Aibu to be upset that dc and dh don't appreciate my cooking ?

[Shiraznowplease]

I don't know if I am being really unreasonable but I normally spend hours cooking for my family (mainly to hid loads of vegetables). I couldn't be bothered today so bought a jar of Lloyd grossman sauce to make slag bol and all three loved it and have just scoffed it whereas the one I normally make with grated carrots, peppers, courgette, onions, tomatoes and fresh herbs often goes untouched ? Just feel like why do I bother ?

The enjoyment of my family's meal is always inversely proportional to the effort I've put in - OP I feel your pain!

a soffritto is the base of most italian sauces and it's finely chopped onion, celery, carrot, garlic and herbs

Indeed. But not grated, and not (usually very wet) courgette.

My new discovery for spag bol is a dab of anchovy paste. Lots of Umami, some salt, lovely.

Milk's good, too.

But grated vegetables? Why?

I think your trying to squeeze too much veg in, I'd ditch the carrots and courgette, try adding pasatta as it makes it richer and stir in tom puree near the end to sweeten and thicken. For the kids I blend theirs down

roasting red peppers is nice too!

are nice

You need a better recipe!

Put enough salt (and sugar!) in it and they'll eat it!

What is your recipe?
Do you let it sit for a couple of hours?
Do you use dried herbs in it?
Enough onion & garlic?
Bacon?
Mushrooms?

Is 'finely chopped' that far away from grated? Never tried it. But of defo no to courgette. I was just talking about carrot. I also add milk to mine. Bacon too.

Yup, pull back a bit on adding so much veg, its not making it healthier if its resulting in no-one eating it!

I batch cook tomato sauce that I freeze in portions.

It contains tinned tomatoes (or fresh if I have a glut), onions, garlic, tomato puree, herbs, a little sugar, and seasoning.

I wouldn't be adding courgette (too watery) or peppers (DP and DD hate them) but sometimes use a finely chopped (not grated) carrot if I need to use any up.

This sauce can be left chunky, or I blitz it to make some smooth that I can use as pizza topping.

I think there are too many people who do the hidden veg thing, who forget that the tomatoes in the sauce also count as veg.

But I never did the hidden veg. I just made sure I cooked the veg normally and the DCs learned what it tasted like and to eat them.

Onions are vegetables too. I put quite a bit in mine, I chop them very small and they're not really noticeable.
I've never tried it myself, but some people put some red lentils in to save on meat and apparently they're not noticeable, so that might be an idea for more veg (yes lentils are considered one of your 5 a day).

red lentils are yummy in slag bol - and reduce meat.

Lloyd Grossman's sauces for slag bol (love it) are tastier; I always made my own then bought a jar of the above on holiday and much preferred it myself. Grrr!

Grated veg in any significant quantities make the sauce sludgey and grainy. Not nice.

Agree with the others - make your own nice tomato sauce - onion, garlic, tomatoes, basil, maybe some chilli. Then give them the veg another way - carrots chopped up with a dip? Add some olives, avocado, spinach salad?

If you give them proper nice food they will learn to love it eventually. I heard you need to introduce new tastes something like 15-20 times, so don't give up.

yeauch- lentils in slag bol. Makes for a very wooly texture. I would rather have plain tomato sauce than a bol made with lentils.

Not if you don't overcook them with the rest of the sauce four it does change the texture though - more rustic somehow but lovely flavour.

mix the veg in with the lloyd grossman? best of both

If you used the Loyd Grossman Smoky Bacon sauce then I'm not surprised. That stuff is like crack. It's lucky I can't get it here, our food budget would be in big trouble. I seriously must have eaten pasta with that sauce and some mushrooms as every second meal at uni for a couple of years.