Basic Italian Tomato Sauce

     Nothing says home cooking like the aroma of tomato sauce simmering on the stove. I really like to make home made tomato sauce. It only takes a few ingredients and most of the effort is letting it simmer slowly for a while to develop the flavors. Tomato sauce was one of the first recipes I learned to cook. When I began raising a family I started buying ready made sauce in jars, enticed by the quick convenience. Although it was convenient, most ready made sauces have a whopping amount of sodium and other undesired ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and preservatives. Many also include wheat or dairy which some people want to avoid. I recently went back to making my own sauce again. I really like that I can control the ingredients and seasoning to my own tastes. I was also reminded of how simple it is to make and the wonderful aroma it fills my home with. When my husband and I were first dating, his 'go-to-date meal' was pasta sauce and spaghetti. Yes, he made it from scratch! He was also a romantic and set the table with a red checkered table cloth, candles and a good red wine. Sometimes the simplest things in life evoke the fondest memories.

     There are many variations you can do with this sauce to change the flavors. You can add chopped celery, bell pepper, mushrooms or carrots when you sauté the onions. For the water, you can replace it with vegetable broth or part of it with red wine or a heavy Chardonnay. If you want a smooth sauce, use tomato sauce instead of crushed or diced tomatoes and a 6 oz. can of tomato paste. Read the labels and try to get a low sodium tomato product with no added ingredients. This sauce is mildly seasoned. Add more garlic or herbs if desired. 

This sauce works well served over pasta or used in lasagne. 

Try this with Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

Basic Italian Tomato Sauce

Makes 5 cups
Printable recipe

Ingredients: 

2 T. virgin olive oil (use olive oil that is for cooking)

1 cup dice onion

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

3 T. tomato paste

1 ½ c. water 

1- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes with puree or petite diced tomatoes

2 T. dried Italian herbs

1 T. sugar

Pinch of dried red pepper flakes

½ t. salt

¼ t. black pepper

Handful of fresh basil leaves 

additional drizzle of olive oil

Directions:

In a 5 qt. pot, sauté onion in oil on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. If onions start browning to quick, turn the heat down to medium-low. When onions begin to get soft and translucent, add the garlic.

Stir and cook about 1-2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and water. Stir until the tomato paste is combined with the water. Add the crushed tomatoes, dried herbs, sugar, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper.

Cover with a lid but leave the lid partially tipped. Slowly simmer 1 – 3 hours, stirring occasionally. If it starts to get to thick add more water. At the end of the cooking time stir in a handful of torn basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil (about 1 T.)

Note: You can also cook this sauce in a slow cooker. In a small skillet sauté the onions. If you are adding celery, carrot or bell pepper sauté these with the onion. It helps to have all the vegetables cut the same size. Once the vegetables are tender, add the garlic. Add the cooked vegetables to the slow cooker along with the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. Cover with lid and cook on low setting for 6-8 hours.