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Mom’s Homemade Tomato Sauce

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Time
Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 30 min Total Time: 40 mins
Servings 4
ANDREA'S VERSION
  • 3 cans whole peeled tomatoes in tomato juice
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste (big, heaping tablespoons)
  • 1 onion (roughly chopped)
  • 4 garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
  • 2 carrots (roughly chopped)
  • 1 zucchini (roughly chopped)
  • other veggies as desired (eggplant, mushrooms, etc.)
  • 1/4 cup parmesean cheese
  • olive oil
  • Italian herb Seasoning (Mixed, Rosemary, Thyme, etc.)
  • fresh basil (optional)
  • 1/4 cup water
Description

Growing up in the 80s, spaghetti was one of Mom's go-to meals for me: Spaghetti noodles with a jar of microwaved sauce on top.  By the time you guys were born, she was learning to cook in France. 

Her spaghetti meal evolved into a recipe which included fresh ingredients...kicking the flavors up a notch. Soon, she was adding homemade garlic bread to the dish. 

While mom's original recipe still used the store-bought sauce as a base, I've taken her meal one step further and ditched the pre-made sauce (with all its unpronounceable, sugary ingredients) in favor of natural stewed tomatoes. 

My version is chunkier, vegetarian, and takes a bit longer to make than Moms.  That said, here's her original recipe, as best as I can recall:

Mom's Original Recipe:
  • 1 Jar spaghetti sauce (Prego, Ragu, Barilla, etc.)
  • 1/2 onion (minced)
  • 1 garlic clove (minced)
  • 1 carrot (minced)
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • Kraft brand parmesan cheese

In a pan with olive oil, add onion, garlic & carrot and cook until softened. Add ground beef.  Season with salt/pepper and Italian spice mix.  Cook until brown.  Add jar of tomato sauce.  Cook for about 10 mins.  Serve over spaghetti noodles.  Top with Kraft brand parmesan cheese. 

Instructions
    Demonstration
  1. Instructions

  2. PRO-TIP:

    Lazy?  Make it in a crock pot!  Just throw all the ingredients in and let it cook on low for around 6 hours. 

    The longer this sauce cooks, the better it tastes.  Cook it and store it in the fridge overnight to serve it the next day for optimum flavor goodness. 

     

  3. Chop veggies roughly and add to a heated pan with olive oil in the following order, cooking about 1-2 minutes each before adding the next. 

    1. Onions 
    2. Garlic 
    3. Carrots 
    4. Zucchini
    5. Salt & Pepper  + Italian seasoning

    Cover and let simmer about 5 minutes, until veggies have softened.  

    Salt & Pepper again.

  4. Add to the veggie mixture:

    • 3 cans of tomatoes and juice
    • 2 big, heaping spoons full of tomato paste
    • 1/4 c Water (into a tomato can to get some of that leftover sauce in there)
    • Salt/Pepper + Italian Seasoning

    Cover, let simmer on low heat for at least 30 mins.  1 hour would be better.  2 hours probably means you're actually a real-life Italian. 

    Stir occasionally (every 15 mins or so)

  5. Mix in parmesan cheese.

    Cover and simmer for another 5-10 mins. 

    Serve over anything and Enjoy! 

    Or cool and store overnight for optimal flavor creation.

Read it online: https://www.notrecuisine.co/recipe/moms-homemade-tomato-sauce/