Tomato Sauce for pastas and pizza

Making your own tomato sauce for pastas and pizza is a simple and healthy way to control what is in your food. Most bottled sauces are loaded with sugars and preservatives. I like to keep cans of Italian style whole tomatoes, organic tomato paste, and organic crushed tomatoes stocked in my pantry. Canned tomatoes don't have any preservatives and are often more flavorful than fresh ones because they were canned at their peak ripeness.

This recipe is more of a general guideline to making simple tomato sauce. Feel free to spice it up with fun ingredients, spices, and herbs.

Simple Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

1 can of whole Italian-style tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 can tomato paste * for pizza sauce or if you prefer a thicker consistency
Basil (preferably fresh)
Garlic - finely chopped
1/2 white onion - finely chopped
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Variations
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon diced capers
Fresh parsley or marjoram
Splash of balsamic or wine
Sautéed carrots or red bell peppers

Preparation

In a sauce pot, saute the onion with 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium high heat until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, but be careful because garlic burns easily. Add the tomatoes, juices, herbs, and fun ingredients and bring to a low simmer. Adjust the consistency by adding a little water or wine or adding tomato paste. Simmer sauce for 5 minutes, taste, adjust seasonings and voila! It's ready to be used.

If you want a smoother sauce, you can put it in your blender. Also, you can do this recipe with fresh tomatoes, but you must skin and seed them first.