I’ve been playing around with making my own versions of commonly store-bought foods lately. Homemade usually tastes better, is healthier, and costs less. The only down side is that it takes time. Time to make them and time to find a just-right recipe.
Well, let me save you some time. One thing I’ve got down is spaghetti sauce. Mr. O won’t let me buy jarred sauce anymore because he loves mine so much. And it’s so easy to make, it’s insane.
Here are a couple of things to keep in mind…
The tomatoes matter. I’ve tried to make this with the store-brand tomatoes and it just didn’t taste as good. They weren’t as bright or fresh tasting, so I went back to the more expensive, better brand.
The cook time doesn’t matter as much. Once you get past an hour, you’re good to go. After that it’s more about timing and aroma.
I like a smooth sauce, but it’s very easy to make this in a chunkier version. Simply puree the tomatoes for less time, and use actual veggies instead of powders. Done.
Ingredients:
3 28-oz cans whole peeled tomatoes
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp oregano
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 small sprinkle thyme
Directions:
- Place tomatoes in a large colander and strain all the juice out. Do not rinse.
- Pour about half of the tomatoes into your Ninja (or blender). Puree for 20-30 for a smooth texture, less for chunkier. Pour into crock pot when complete. Repeat with the other half of the tomatoes.
- Add spices to tomatoes and stir well.
- Cook on low for 1-4 hours and serve hot.
- Can or freeze the leftovers.
