Easy Tomato sauce recipe...

Tomato sauce is the foundation for so many dishes such as pizza, pasta, chicken, and yes, even  fish. This recipe is for a basic tomato sauce that starts with simple ingredients such as onions, carrots, and celery cooked in a little olive oil. Then add garlic, tomatoes and seasonings.

With the end of summer and tomatoes in abundance at farmers markets its a great time to can or freeze batches of this basic sauce. Or you can even make when you catch a great sale on canned tomatoes at your local store! Its a great foundation on which you can add all the extras that your family enjoys, such as browned ground beef, sausage, and even mushrooms.

Its great to have on hand for those evenings when your to tired to cook, of just in the mood for something saucy, and comforting.

Hope you enjoy!
Sharon 

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1 small carrot or 1/2 large carrot, finely chopped

1 small stalk of celery, including the green tops, finely chopped

2 T chopped fresh parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried basil or 2 T chopped fresh basil

1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, (I like to use petite diced tomatoes) including the juice, or 1 3/4 pound of fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 teaspoon tomato paste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

 Heat olive oil in a large wide skillet on medium heat. Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery and parsley. Stir to coat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are softened and cooked through.

 Remove cover and add the minced garlic. Increase the heat to medium high. Cook for garlic for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, including the juice and shredding them with your fingers if you are using canned whole tomatoes. Add the tomato paste and the basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a low simmer, reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered until thickened, about 15 minutes. If you want you can push the sauce through a food mill, or blend it with an immersion blender, to give it a smooth consistency. (I prefer to omit this step as I like my sauce chunky)

 

Yield: Makes 2 1/2 cups of sauce.