As you can probably tell my husband and I are lovers of meatballs and pasta and all things that go well with a sauce. We decided one night (a long time ago) to try our hand at making our own sauce and it was such a success that we do it all the time now. It is so easy! Now we make it in advance and freeze it. Hope you like this recipe as much as we do! Recipes for the roasted zucchini and eggplant will come later this week.
Ingredients:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (“EVOO”), 2 tablespoons
Onion, 1/2 large, chopped
Garlic, 2 cloves, smashed and chopped
Cherry Tomatoes, 1 cup, whole
Bell Pepper, 1/2 orange or red, chopped
Crushed Tomatoes, 1/2 large can
Diced Tomatoes, 1 can
Garlic Powder, 1 teaspoon
Sea Salt, 1 teaspoon
Fresh Ground Pepper, 1 teaspoon
Italian Seasoning, 1 tablespoon
Tomato Paste, 1 tablespoon
Red Wine, 1/2 cup, we used some cheap merlot that we had open (the wine adds a nice depth of flavor to the sauce)
Directions:
1. Drizzle EVOO into your skillet until hot and glistening.
2. Saute onions and garlic together until the onions are see through.
3. Add the tomato paste and stir. Then add the diced tomatoes, bell pepper and cherry tomatoes. Let them simmer away for 2-3 minutes.
4. Next add the crushed tomatoes.
5. At this time add your seasonings and herbs.
6. Allow the sauce to simmer on low for 15 minutes.
7. Add the red wine.
8. Allow the sauce to simmer on low for another 30-40 minutes.
9. Take the sauce off the heat and allow to cool a bit.
10. Pour the sauce into a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend it up.
11. Once the sauce is blended you can use it immediately or freeze it.
