Do you make your own sauce?

I spent Saturday morning teaching my son's girlfriend how to make a quick tomato sauce, which she was amazed to see how easy it was. Then I went to a quilters weekend and brought Penne a la vodka for the gals to eat. Thats when I realized that most of them never even made a pot of sauce. Dont be afraid of sauce, its so quick and easy to make and you control the amount of oil, sugars and spices in your sauce. Plus who doesn't love the smell of good food cooking on the stove? I know "something smells good" is one of my favorite things to hear. Hope you enjoy it, let me know how yours differs and how it comes out when you make it.

Enjoy!

Quick Sauce (makes the same amount of sauce as 3 - 4 jars of sauce)

·         3 large cloves garlic minced (about 1T)

·         ¼ cup chopped onions

·         ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

·         2T fresh basil chopped

·         2T fresh parsley chopped

·         OR use 2T dried Italian seasoning for the parsley, basil and oregano

·         3T Olive oil

·         1t kosher salt

·         Pepper to taste

·         2 large cans tomato sauce

·         1 can tomato puree or crushed tomatoes

·         2t sugar

·         1 small can tomato paste

·         ½ cup grated parmesan cheese

1.      Heat the pot over med-high heat.

2.      Add the olive oil and heat a few seconds.

3.      Add the garlic and onions and cook for 3 – 4 minutes, stirring. Do not let the garlic brown (adjust heat if necessary)

4.      Add the fresh (or dried) herbs, salt and pepper and cook for another minute.

5.      Add the sauce and tomato puree (or crushed tomatoes). Stir well.

6.      Bring to a slow boil, reduce to a simmer and cover.

7.      Simmer for 1 hour.

8.      Add the sugar and taste. Adjust the seasoning (add salt, pepper, dried herbs etc to your liking)

9.      This makes a thin marinara sauce. If you want a thinker sauce add tomato paste 1T at a time till you reach your desired consistency.

10.  Stir the parmesan cheese right before serving.