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You Can Easily Make A Flavorful And Healthy Pasta Sauce

12.15.2011 · Posted in Food and Beverage Articles

Italians don’t have the corner on great-tasting tomato sauce, but being Italian does seem to help. Perhaps it’s in the genes or perhaps they know that good ingredients carefully prepared in a sauce that is allowed to simmer for hours just can’t go wrong. Italian or not, sometimes there is no time for a long-simmering sauce.rnrnBesides the time element disadvantage, there is the hunger element as you smell the wonders of the sauce as its delightful aroma permeates the house. Who has time for all that? A fresh garden sauce can be made in less than a half-hour with just a few garden ingredients.rnrnTo prepare this effortless tomato sauce you’ll need 4 base ingredients:rnrn- 1 bunch of cherry tomatoesrn- 1 small yellow onionrn- 1 clove of garlicrn- 2-3 TBSP olive oilrnrnStart by heating a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Drizzle the pan with olive oil and turn the pan about to evenly coat the bottom. Turn down the heat under the skillet a bit. While the olive oil is slowly heating, cut up your vegetables.rnrnSlice the cherry tomatoes into quarters and set aside. Leave in all the seeds and juices that you can. These bits add much of the tomato flavor and healthy nutrients to the sauce.rnrnTime to dice up the onion. The olive oil should be about right by now so throw in the diced onions and quartered tomatoes. Be sure the heat isn’t too high. You don’t want to burn the onions.rnrnGrab a hold of the largest clove of garlic you can lay your hands on. If you have no garlic, a few sprinkles of garlic powder will suffice, though it really isn’t as good as the real thing. If you did find the garlic, put it on the cutting board and give it a good press with the flat side of a knife. Mince the smashed garlic finely and add it to the sauce.rnrnMany other vegetables make a great addition to this fresh sauce. Zucchini, squash, olives, bell peppers, or even spinach can really add another dimension to the texture and taste of the sauce. I use the hot red peppers my grandfather grows. Those things are dangerously hot, but you can substitute crushed red pepper flakes out of a jar to stay on the safe side.rnrnMix up all the vegetables in the frying pan. They need a good coating of olive oil to cook properly. Now comes the waiting. Every few minutes, come back and check on your sauce.rnrnThe tomatoes will be nicely wilted in just a few minutes as the juice leaks out of them. Ten minutes more and the onions should be translucent and the tomatoes completely shapeless. Please always remember to put the lid back on the pan once you’ve stirred the sauce. The condensation will keep the tomato juices and any juices from the other vegetables from burning off.rnrnWhen the onions are tender and the sauce is beginning to resemble the pasta sauces you know and love, take the lid off the pan. Simmer uncovered on medium heat for a few minutes to heat it all up and thicken any watery parts. Please, please never add water to tomato sauce. What you want is to reduce liquid thereby thickening the sauce.rnrnBoil up your favorite pasta and get ready for dinner! Top it with Parmesan cheese and a side of garlic bread. With this sauce, you could lure in your own Italian! What you’ve made right there is healthier, tastier, and more Italian than anything you can buy in a jar.

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