To me growing up Italian means Love, Friendships and Food. Tomato sauce was always a staple in our home and it would be used in a lot of dishes especially PASTA … lots of it!
I remember as a little girl both of my grandmothers would be up in the early mornings preparing tomato sauce so that it could simmer for most of the day for that evening’s pasta dinner, and was it ever good!
Tomato sauce is something that has been taught to me and when my weekends are free I wake up early to prepare that tomato sauce and when I do I think of my grandmothers.
But, with life being busy with all the wonderful things it puts in front of me, I don’t always have that time and quick healthy easy meals are a blessing.
And let’s face it tomato sauce does not have to be fussy, complicated or need to cook for hours to be good.
This tomato sauce I make at home when we are in the mood for pasta is so simple and easy to make and the ingredients are all fresh with no preservatives.
You can incorporate any kind of pasta you want penne pasta, rigatoni pasta, spaghetti pasta, gluten-free or non-gluten free pasta.
I like to use gluten-free personally as it aids me in my weight loss and the one brand that I love is the Le Veneziane brand that you can buy here in Canada.
Ingredients
4 tbsp of olive oil
1 chopped medium to large onion
2 – 3 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 tsp of dried basil
1/2 tsp of dried thyme
1/2 tsp of dried parsley
1 tbsp of Parmigiano cheese
1 lb of cherry tomatoes or 3 – 4 ripe medium-sized tomatoes dice (any tomato will do)
1/2 cup of water
Salt and pepper to taste.
Tip: If you are using fresh herbs.
1 tbsp of fresh basil chopped
1/2 tsp of thyme leaves or 2-3 sprigs of thyme
1 tbsp of parsley chopped
Fresh Tomato Sauce Preparation.
In a hot saucepan add olive oil and heat for about 2 minutes.
Add the chopped onions and saute until translucent for about 2 – 3 minutes on medium heat
Add the minced garlic saute for about 1 minute
Add the basil
Add the thyme
Add the parsley
Saute for about 1 – 2 minutes
Add your diced/chopped tomatoes
Add your salt and pepper to taste
Add 1/2 cup of water on low for about 30 minutes and simmer until some of the water has evaporated and the sauce has thickened.
If you find the water has evaporated quicker than the 30 minutes are up just add another 1/2 cup of water and continue to simmer.
Preparation of pasta.
Fill a pot of water, and add 1/ 2 tbsp of salt and bring to a boil and half cook your pasta. It should be a little bit undercooked than al dente about 4 – 5 minutes.
We are going to continue to cook the pasta with the fresh tomato sauce, so remove pasta from water and add it to the pan with the fresh tomato sauce.
Don’t drain pasta water as it’s a great addition to the fresh tomato sauce.
Add about a ¼ cup or ladle full of the pasta water to your fresh tomato sauce and pasta. The salty, starchy water not only adds flavour but helps marry the pasta and sauce together; it will also help thicken the fresh tomato sauce.
Simmer for another 3 – 4 minutes until water has evaporated and the pasta is cooked to your desired consistency.
Near the end of the simmering add 1/2 tbsp of Parmigiano cheese and mix.
Plate and add the last 1/2 tbsp of the Parmigiano cheese and enjoy.
I hope these Healthy Tips inspire you and help you get started to a healthy lifestyle that you can enjoy and maintain.