Make a delicious tomato based spaghetti sauce! Homemade spaghetti sauce warms the soul.
The Ingredients!
Start by gathering your ingredients.
San Marzano tomatoes are my favorite to use. They do not have the tinny taste that so many canned tomatoes have.
Start by chopping your onions and mincing the garlic. Then, prep your fresh herbs. I like to use fresh oregano, basil, and Italian flat leaf parsley. Dried herbs will work as a replacement if you do not have access to fresh. We have most of these in the garden!
I usually add sliced mushrooms. Brussels sprouts are also great in spaghetti sauce. They absorb the sauce, and they cook up beautifully!
Once everything is prepped, sauté the onion until it is translucent. I use my big cast iron pot.
If you are using mushrooms, add them and sauté for a few more minutes.
Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds more.
Then, add the tomatoes. I crush them with my hands, as I drop them into the pot.
Add the herbs and seasoning. I use a little sugar and a little nutmeg, as well as salt and pepper. A dash of red pepper flakes is a nice addition, too.
If you want, add a bit of red wine.
If you are adding meatballs, throw them in once they are out of the oven. See my favorite meatball recipe here!
Let the sauce simmer on the stove for an hour or more, stirring occasionally.
Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 16 oz mushrooms, sliced (optional)
- 2 28 oz cans San Marzano tomatoes
- 2 T. fresh oregano, minced
- 3 T. fresh basil, minced
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp anchovy paste
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 T. Olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup red wine (optional)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot. I use a cast iron dutch oven, but any large pot works.
- Sauté onion for about five minutes.
- If you want to add mushrooms, add to pot, and sauté for a few more minutes.
- Add the garlic, and sauté for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Open the tomato cans, and smash them with your fingers as you add them to the pot. Pour remaining sauce into pan.
- Add fresh oregano and basil to pot.
- Add nutmeg, anchovy paste, red pepper flakes, and salt to pot and stir well.
- If you are adding meatballs or brussels sprouts (or both!), add them to the pot.
- Let sauce simmer for an hour or two, stirring occasionally.
[…] First, there is nothing wrong with doctoring up some store bought jars of spaghetti sauce. No judgements if that is what you do. It’s much faster, and I find that adding some fresh cut onions, garlic, and mushrooms makes store bought sauce quite delicious. If you have the time to make sauce from scratch, here’s my full recipe. […]