The grocery store shelves are lined with a huge selections of tomato sauces, all of which taste delicious. However, if you make the sauce yourself, you can avoid all the additives and preservatives and you control the ingredients.
I'm making this sauce with tomatoes I froze from our last tomato harvest, but you can use a large can of tomatoes or fresh tomatoes if that's what you have. If using fresh, you might want to score and blanch the tomatoes to remove the skin, but I often skip that step.
Watch Me Make It
The Recipe
(all measurements are approximate, make it your own)
The Ingredients
1-2 TBSP Olive oil or Butter
1/2 cup of finely diced Onion (about 1/2 a large onion)
4 cloves of Garlic, minced
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/8 - 1/4 tsp Red Pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt, more if needed for taste
2-3 cups diced tomatoes, or 1-28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
3-4 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
Directions
In a large saucepan, add oil and onion. Cook until the onion is soft, stirring frequently.
Once the onion is soft, add the garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir to combine and cook until the garlic is fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
Add the tomatoes and simmer over low heat until desired thickness (typically 15-45 minutes). If you over-thicken the sauce, add a little water to thin it out.
Taste the sauce when it reaches the desired consistency. If desired, add more salt or spices.
Add the fresh basil right before serving.
Add More Flavor
The recipe above is a very basic version. But you know what's great about that? You got it! You can add all kinds of things to flavor it up and make it your own. Or maybe you simply want variety so you aren't eating the same sauce over and over.
Add finely diced bell pepper along with the onion.
Don't have fresh basil? Add a TBSP of pesto.
Chopped sundried tomatoes add a lovely flavor!
Add finely chopped carrot and celery to the onion to make a vegetarian Bolognese sauce.
You can also add ground beef or sausage if you prefer meat in your sauce.
Add grated parmesan cheese for a little salty bit.
Before adding tomatoes, deglaze the onions with a splash of red wine to add a little depth of flavor.
Chopped mushrooms or diced eggplant make the sauce hearty.
What To Do With The Sauce
This sauce is delicious over simple pasta.
Use the sauce for lasagna or eggplant parmesan.
Add a little extra oregano and use it as pizza sauce.
Add to grilled veggies for a Grilled Ratatouille (look for my blog on this!!).
Leftovers?
So you have some leftover sauce, what can you do to save it for later? Freeze it. This sauce will easily last 3 months in the freezer, if not longer. (I've had some in my freezer for over 6 months and it was fine).
Please note that this recipe is not approved for canning. If you want to can tomato sauce, follow a recipe designed and tested for home canning.
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