This sauce is so good I think it could even be a soup! It’s perfect for a cold Sunday evening when you have some extra time at home to babysit the sauce while it simmers. Or you can transfer the sauce to a slow cooker and let it go all day and have dinner ready in the time it takes to boil the pasta. Don’t forget lots of Parmesan cheese for the top!
This recipe makes a lot, so plan to give some to a neighbor or freeze for later.
Harvest Pasta Sauce (Trader Joe’s copycat recipe)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 whole carrots, chopped
28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
15-ounce can cooked pumpkin
2 to 3 cups diced butternut squash (I used frozen)
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
cooked pasta for serving
Parmesan cheese, for serving
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent. Next, add the carrots and garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, pumpkin, squash, chicken broth, sugar, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and cayenne. Stir to combine.* Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 50-60 minutes until the squash is tender, stirring from time to time to make sure the sauce doesn’t stick. Add additional chicken broth as the sauce reduces.
Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Stir in the cream. Serve over hot, cooked pasta and garnish with plenty of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
*TIP: At this point, you could transfer the whole thing to a slow cooker and let it go all day.
