homemade tomato sauce (winter version)

Hi. My name is Laura and I like pasta.

      When I was little I was a picky eater (which I mentioned here), and the one thing that I would always eat was buttered noodles. Why? Because pasta is delicious, fools. Duh. Luckily I've broadened my horizons since my plain jane days, and love just about any noodle dish. How I'm not morbidly obese is beyond me, but I'm cool with it. Today's recipe is for a great go-to red sauce to make for any night of the week. So why make your own pasta sauce? Making your own is not only cheaper, but also often healthier, and much better tasting. This recipe couldn't be easier- so there's no "it soooo much work" excuse to be had! Now, I will say that during farmer's market season I absolutely make this with fresh basil & tomatoes, but during winter, that ain't happenin'.  

What you'll need:

- One 28 oz can of tomato puree (ingredients should just be tomatoes- get one with no other random preservatives!)

- One 12 oz can of diced tomatoes (again, the more organic you can get, the better it'll taste)

- One medium onion, diced

- 4 cloves of garlic, minced

- 1/4 cup red wine

- 1 Tbsp olive oil

- 1 tsp oregano

- 1 tsp basil

- 1/2 tsp black pepper

- 1tsp  red pepper flakes

- pinch of salt.

Step 1: Dice up those onions and mince your garlic. Try not to cry. 

 

Step 2: In a large saucepan, bring your oil up to heat (medium) and begin to cook your onions for 1-2 minutes. Add your garlic and cook for another minute, or until fragrant.

Your onions should be a little soft, but not total mush.

Step 3: Add your red wine and enjoy the sizzle. Give it all a good stir.

Step 4: Add your tomato puree, diced tomatoes, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, black pepper and salt. Give it all a good stir to assure well mixed. Replace the cover on your sauce pan and allow to cook on low heat for 30-45 minutes. Half way through give the sauce a stir.

Cook up some pasta, sprinkle with parmesean cheese, and you're good to go!

This sauce is great because anyone will like it. It's flavorful, with a little spice and a good garlicky flavor- without being overwhelming. Now, If you like spicy like I do, by all means add more red pepper flakes or other spicy pepper. The Beard isn't such a fan of heat so I toned it down for this one. Once it's farmer's market season I'll be sure to do a follow up sauce using fresh tomatoes and basil, I promise!

Have another recipe for a great tomato sauce? Do share!