Easy, Quick Tomato Sauce

I know this is not going to sound like much, but seriously, it revolutionized my pasta-making. When I lived in Paris during college, I lived with two Italians, one of whom was a fabulous, natural cook. She could whip up a ricotta birthday cake from scratch without a recipe (and did so for my 21st - how lucky can a girl get?) and could turn almost anything into a simple, yet delicious pasta sauce. I remember distinctly how she made pasta with broccoli that seemed like it would be the most boring, bland thing, but it was stunning - clean, but rich flavors. I wish I knew how she did that!

I did have the opportunity, however, to learn how she made her go-to tomato sauce. I always enjoyed my grandmother's spaghetti and meatballs, but the pasta sauce there (made with tomato paste, etc.) seemed to take forever to make and the process really was a labor of love, as far as I could tell. What was so great about this sauce is that it goes together in about 5 minutes and you can let it simmer on the stove for a bit to develop the flavors, but it can really be ready whenever you want. AND, you can change it every time and add whatever you're in the mood for or will best compliment whatever you're serving it on. So, here are the basics:

1. Start with some onion, garlic, or both (I'm sure you could use shallots, too, if you were so inclined). Chop the onion and/or slice the garlic.
2. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add the onion/garlic. If you're using garlic, you want to wait for it to brown, infusing the olive oil with it's flavor, and then you can take it out. (If you want more garlic flavor, you can mince the garlic and add it in, but be careful - it burns really quickly when minced!). The onions should be cooked for 5 minutes or so, until soft and somewhat translucent.
3. Then, you can add canned tomatoes. I always start with one 14-oz can, determine I don't quite have enough (especially if you use a whole small onion or half of a large one), and add another can. You could also do this with chopped fresh tomatoes, though you might want to cook it a bit longer.
4. Add some dried herbs and/or spices - basil, oregano, and thyme are all good options - or try an Italian Herb blend, maybe. This is where you can really get creative and play with flavors - do let me know if you come up with any all-star combos!
5. Add some salt and pepper (I often swap out the black pepper for red pepper flakes) and a pinch of sugar (maybe 1/4 tsp for each can of tomatoes you used?) - that's the real secret - it brings out some of the tomatoes' natural sweetness and cuts some of the acidity.
6. Then, just let it simmer for awhile to meld the flavors and you're good to go!

Here are a few pics of the large batch I made last night:

I usually use just diced tomatoes, but these were all the tomatoes I had in the house. The crushed tomatoes in tomato puree made it a little smoother, actually. Not a bad option.

I was inspired by my own post and added carrots to my sauce this time. Just one more veggie - can't hurt!

I simmered this for about 30 minutes - you can adjust that based on how liquid you like your sauce. :)

The great thing is that this basic recipe is so versatile. There are lots of possibilities for variations!

• Smooth - The recipe above makes a rather chunky sauce, with larger pieces of tomatoes and onions. If you prefer a nice, uniform sauce, throw it in a blender or food processor and go to town until you achieve the consistency you're looking for.
• With veggies - I've added diced carrots to this recipe (added in step 2 with the onions - no garlic) and frozen green peas (added at the end to let them warm through). You could also try diced bell pepper, celery, or even something like spinach (I'd add that one at the end, too) for a "Florentine" twist.
• Meaty - This one is straight from the horse's mouth - my wonderful Italian friend, in sharing her Eggplant Parmesan recipe, instructed that I make the basic sauce, with onions, and add pork sausage (I usually pick "Italian style") with the onions at the beginning - she also recommends adding carrots and peas to that one. I'm sure you could try with any ground meat you like. With the sausage, it adds a lot of flavor into the sauce, so if you're going to use something like ground beef or turkey, just be sure to compensate with more spices or herbs. I've actually also used tuna in this sauce, too - adds a bit of a twist. Maybe tuna with olives? Yum!

I'm sure there are more, too. :) And you can simply put it over pasta, or you can use it in a more complex dish, such as this, which I used this sauce for last night. Talk about eating your veggies!