Growing up in an Italian household always meant fresh homemade Italian cuisine. From sauces and pastas to baked eggplant and cookies; I have many fond memories of cooking with my grandmother and watching my mother in the kitchen. I consider myself pretty darn picky when it comes to Italian food because I grew up on the good stuff. The jars, the cans, the chain restaurants… they just don’t cut it for me. I know what good wholesome Italian food looks like and most importantly, what it tastes like.
I’ve always enjoyed cooking, but once I became a wife and mother I started really getting into creating my own recipes and figuring out new ways to cook and be innovative in the kitchen. I enjoy taking bits and pieces of what I like from a recipe and then adding my own fire and flair of my own to create new flavors and recipes that are not only healthy, but delicious.
If you follow me on Instagram, then you may have seen my story with a play by-play of the homemade tomato sauce I whipped up yesterday. I love using this platform for recipes now that we can create stories because you can watch an entire recipe in just a few minutes by clipping each step together. And because I’ve had several friends ask me how to make a tomato sauce, I decided to finally share it.
Keep in mind that I do change-up my sauce all the time, and it what goes in depends on what my plans are for the sauce. So this particular recipe is a thicker heartier sauce because I’ll be using some of the leftovers in a turkey chili this week. So depending on what I want to use it for really depends on what I put in, and what consistency I aim for. This particular recipe is a fantastic one if you have kids that are picky, as you will see it is loaded with fresh veggies. So if your kid(s) at least like pasta with sauce, then you’ll be winning big with this recipe! My daughter devours it, and she also eats it like soup or as a dipping sauce with grilled cheese.
As we start creeping our way closer to fall and the colder months, I definitely start looking forward to warm heartier meals that are packed with nutrients and flavor, and this is one that is sure to please everyone. Besides, who doesn’t love a plate of pasta?! So check it out, and if you have about 4 extra minutes to spare watch the video I included below! I hope you and your family enjoy it just as much as mine does!
- EVOO
- 7-8 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 6-8 tomatoes, cut in large pieces (I use a variety!)
- 2 red bell peppers, chopped
- 1 container of mushrooms, remove the stem and chop the caps
- spinach, 3-4 handfuls
- basil, 6-8 leaves, chopped or left whole
- tomato paste (optional) 1/2 can
- salt (I use Himalayan), to taste
- mixed up pepper, to taste
- garlic powder (optional), to taste
- oregeno, to taste
- Parmesan cheese, grated to taste
- Water, about 1 1/2 - 2 cups
- Start by taking your minced garlic and sauteing it in a large pot with your EVO. You only need a small amount of EVOO, less than 1/4 cup.
- Once the garlic is browned, add onion and saute
- Next add your tomatoes
- Once the tomatoes cook down a bit, add 1 1/2 cups of water
- Add red peppers
- Add mushrooms
- Add spinach
- Add basil
- Depending on how thick you want your sauce, add tomato paste
- You can leave chunky or smooth sauce with an immersion blender
- Add a little grated cheese and let simmer on the stove for as long as you like!
- As in many recipes I've shared here, I really don't do a ton of measuring. I'm a firm believer in cooking with fresh healthy ingredients and going by taste and consistency. This recipe and video should give you a great starting point to make a hearty homemade sauce that is healthy and delicious. The chopping is the brunt of the work here. Once you have everything in and simmering, you can let it cook for as little or as long as you'd like 🙂
Homemade Tomato Sauce
As always thanks for reading and following. Until next time, Buon Appetito!