Simple Tomato Sauce

I prefer a meatless spaghetti sauce. My other half likes it otherwise. To compromise, I make both. It isn't at all time consuming because I make a basic tomato sauce and add the meat later on. With my simple tomato sauce you can add any meat that you like. This recipe was inspired by Giada De Laurentiis. I have been using this base for most of my pasta dishes. The beauty about this sauce is that it doesn't have to be exact and you will get the same flavor each time. Close to it at least, since produce are seasonal in flavors.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 garlic, chopped

4 celery stalk, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

2 (28 oz) cans of crushed tomatoes (this can vary 28 or 32 oz can)

5 dried bay leaves

Instructions:

1. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion until soft and translucent, this takes about 2 minutes. Add carrots and celery and season with salt and pepper. Saute until the vegetables are soft reducing heat to medium, this takes about 5 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and let simmer on low heat for 30 mins.

3. Remove bay leaves and taste. If it is too acidic, add unsalted butter 1 tbsp at a time to round out flavors (no more than 4 tbsp).

4. Blend together with an immersion blender until smooth. Alternatively, you can use a food processor or blender. Optional, add cooked meat to sauce (ground meat or sausages.) Continue to let simmer on low heat for 30 mins.

5. This yields about 6 cups so with the left overs, you can freeze it and it lasts for about 6 months.

6. Serve with your favorite pasta. Enjoy!!!

This is what the Simple Tomato Sauce looks like.