Carrot and tomato spaghetti made with the Thermomix® is the recipe we use to get 600 g of vegetables into children without any argument. The sauce is not a tomato sauce with a little carrot added. It is made half from blended carrots, which gives it a naturally fruity, sweet flavour.
How we make the sauce in the Thermomix®: Chop 1 onion and 2 garlic cloves for 5 seconds / speed 5, add 600 g carrots for 4 seconds / speed 5, pour in 20 g olive oil and cook for 6 minutes / Varoma / speed 1. Then add 250 g vegetable stock with salt, pepper, oregano and thyme and cook for 14 minutes / 98°C / speed 1 until soft, blend by gradually increasing up to speed 6.5, then add 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes, 3 tbsp tomato puree and 50 g double cream and finish for 5 minutes / 98°C / speed 2.5. Cook 500 g spaghetti al dente in parallel. Done in 40 minutes for 4 servings.
We have cooked this recipe for years as a midweek staple because it is quick and both children eat it without complaint. The trick is the ratio: 600 g carrots to 400 g tomatoes. This takes the edge off the acidity of the tinned tomatoes and the sauce becomes mild and slightly sweet without any added sugar. If you are looking for another child-friendly pasta option, try our Spaghetti Bolognese with the Thermomix®.
Carrot and Tomato Spaghetti with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 15 ✓
- 50 g Parmesan
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 600 g carrots
- 20 g olive oil
- 250 g vegetable stock
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper freshly ground
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 500 g spaghetti
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 3 tbsp tomato puree
- 50 g double cream
- basil leaves to garnish
Instructions 0 / 8
-
1
Grate the Parmesan.
Add the Parmesan to the mixing bowl and grate for 5 seconds / speed 10, then set aside.
-
2
Chop the onion and garlic.
Peel the onion and cut into quarters, then peel the garlic. Add both to the mixing bowl and chop for 5 seconds / speed 5.
-
3
Prepare the carrots.
Peel the carrots, cut into pieces, add to the mixing bowl and chop for 4 seconds / speed 5 using the spatula.
-
4
Sweat.
Add the oil and cook for 6 minutes / Varoma / speed 1.
-
5
Add the seasoning.
Add the stock, salt, pepper, oregano and thyme and cook for 14 minutes / 98°C / speed 1.
-
6
Cook the spaghetti.
Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti al dente in plenty of salted water according to the packet instructions, then keep warm.
-
7
Cook.
Blend the vegetables by gradually increasing the speed up to speed 6.5. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree and double cream and cook for 5 minutes / 98°C / speed 2.5.
-
8
Serve.
Arrange the spaghetti on plates and pour the sauce over the top. Serve garnished with Parmesan and basil leaves.
Tip: In step 2 you can add a small hot chilli. It brings a lovely depth of flavour to the sauce, though it is less suitable for children.
Nutrition per serving
Why 600 g of carrots carry the sauce rather than just season it
Most Thermomix® pasta sauce recipes for children use 50 to 150 g of carrots, just enough to make the sauce a touch sweeter. We take the opposite approach with 600 g to 400 g of tomatoes: here the carrot is the main ingredient and the tomatoes add colour and freshness. The result is a sauce that looks like an ordinary tomato sauce but contains far more vegetables per serving than the usual hidden-veg recipes.
For this to work, the carrots need to soften fully before the tomatoes go in. That is exactly what the Thermomix® does in two stages: 6 minutes / Varoma / speed 1 sweats the grated vegetables in the olive oil, then 14 minutes / 98°C / speed 1 in the vegetable stock cooks the carrots through completely. Only fully cooked carrots blend into a silky sauce. Raw or al dente pieces stay grainy and immediately give the vegetables away.
Blending gradually up to speed 6.5 rather than going straight to full power
The one step that makes or breaks this recipe is the blending. We increase the speed on the Thermomix® gradually up to speed 6.5 rather than jumping straight to speed 10. It sounds like a small detail, but it is the difference between a creamy sauce and one that splatters.
