I had a handful of Campari tomatoes leftover and didn’t want them to go bad. A red sauce sounded good. Something simple and fresh. I didn’t have enough Campari tomatoes to make enough for two servings, so I added a large can of tomatoes. I also added minced onion, because I like it and a wee bit of minced garlic towards the end. The last few minutes I threw in some fresh basil. What resulted was heavenly. I always thought you had to simmer sauce for a long time for it to be wonderful. NOT TRUE. I simmered this 25-30 minutes, until the tomatoes broke up and looked “saucy”. Topped with some parmesan atop penne pasta it was AH-MAZING!

I will make this with all fresh tomatoes soon, while they’re so good. Sometimes I will toss the tomatoes in boiling water for a minute then into an ice bath so that they peel easily, but usually I leave the skin on.

Click HERE to print the recipe!

Quick & Simple Red Sauce

Ingredients:

Olive oil

Slice of onion, minced

1-2 cloves Garlic, minced

1 – 28 oz. can tomatoes (I use petite diced or whole, peeled – then break up)

(OPTIONAL): Handful of fresh tomatoes (or more) – I used Campari

Small pinch of sugar (⅛ teaspoon)

S & P

Fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

Heat olive oil in medium – large saucepan on medium high heat.

Saute minced onion, after a minute or so, add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds.

Add the can of tomatoes and fresh tomatoes (and their juice!).

Sprinkle in the pinch of sugar, S&P.

Simmer for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until tomatoes are broken up.

You can add the chopped basil right before the sauce is done cooking, or you can add it and remove it if you just want a little taste. Another option is to use dried basil, but if you can use fresh, that’s the best!

Cook your desired pasta and drain, top with the red sauce and top with a sprinkle (or two!) of parmesan.

Freezes well.

This makes enough for 2 servings + a little left over for a lunch the next day (or freeze for a lunch later on).

Enjoy!

Catch you back here tomorrow!