The Brightside: Secret Sauce - Stealth Health for Tiny Tastebuds
If vegetables is a word you whisper, this one’s for you.
Meet Secret Sauce — the ultimate parent hack for sneaking veggies into kid-approved meals like pasta, pizza, nuggets and toasties.
I’m sharing the recipe and 10+ easy ways to use it.
Healthy, stealthy, and stress-free.
The Red Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
Use up whatever veg you’ve got — here are some of my faves:
Pumpkin
Zucchini
Carrot Capsicum
Tomato
Cauliflower
Spinach (fresh or frozen — throw it in at the blending stage)
1 red onion
1 whole garlic bulb (leave the skin on and roast it whole)
Dried oregano
Olive oil Salt + pepper 700ml passata or tinned tomatoes
Optional: tin of white cannellini beans or lentils (for extra protein and fibre)
Optional: fresh basil or herbs of choice for flavour
Method
1. Chop veg into large chunks. Leave skin on the garlic bulb and slice off the top.
2. Toss everything in olive oil, salt, pepper and dried oregano. Roast in a hot oven (about 200°C) for 35–40 mins, until soft and golden.
3. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin and add it back into the veg mix. Blend with passata in a high-speed blender, food processor, or in a saucepan with a stick blender.
4. Add beans and basil if using. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze in portions.
10+ Kid-Friendly Ways to Use Red Sauce
1. Pasta Party
Toss through any pasta shape, top with cheese, and boom — instant win.
2. Pizza Base
Spread on mini pita or flatbread, add cheese and toppings, bake until golden.
3. Scrolls or Pinwheels
Layer on puff pastry with cheese, roll up, slice and bake for lunchbox gold.
4. Toasted Cheese Sandwiches
Level up your toaties with a spoon of red sauce inside (or on the side for dipping).
5. Homemade Nuggets or Meatballs
Stir the sauce into your meatball mix (beef, chicken or lentil-based) and bake or pan-fry.
6. Quesadillas
Spread between two tortillas with cheese, toast until melty, slice and serve.
7. Dipping Sauce
Use it as a ketchup alternative for chips, veggie sticks, or savoury muffins.
8. Savoury Muffins
Add a few spoonfuls to your muffin batter for an extra veg-boosted snack.
9. Sloppy Joe Sliders
Mix with cooked mince or lentils, pile onto rolls, and top with melted cheese.
10. Baked Potato Toppers
Dollop on baked potatoes or sweet potatoes with a little grated cheese and their other favourite toppings.
11. Lasagna or Pasta Bake
Layer into lasagna or stir through cooked pasta with extra cheese and bake.
12. Rice Balls or Arancini
Stir into cooked rice, add cheese, form balls, roll in crumbs, bake or airfry.
Bonus Tip: Batch this beauty and freeze in small portions for quick weeknight wins.
It’s a fridge MVP in our house — and no one suspects a thing.
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