Basic Tomato Sauce

Jessica Braider

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 40

Total Time 45

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Servings 7 -8 cups

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion chopped into ¼ inch dice
2 garlic cloves peeled and thinly sliced (the original recipe suggests 4 cloves, which is a bit much for me, but if you love garlic go for it!)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1 tablespoon dried
1 medium to large carrot shredded
½ green pepper shredded
2 28 ounce cans peeled whole tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices reserved
Salt to taste

In a 3 quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme, carrot, and pepper, and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is quite soft. Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until as thick as hot cereal, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and serve. This sauce holds 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.

This is a single-batch, which usually feeds my family of four for two meals.