Hot vegetable stock at speed 10 immediately shoots up against the lid and can spray out through the measuring cup gap. Increasing the speed slowly builds the vortex in a controlled way, the hot liquid stays down and the vegetables still blend completely smooth. For the children’s version, speed 6.5 for about 30 seconds is ideal: fine enough that no carrot pieces remain visible, but not so long that the sauce turns foamy.
The three pitfalls that catch most people out
The sauce tastes watery and thin
If the sauce is too liquid after cooking, it is almost always down to the stock. 250 g of vegetable stock is calculated tightly against 600 g of carrots so that you end up with a thick sauce at the end. Our fix: Do not add more stock. If it still seems too thin, simply leave the measuring cup off at the end and reduce for 3 to 4 minutes / Varoma / speed 1 with the lid open so the excess liquid evaporates.
The children still taste the vegetables
This happens when the carrots have not been blended finely enough or were not cooked for long enough. Bits in the mouth are the most common reason children reject the sauce. Our fix: Cook for the full 14 minutes first, then really blend up to speed 6.5 and if in doubt run it for 10 seconds longer. If you want to be completely sure, taste a spoonful after blending and blend briefly again if needed.
The spaghetti is ready but the sauce is not
Because the sauce is made in the mixing bowl, the spaghetti cannot cook in the Thermomix® at the same time. Our fix: Put the spaghetti on to cook when the sauce reaches the 14-minute cooking stage. That way 500 g of spaghetti (usually 9 to 11 minutes) will be al dente exactly when the sauce has finished blending and simmering with the tomatoes. A splash of pasta water stirred into the sauce helps it come together.
Spicier, vegan and creamier variations
For adults who like heat: As described in our recipe notes, add a small dried chilli when chopping the onion. It infuses during cooking and gives a gentle warmth without spoiling the children’s portion. A practical approach is to cook the sauce without chilli and add chilli flakes or a few drops of sambal oelek to the adults’ plates.
Vegan without cream and Parmesan: Replace the 50 g double cream with oat single cream and leave out the Parmesan or swap it for nutritional yeast flakes. The sauce stays creamy and sweet because of the carrots, since the cream here only rounds it off rather than providing the main body.
Even more hidden vegetables: If you want to increase the vegetable content further, add 1 red pepper or 1 small courgette to the mixing bowl along with the carrots. Both disappear completely when blended. If using courgette, reduce the stock by 30 g as it releases a lot of water.
What we serve alongside the carrot and tomato spaghetti
The sauce works with any short or long pasta, not only spaghetti. If you would rather not use shop-bought pasta, you can make your own: our pasta dough with the Thermomix® needs only flour and eggs. For a meatier version, the sauce can be turned directly into the base of our Spaghetti Bolognese with the Thermomix® by adding 300 g of minced meat after blending.
If you want to stick with mixing bowl sauces: our tomato sauce with the Thermomix® is the classic version made with fresh tomatoes and no carrots, for when the children insist on a pure tomato flavour. Freshly grated Parmesan and a few basil leaves lift any plate, and that goes for both sauces.
How long the sauce keeps in the fridge and freezer
We almost always make a double batch because the sauce keeps well. In a sealed jar it lasts 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Important: store only the sauce, always cook the spaghetti fresh, otherwise they absorb moisture and go mushy.
To freeze, pour the cooled sauce into individual portion containers or ice cube trays. It keeps for 3 months and we then have a ready-made children’s meal for busy days. Best defrosted overnight in the fridge, then reheated for 5 minutes / Varoma / speed 1 in the Thermomix® or in a saucepan. If the sauce looks a little watery after defrosting, reduce it briefly with the lid off and it will thicken up again.
Goes well with: Parmesan and Ciabatta.
More quick pasta ideas from the mixing bowl:
- Spaghetti Bolognese with the Thermomix®
- Tomato Sauce with the Thermomix®
- Pasta Dough with the Thermomix®
