One of the first foods I discovered was Tinkyada gluten-free pastas. However, I needed something to slather over my pasta, hence I created a basic pasta sauce recipe that can be used in a variety of pasta-slathering ways.
My first sauce wasn’t that great, but over the last few years I’ve perfected it and now it is perfectly wonderful. Of course, I try to use as many veggies from the garden as I can.
This recipe involves a slow cooker, so you know it’s going to be easy. There’s a little chopping or you can take the fast train and chop in a food processor, which is what I always do. Why take a bus when you can fly!
First thing, gather a few ingredients. You’ll need an onion, a bell pepper, 2-3 carrots, 3-4 cloves of garlic, a small package of mushrooms, and some basil and oregano.
Chop up (or food process) your veggies nice and small.
Use a knife to chop the herbs.
Next, slice the mushrooms.
Cook the veggies in 1-2 T. olive oil until they are soft and toss them into your slow cooker. Next, saute the mushrooms until they are cooked and then toss into the slow cooker.
I am going to assume that you don’t have home-canned tomatoes, so the next step includes the kind from the grocery store. This brand from Costco is a reliable gluten-free source.
You will need to add to the slow cooker the following:
4 Cans Diced Tomatoes (15 oz.)
2 Cans Tomato Sauce (15 oz.)
2 Cans Tomato Paste (6 oz.)
Now, toss in the herbs, 1 T. of sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Give it a stir, cover, and cook on low for 5-7 hours. Which is plenty of time to run out and get a mani-pedi.
***Leslie's secret for speedy preparation (aka The Lazy Way). I occasionally toss EVERYTHING (except the mushrooms) into my Cuisinart, hit the 'On' button. When it is blended, I pour it into my slow cooker, add the uncooked mushrooms, and set in on low. Then, I go shopping for fabric.***
This makes a lot of sauce, so you are going to want to store it according to your family’s size. Because it is just me and Mr. Seasoned Homemaker, I put up sauce in 16 oz. Ball canning jars. It makes enough sauce for about a month. For a family, use the 1 quart Ball canning jars. These are always available at Walmart and have a ga-zillion other uses.
Leave at least 1” of head space at the top and, once cooled, you can freeze the sauce for a future date. A sturdy freezer bag will work, too.
Because this is a simple sauce, I can now doctor it up. Sometimes I add Italian meatballs. I occasionally pour it over eggplant parmesan or use it in lasagna. Save some and use it as a pizza sauce.
Tonight, I am going to cook up the last of the zucchini and swiss chard from my garden, plus a few sauteed mushrooms. Once the veggies are nice and soft, I will mix in my pasta sauce.
Next, I will blend the sauce over some cooked gluten-free angel hair pasta. Top with an appropriate cheese and we have a meatless dinner.
Here is the written version to just cut and paste into Word.
Leslie's Homemade Gluten-Free Pasta Sauce
2 T. Olive Oil
1 Onion (chopped)
2 Carrots (chopped
1 Bell Pepper (chopped)
2-4 Cloves of Garlic (depends on your taste)
2 C. Sliced Mushrooms
1/4 C. Chopped Fresh Basil (add more for dried)
1/4 C. Chopped Fresh Oregano (ditto)
4 Cans Diced Tomatoes (15 oz.)
2 Cans Tomato Sauce (15 oz.)
2 Cans Tomato Paste (6 oz.)
1 T. Sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cook veggies in olive oil until tender. Add to slow cooker.
Add in chopped herbs followed by the cans of tomatoes, stir well, cover and cook for 5-7 hours on low. Timing will depend on your slow cooker.
Sauce can be divided into smaller portions, cooled, then frozen for up to three months. To thaw frozen pasta sauce, place in refrigerator overnight. Reheat in pan on low for 15-20 minutes, until bubbly.
Slather over your favorite pasta!
1 comment:
That sauce sounds delicious!
Post a Comment