A Little More Than Five Minute Tomato Sauce

I'm going on vacation for a couple weeks; leaving Wednesday. I've been trying to use up all my fresh produce so I don't have to throw it out before I go. I had four tomatoes that weren't quite fresh enough to eat raw but weren't quite rotten enough to throw out. I figured I would make a batch of tomato sauce and freeze it for use when I returned home. I spent quite a bit of time searching online to find a quick and easy tomato sauce recipe that called for the basic ingredients I had on hand, namely tomatoes.

I found this one at 101 Cookbooks. It's called Five Minute Tomato Sauce and only uses canned tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and seasonings. I adapted the recipe slightly since I used fresh tomatoes and added some onion. I also added a can of my Grandma's home-canned stewed tomatoes.

A little more than five minutes, but this sauce is so simple and tasty, I will definitely be adding it to my repertoire.

A Little More Than Five Minute Tomato Sauce:

Makes about 4 cups



4 tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes (or your Grandma's homemade stewed tomatoes if you are so lucky!)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1/2 onion, diced small
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

1. Prepare the fresh tomatoes by gently cutting a shallow X shape into the bottoms. Immerse the tomatoes in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes to soften the skins. Drain and run cold water over the tomatoes. When tomatoes are cool enough to handle, remove from the pot and peel the skins off, by pulling the sides where the X was cut. The skins should remove easily.

2. Place fresh tomatoes in a blender and pulse a couple times. Don't over do it! You do not want to puree the tomatoes.

3. Heat oil in sauce pan over medium. Add onion and saute for a couple minutes until they turn translucent. Add garlic, salt and chili flakes. Saute for 45 seconds.

4. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and blended tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Add Italian seasoning and stir well. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20-30 minutes. (Since we are using fresh tomatoes, there is more liquid to boil off so a longer cooking time is required.)

5. Taste sauce and more salt if needed.

6. Spoon sauce over pasta of your choice & enjoy!

I had a friend over for dinner last night and served the sauce over spinach & cheese ravioli with a sprinkle of fresh grated Parmesan. The sauce was simple and delightful. Very fresh tasting, with a bit of a kick.