Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

Helga Glaesel de BlandingMay 28, 2014

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I’ve missed posting like I regularly did, this year has been full of changes and adjustments for me and I just can’t seem to get a handle on my schedule… but I’m still here!

Now more than ever, I am leaning towards fast and easy recipes. I always try to keep homemade tomato sauce in my fridge, I use it for all sorts of things and is sometimes a lifesaver when I need to get a quick meal ready for my daughter. I use it to make a quick pasta dish, or pita bread pizzas for her. For breakfast I use it on eggs and sometimes I use it on my cooking when the recipe calls for tomato sauce. Of course, using store-bought tomato sauce is convenient, but we have gotten so used to the natural flavors of the homemade kind that we don’t like the flavor of the commercial brands anymore. You might have to invest a little time in making it, although it’s actually quite easy, but you can double this recipe to freeze half of it for later use. And also, don’t you think that every home cook should know how to make a good tomato sauce?

Helga

Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

A Foodies’ Kitchen Original Recipe
Yields: about 4 cups

Ingredients:
5 pounds of fresh tomatoes, cut in half
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon sea salt

Procedure:

Pour the olive oil into a large grilling pan over medium heat. Add diced onions, garlic and halved tomatoes. Work in batches.
Saute for 6-8 minutes or until onions are translucent and tender and tomatoes are browned. Add basil leaves, and cook just until wilted.
Use a food processor or blender and pure the tomato mixture.
Pass the processed or blended mixture through a sieve, into a pot and add your basil, oregano, salt and bay leaf.
Let it simmer for 20 minutes.
Adjust seasoning, and add a little sugar (I do mean a little, you don’t want your sauce to taste like ketchup, so add the sugar by pinches) to cut down on the acidity if it is necessary. If you don’t want to use sugar you can try a little agave syrup.
Keep it refrigerated in an airtight container.