This nightshade free pasta sauce went down so fast in my Instagram stories today, I posted it HERE before I even got it up on the blog! Haha Sorry for the delay, but here it is for reference and I also wanted to include some info about nightshades for those that may have an allergy or sensitivity and may not even know it! I personally don’t have to stay away from nightshades, however from time to time I do get digestive upsets if I overdo it on dome of them below, and I always like to create recipes for my followers that MUST stay away from them.
What are nightshades?
Nightshades are vegetables that belong to the Solanaceae plant family.
Most common nightshades are:
• Ashwagandha
• Bell Peppers
• Cayenne
• Chili Peppers
• Curry
• Eggplants
• Goji Berries
• Paprika
• Potatoes (except sweet potatoes and yams)
• Tomatillos
• Tomatoes
Certain compounds in nightshades contain a self-defense system inside the plant, protecting it from predators and pathogens. Unfortunately these substances can have a similar effect on humans that may lack the proper digestive enzymes to break down these compounds and/or immune system is weakened to fight these certain substances, resulting in prolonged inflammation and unwanted symptoms.
Glycoalkaloids, for example, have been shown to contribute to leaky gut and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In VERY high amounts, they can be highly toxic to both humans and animals.
4 Nutrients To Help Heal Leaky Gut
This study states that it typically takes over 24 hours for the body to eliminate the glycoalkaloids in nightshades. So eating them frequently can result in a buildup of the toxic compounds in the body, causing some negative effects to accumulate over time.
I mention this not to scare you, but to inform you that nightshades MAY be the cause or contributing to your current health condition(s) and to perhaps eliminate them for a while and see if things improve! Can’t hurt to try!
Some nightshade sensitivity symptoms include:
• Bloating
• Gas
• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Joint pain or swelling
NOTE: a nightshade allergy is much more severe than the above symptoms of just a sensitivity – Seek medical attention if you experience difficulty breathing, a swollen throat, dizziness, or lightheadedness after eating nightshades. These symptoms can be a severe allergy.
Ok, so now for probably what you came to post for….the recipe for this BOMB nightshade free pasta sauce! (it’s also great for pizza!)
Sauce Ingredients:
1 cup of pumpkin puree
3 whole Love Beets Organic Baby Beets
1/2 cup of bone broth or veggie stock
Generous amount of Italian seasoning of choice to taste
Method:
1. Blend all pumpkin, beets and broth until creamy, then add desired amount of seasoning to taste. I used my Blendtec Twister Jar (25% off: lilsipper)
2. Add sauce to pasta or pizza and get creative with the toppings and mix-ins! Here I soaked lentil pasta in water for about 45 minutes (no cooking required!) then mixed it with ground protein of choice, chopped basil, Evo Hemp seeds (20% off: lilsipper), and added some coconut flour just for fun to mimic parmesan cheese!
Bethany…you never cease to shock me with your amazeballs recipes, your awesome attitude and your overall kindhearted smarts.
Thank you for continuing to share the love, sweet sister!!
Bethany! Thank you so much! I am going to make this tomorrow night. Cannot wait to try and share with friends! Have a great week!
Thank you for what looks like a delicious recipe. I have whole organic beets that I plan to roast. How much beet purée would be the equivalent of what you have listed above? Thank you in advance. Also, I do not have a website but got this recipe via an email from your subscription. It came from “lilsipper.com”.
Hi Janet,
I didn’t measure prior to blending, but they are just 3 baby beets.
I made this tonight and perhaps it was my cooking utensils or something else, but in order to get this sauce the consistency of marinara, I used about 2 cups of beef broth instead of just half a cup. I used a ton of basil, oregano, garlic and onion powders, thyme, salt and pepper, and then I threw in about a cup or so of ground pork that I’d browned and had in the freezer. I let that cook for 30 minutes or so, covered and served it over noodles tonight. When I asked my husband how he liked it, he said he thought maybe it could use a little more tomato. I chuckled, and told him what was in it. He never guessed. As far as a good substitute for spaghetti sauce if you can’t have night shades, this is surely it. I do think that adding a protein like the pork helped. I used beets that I had roasted tossed with some avocado oil, salt and pepper. I suspect I used about 1/3 – 1/2 cup in volume. If I’d added more than that, it would have been too purple, but as it turned out, the color is quite resemblant of tomato marinara that has had some extra tomato paste added. Thanks for a great recipe! I”m anxious to have my daughter taste it tomorrow night. She doesn’t digest night shades very well, so I’m hoping this will suffice.
aww I hope it will help and she enjoys it!
Success! She DID enjoy it. I added more pork to it and had my son, who is always wary of what I cook lately, taste it. He said it “wasn’t bad”. She had told my husband, when I said I was making an alternative sauce, that she was worried about it and didn’t want to disappoint me but as NOT looking forward to trying it. But once she did, she said it was surprisingly good and that it was fine if I took the rest home to put in smaller containers for her to put in her freezer. I’ll probably do single serve sizes and she might be able to use them to top gluten free pizza crusts as well. Thanks again for the idea! I am enjoying your website and daily emails!