Veggie Pasta Sauce

Ingredients

4 cups	canned tomatoes (diced)		1.1 kg
2 tsp	sugar, or brown sugar		8 g
2 cloves	garlic, finely chopped
7	button (white) mushrooms, finely chopped		100 g
1/2	leeks		150 g
1	red onions, diced		150 g
1	zucchini		130 g
1	yellow or red sweet peppers		200 g
1 tsp	dried oregano		0.4 g
2 tsp	olive oil		10 mL
2 tsp	sriracha (hot chili sauce) [optional]		10 g
4 tbsp	fresh basil, finely chopped		14 g

Before you start

A blender or food processor will be very useful to purée the sauce.

Method

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[*]Finely chop the garlic, mushrooms, basil, leek, onion and zucchini. Keep them separate, since you will need to add them to the pot at different times.
[*]Heat the oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add the mushrooms. Cook 4-5 min, stirring often, until browned. Add the onion, leeks and garlic and cook for another 3-4 minutes until translucent. Then add the zucchini and red pepper and cook for another 3-4 minutes until soft.
[*]Add the crushed tomatoes, sugar, optional hot sauce, and oregano. Cook 5 min with frequent stirring. If in a hurry, cooking can be stopped here and the sauce puréed at this point.
[*]For improved taste, cover and simmer for about 45 min.
[*]Blend sauce in a blender with the basil until puréed.
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