Carrot Ginger Sauce is the pasta addition you didn’t know you were looking for. And more than just pasta, this sauce can be used for loads of your favorite foods. 

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When it comes to my kids, if they’re offered rice or pasta they pretty much could care less what its mixed with. But when I served this Carrot Ginger Sauce tossed with long strands of noodles they were dubious. What was this “orange pasta” sitting on their plates?

That initial skepticism changed almost immediately after their first bites. With sweetness from the carrots, salty flavor from the miso and nuttiness from the tahini, they were so hooked by the incredible taste, I think they’re going to start paying a lot more attention to what’s on their pasta and rice from now on!

As an added bonus, if you’re trying to get more nutrition in your family’s diet, this sauce can do the trick. Carrots have all sorts of good stuff in them, including beta-carotene, fiber, antioxidants, and potassium. Ginger is a great anti-inflammatory that is known the help with systems of a cold or the flu. And garlic is also known the combat sickness and contains tons of antioxidants. 

This sauce is super simple to make. Start by prepping your veggies- peel and mince the garlic cloves and the garlic, and peel and finely chop the carrots. Next, heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium head and add the garlic. Sauté until soft (about 30 seconds) and then add the ginger and carrots. Cook and cover until carrots are soft, around 15 minutes. Transfer the food to a food processor, add the tahini, miso and puree until smooth. Toss with your kid’s favorite pasta and you are done! 

This pasta sauce is so good, you might even want it all to yourself. But sharing is caring, especially when your pasta sauce has this much nourishing goodness!

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Carrot Ginger Sauce

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Author: Catherine McCord
Prep Time 1 minute
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 17 minutes

Ingredients  

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and minced
  • 4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons miso
  • 1 tablespoon tahini
  • 2 tablespoons water

Instructions 

  • Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.
  • Add garlic and sauté until soft, about 30 seconds.
  • Add ginger and carrots.
  • Cover and cook until carrots are soft, about 15 minutes.
  • Transfer to a food processor and add the miso, tahini and water.
  • Puree until smooth.
  • Serve tossed with pasta, soba, udon noodles or rice.
  • * Stays fresh in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 410kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 24g | Sodium: 1490mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 16g
Did you make this recipe?Mention @Weelicious or tag #weelicious!

About the Author

Catherine is a mama of three. A Kentucky girl living in California. Here’s what I know: all kids can be great eaters and mealtime must be easy. I create simple, healthy recipes the whole family will love.

Comments

  1. Is everyone on here a mom or smthn? Because I’m a sixteen year old girl and this was good as hell with udon. Boss ass recipe yo (except the ginger was gross so I left that crap out)

  2. Also, more precise measurements (in weights) for the carrots would be really helpful, especially when I’m doubling the recipe.

  3. I like this a lot. One problem is that my ginger and garlic burn and stick to the pan while the carrots remain crunchy (probably too high of heat I’m using). Today I will try to just boil and then strain these ingredients and see if it tastes just as great.

  4. Any idea how much 4 medium carrots equals? Ballpark in cups or oz. I used a bag of baby carrots and had to add a lot more ingredients to adjust for taste. Had no idea how many carrots to use!

  5. Hmm I haven’t heard of that before. Is it a powder? I would mix it with water per the package directions and then use the measurement of the paste called for in the recipe.

  6. Hi! I have been drooling over this recipe for weeks now and hoping my 2 yr old will like it. The only miso I have been able to find was the Minute Miso in a bottle made by Hikari Miso. Will that work with the same measurements? =/ Thank you in advance!!!

  7. What color miso do you use? I believe there is brown, white and yellow? I could be wrong 🙂

  8. Such interesting flavors in this sauce. Looks great paired with angel hair pasta too. Def on next weeks menu!

  9. I really liked this – easy and nice way to get veggies into kids who still bulk at them in their original form (like my son). He is a super picky eater though and wouldnt’even try it (still going through a fear of new foods) – but my younger daughter loved it! I really had to add alot more water though to get the smooth consistency I wanted…but I liked the soft asian taste this had – perfect for kids.

