I love, love, love this sauce. It is so easy to make. I only buy sauce in a pinch. This sauce is more than just a spaghetti sauce. Sure, we use it as a pizza sauce. But we also use it to top meatballs for Meatball Sub night (check out David's Meatball recipe). We use it to poach fish, like tilapia, to eat over a bed of rice. And of course, we use it for Spaghetti Pie!
The original recipe came from one of my favorite online / on screen home cooks, The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. I tweaked Ree's recipe to lower the calories and reordered the use of ingredients. So ditch the premade jarred sauce.
This recipe makes enough sauce to fill 4 to 5 quart size mason jars. If you're like me, sometimes too busy or too lazy to can the sauce properly, you must wash each jar and lid thoroughly then dry them with a clean towel. Then wipe the lids and the mouth of each jar with vinegar. This isn't just a shortcut, it ensures there is no bacteria to shorten the life of the sauce. The jars MUST be refrigerated and will keep for up to 3 weeks. They make great gifts.
Another option is to ladle some sauce into quarts size bags. Carefully remove all the air from the bag and lay flat in the freezer. Be sure to mark the bag with contents and the date it was made. These will keep for up to 6 months. When ready to use, just cut the bag open, drop the frozen sauce in a sauce pan and heat slowly for an easy, quick meal.
Recently my sister, Lisa, and I got together and made a double batch. It was the first time in a long time we've cooked together!
Yields: 4-5 Quarts
Equipment:
Large Sauce Pan or Stock Pot, with Lid
Knife and chopping board
Ingredients:
3 tbs Olive Oil
2 Whole, Large Onions (white or yellow), finely diced
2 Green Bell Peppers, finely diced
6 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 -4 oz can Tomato Paste
1 cup Chicken Broth
1 tsp Ground Oregano
1 tsp Ground Thyme
3 - 28oz cans Crushed Tomatoes
4 Bay Leaves
1 tbs Sugar
2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
1/4 Finely Minced Fresh Parsley
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (optional)
Step 1: In large sauce pot, drizzle oil over medium heat.
Step 2: When oil is shimmering, add onions and bell peppers. Stirring often, sauté until onions are translucent and peppers soft.
Step 3: Add garlic and tomato paste. Stirring often, sauté until tomato paste becomes darker in color, about 3-4 minutes.
Step 4: Slowly stir in chicken broth. (Careful not to be a chicken broth steam facial!) Bring to a soft boil.
Step 5: Add oregano and thyme. On medium low heat, simmer until broth has reduced, 3-4 minutes.
Step 6: Carefully add the Crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, sugar, salt, crushed red pepper, parsley, and parm cheese. Bring to a soft boil.
Step 7: Cover, set heat to low, and simmer for 1-1.5 hours. Be sure to stir, scraping the corners and bottom of the sauce pot.
If you are going to can the sauce, you do not need to wait until the sauce cools to begin the jarring process. If ladling into bags for freezing, wait until sauce has cooled completely.
Check out Ree's recipe here:
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