Every year as summer winds down and fall, with its promise of chilly nights and orange-y leaves, edges closer, our garden decides to belch fifty trillion tomatoes. This is the perfect time to make several batches of homemade spaghetti sauce. It’s easy, it’s tasty, the ingredients are all natural and it fills the house with this incredible aroma as it simmers the day away.
This recipe was my grandmother’s. I have tweaked it a little but it remains simple enough for a rookie chef. It is perfect served right out of the crockpot over spaghetti, in a casserole or lasagna. It freezes and cans very well – we typically end up with enough sauce to last throughout the year. You can even brown up some meatballs or Italian sausage chunks and throw them in during the last hour of cooking for a little extra oomph.
Makes: 1 batch, or roughly enough to feed the entire Brady Bunch, including Alice
You will need:
- 8-10 whole tomatoes, peeled (we also quartered them, but you could leave them whole for an even chunkier sauce. Use 3-4 cans of whole, unpeeled tomatoes if you do not have fresh tomatoes.) Learn how to blanch tomatoes to save you a TON of time when peeling.
- 24 oz tomato paste
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- Several leaves of fresh basil, chopped
- Italian seasoning (to taste)
- Garlic powder (to taste)
- Sugar (to taste)
- 1 bay leaf
- Optional veggies: eggplant, zucchini (both diced)
How to make:
- Combine all ingredients in crockpot.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Remove bay leaf before serving.