YUM! Even the kids liked it!

—Angie

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Oct 29, 2010

I was looking for a recipe to make use of a head of cauliflower and found this. Incredibly simple and healthy. A great lighter sauce perfect for vegetarians. Per other peoples reviews I added more seasonings (dried basil, oregano, red pepper flakes and some locatelli cheese as I normally do to my meat sauce). I also used one can whole tomatos and two cans tomato sauce as I just like the viscosity of my sauces better this way, but I feel the only flaw of the sause is its overwhelming tomato taste, id maybe only use one can of paste next time. Finally I added sliced mushrooms, as I'm a mushroom nut. Highly recommend this dish.

—drella

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Jul 27, 2011

i belong to a veggie co-op and always get desperate at the end of the week to make room for the new pick-up. i tried this with a head of cauliflower, two giant fresh tomatoes diced a jar of pre-made spaghetti sauce and a cup of leftover homemade tomato soup, plus lots of garlic and italian seasoning. tasted great and will even better tomorrow! update: put my leftovers on a pizza crust with a little cheese -- love getting two meals in one.

—KJR

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Nov 02, 2010

Given the submitter's claims, I was expecting the cauliflower to add more interest and texture to this sauce than it actually did. Can you tell there is no ground beef? Absolutely! (but that's not much of a surprise). It IS a great idea as a budget stretcher and a very good way to get more veggies in. It was very bland but that is easily remedied and the texture of the sauce could easily be improved as well by using less crushed tomatoes and more diced tomatoes with tomato paste. I would make this recipe again with tweaks.

—CC♥'s2bake

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Dec 23, 2011

I used this recipe as a base though only half of it. I used a California veggie mix, 1 large can of diced tomatoes and the remnants of a jar of basil pesto. I added meatballs to this and served over spaghetti. It's very runny so I mixed in 1/2 cup at least of Parm to help thicken and season, in addition to a couple of spices. Would be better to thicken with tomato paste, but I didn't have any. We liked it.

—RMSR

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Nutrition

Calories
177 kcal
9%

Carbohydrates
26.6 g
9%

Cholesterol
0 mg
0%

Fat
7.7 g
12%

Fiber
7 g
28%

Protein
6 g
12%

Sodium
401 mg
16%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Spaghetti Sauce with Cauliflower

Serving Size: 1/8 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 177
Calories from Fat: 69

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 7.7g 12 %
Saturated Fat 1.1g 5 %
Cholesterol 0mg 0 %
Sodium 401mg 16 %
Potassium 1025mg 29 %
Total Carbohydrates 26.6g 9 %
Dietary Fiber 7g 28 %
Protein 6g 12 %
** Sugars 1.7g
Vitamin A 42 %
Vitamin C 79 %
Calcium 15 %
Iron 42 %
Thiamin 26 %
Niacin 36 %
Vitamin B6 37 %
Magnesium 24 %
Folate 35 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.