  10. My whole family, including my 18 month old, my husband, and my sister (who remarked as she watched me prepare it, “Ew, miso paste?”) LOVED it! I found that I had to add a whole lot more water than the recipe called for, though, and a bit of salt, too.

  11. Dd (22 mo) ate 3 servings last night! I didn’t use miso…just added olive oil and more salt. A big hit!

  12. Make sure your heat is medium, not too hot. And you only saute the garlic for 30 seconds before adding everything else!

  13. Any tips for keeping the garlic from getting too brown/burning since it’s the first thing in the pan?

  14. My husband and two and a half year old loved this , and so did I. I served it with whole wheat spaghetti, broccoli and shelled edamame. My husband liked this a lot better than a peanut/tahini/ ginger sauce I usually make. We thought next time we’ll make it more substantial by serving it with shrimp or baked tofu. For those looking for miso paste, it’s in the refrigerated section, sometimes with the tofu. It’s awesome for soups thrown together at the last minute with whatever veggies you have in the fridge and those last strands of spaghetti in your box.

  15. Trader Joe’s carries miso! Miso is such a unique flavor there isn’t really a good substitute.

    Tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds. If the “hummus tahini” is just that then it is fine. If it lists garbanzo beans or any other flavorings on the label then it is not the same thing. Sometimes it is labeled “tehina” in the Kosher section of the grocery.

  16. I haven’t been able to find miso in the two supermarkets I shop in. Is there anything I could substitute for the miso? Also, is hummus tahini the same thing as tahini?

    BTW, both my grandson who’s 14 months old and my daughter are addicted to the zucchini-broccoli pancakes!

  17. We tried this today (without the miso and we replaced garlic with shallots): it’s really easy and the results was just perfect!

  18. Oh those carrots in the background of the photo are just for a pretty decoration! I do roughly chop the carrots before cooking. No need to use the food processor since its just a quick rough chop with the Chef’s Knife! 🙂

  19. Hi Catherine,

    In the picture, the carrot doesn’t look chopped. Do you put it in the food processor?
    Thanks!

  20. I’m a fan of these recipes where it’s easy and tasty eats! I’ll have to give this a try. 🙂

  21. My son is not allergic to tomatoes, but they are just too acidic for him so we don’t eat tomato sauce. I use pesto a lot and garlic cream, but this will be another great alternative. Thanks!

  22. Diana, we always buy Organic Miso Master brand. If you want a softer miso flavor, you can get barley, chickpea or mellow white miso – the red kinds are a bit more deeply flavored.
    I’m making this sauce right now and am adding additional carrots to cut the intensity. I plan to serve it over tofu and quinoa for lunch tomorrow! Tofu is my 17 month olds favorite food but sometimes I want to add something extra…. hope this works!

  23. I love the carrot-ginger salad dressings served at Japanese restaurants – this reminds me of those (not sure if the ingredients are the same) !

    Can anyone recommend a good brand of miso and where to buy it? Also which color? I got one at Ranch99 that was so salty and icky I have avoided miso ever since. But I love restaurant items made with miso so I must’ve bought the wrong stuff.

  24. Laura, I think you are on to something. I followed the recipe and it was good, but something was not quite right. My daughter ate about half of what she normally eats, so she did not devour it. I was thinking that perhaps some peanut butter would make it a bit sweeter. I love the idea of crushed peanuts on top. So I might go half and half with tahini and peanut butter next time.

    I was also wondering about the Miso. There were four different flavors to choose from at my coop. I don’t cook with Miso often, so perhaps the Miso I chose changed the flavor a bit.

    Either way, I am adding the recipe to my arsenal and will tweak it here and there. I love alternative sauces for rice and pasta.

  25. Made this for the kiddos today, ALL THREE LOVED IT!!! Its not easy to please two 2 yr olds and a 4 year old with the same meal…Happened to be out of tahini and miso, so I used natural peanut butter, sesame oil, and a tiny bit of soy sauce. I added chopped peanuts to the top too for an extra kick of protein. Thank you!

  26. Any kind of nut butter would work! The flavor will be slightly different depending on which nut butter you use, but it will still be yummy!

  27. Awww…I really wanted to try this but its got two of my kiddo’s top allergens (soy and sesame)….any substitutions for those ingredients?

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