Quick & Easy "Homemade" Tomato Sauce!

Homemade, simple, and delicious tomato sauce in under 15 minutes? I'll share how I do it. I'll even divulge my secrets to perfect pasta with you. My family loves this dish, so much in fact they'll swear it rivals any restaurant pasta dish. They think it's because I sprinkle extra love into it. They're so sweet.

Short of roasting the tomatoes and garlic myself, this is my absolute favorite tomato based pasta dish because of how easy and satisfying it is.

I can't take the credit for this one, though. I give the credit to my Nonni, who just happens to be the best Italian cook this side of Italy (who doesn't say that about their Italian grandmother?).

This isn't exactly my grandmother's recipe, though. It is something I learned to make through her teachings. In fact, a recipe this is not. This is a general technique. No exact amounts. I never cook by measurements, y'all. Why? Because it's a pain. This explains why I am a terrible baker. So, if you're willing to give this a go despite my transgressions, I think you'll be pleased with the results.

You will need:

• 1lb pasta   I prefer Barilla Thin Spaghetti for this dish
• 1  14.5oz can diced tomatoes   This time I used Hunt's fire roasted diced tomatoes, which tastes amazing in this, but plain or garlic & basil works well too.
• 2-3 cloves of chopped garlic and 1/2 of a small onion, chopped
• White cooking wine
• Parmesan
• Salt, pepper, basil to taste
• Fresh basil (optional) 

This sauce is perfect as-is, or you could use it as a base. Add mushrooms, bell peppers, meatballs. Serve over pasta, or spaghetti squash. It's versatile.

I make special adjustments when I make this for my family. We don't care for onions usually, so I omit them.

Simply saute your onions and garlic in olive oil in a medium sized sauce pan.

Meanwhile, I quickly blend the diced tomatoes in my blender to remove some of the chunkiness. My family doesn't care for big chunks of tomatoes in their sauce. You could skip this step if it doesn't bother you.

Once your garlic is golden, pour your tomatoes into the pot and add approx 1/2 cup of white cooking wine, and some chopped fresh basil (optional). Simmer for 10 minutes. Season sauce with salt, pepper, and dried basil to taste (add a dash of cayenne for a kick of extra flavor). 

Meanwhile, cook your pasta al dente according to the package directions.

My secrets to perfect pasta:  

1. Salted water.
2. Stir often.
3. Never overcook it. Mine is always perfectly al dente when I reach the first recommended cook time found on the package's directions. As soon as I pour the pasta into my pot of water and stir, my timer starts. (example: If Barilla says cook 9-11 minutes, I cook for 9.) 
4. Reserve some pasta water at the end of cooking. About 1 cup's worth. I do this by not dumping all of my pasta into the colander when it's time to drain it, but using a ladle to remove some water works as well. This is imperative to good pasta! 
5. Once drained, oil/butter pasta so it doesn't stick together unless you are adding sauce right away.

For this dish, we add the sauce right away. So, add the sauce, two palmfuls of freshly grated Parmesan, and toss well to coat. I find tongs are perfect for tossing and serving long pasta.

Your sauce will thicken after a couple of minutes. Taste your pasta at this point to decide if you'll need more seasonings and/or cheese. Then, serve right away with extra Parmesan.

How easy was that?! 

Enjoy!