Salsa Di Pomodoro

CraftScout's Note:

This spaghetti sauce recipe comes from "Extending the Table", a collection of recipes from around the world. The notes say that it comes from the Sicilian American community. Now I have to tell you, this is a GREAT recipe. My boys (husband and roommate) who will eat anything, but only give 5 stars to the recipes that are in danger of being inhaled, give this one 5 stars. I had to beat my husband to make him stop licking the crockpot! :) It tastes a little sweet, mostly savory, and very herby. Don't use more of the herbs than is listed, or they will overwhelm the sauce, though you can certainly use less.

• Total Time: 2 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup onions, chopped or 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 garlic cloves, minced (to taste) or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder (to taste)
• 16 ounces tomato paste
• 3 cups water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ¼-½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons dry red wine (optional)

Directions:

1. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients. Add meatballs if you wish at this point.
3. Bring sauce to a boil. Simmer 2-3 hours to mix the flavors.
4. NOTE: This can also be made by placing everything in your slow cooker and simmering all day. This is how I made it. I would recommend sauteing the onions and garlic first. A triple batch filled my BIG (6 qt, I think) crockpot.
5. TO FREEZE: Let sauce cool to room temperature, then pour into a labeled freezer bag. Seal, trying to get rid of as much air as possible in the process, and freeze flat. You can freeze with meatballs in or without.
6. TO REHEAT: Thaw overnight in the fridge, or in the microwave, or in a bowl of warm water (still sealed in the bag), or just dump in a crockpot or pot on the stove frozen and warm gently.

Reviews

[Chef 3]

My new go-to sauce recipe. This was a big hit. The only thing I did differently was use 3 cloves instead of one clove of garlic, add 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes, and add an extra 6 oz. of water half-way through cooking (it was getting too thick for my taste). I also used closer to 18 oz of paste because I bought a 12 oz can and 6 oz can. I served my sauce with some shrimp, rotini, and eggplant that I roasted in the oven. We made tomato-mozzarella bruschetta with balsamic glaze on the side.

[Julie421511]

This is a new favorite sauce for me. I think using tomato paste, instead of crushed tomatoes etc. makes it taste more like restaurant style spaghetti sauce. It came together very quickly and easily and made our house smell delicious! I paired the sauce with these meatballs: 128416. Thank you so much for posting!

[MissLadybug]

So easy to make and really good. No need to ever buy jar sauce again.