I'm not Italian so saying the word "gravy" in place of pasta sauce hurts me. Anyway, I've been starting to make my own pasta sauce to cut down on some food bills, but my sauce is just so-so, rather blah actually. No one in my family has that "secret sauce recipe'" so I was hoping someone could share theirs with me. I would prefer a super easy crock pot recipe, enough for a big batch that I could split up and freeze in baggies.
so far, this is what Ive been doing for my sauce:
4 cans diced tomatoes (whatever brand, sometimes Italian seasoned)
1/2 can tom paste (not sure why I feel I need to toss this in there)
chopped fresh garlic
ground beef or turkey if I want a meat sauce
dried seasonings from my spice rack - oregano, basil
I think thats about it - no magic here! But the sauce comes out very acidic, my husband thinks its salty. any help would be greatly appreciated!
make my taste buds dance!
A Saucy Wench
Well, lets see. This time of year starting with canned tomatoes is probably your best option but come back next August and get the roasted tomato sauce recipe.
I dont think crock-pot is the way to go, the only reason a sauce needs a long cook time is to thicken it which crock pots do not do particularly well. And you have the tomato paste to thicken with. If you are using canned tomatoes a good sauce takes so little time that I dont know that I would bother big batching it that much. Really doesnt take any longer than the pasta itself.
Some thoughts.
1. Sautee the onions and garlic rather than just dumping them in. with the tomatoes. Sautee on med-low to low heat in some EVOO until tender. When they are releasing their juices add the rest of your dried herbs. (Don't ignore cayenne...even if you dont want spicy a pinch of cayenne brings out the flavors of the other herbs and balances the sauce). Plus the olive oil adds to the goodness.
2. If you can find them roasted diced tomatoes tend to be a bit less acidic. Add to sauteed veggies and simmer for 10-15 min.
3. Adding other veggies can help with the acidity. THIS would be something to big batch...roast up 2 large roasting pans of red bell peppers and carrots and sweet onion and puree and freeze (drizzle with EVOO, salt and pepper roast at 450 stirring about every 10 minutes until well roasted). Add a 1/2 cup - 1 cup instead of the tomato paste. Or sautee diced veggies with the onions and garlic if your family doesnt mind vegetably chunky sauce.
4. A pinch of sugar or baking soda can cut the acidity. I dont usually need it if I have enough other veggies
5. Finish your sauce with a splash of red wine. I wish i could tell you how much but I really never measure. Not a lot - maybe 1/2 cup or so for a 4 can batch? - start with less and see what you like. Add and simmer a few more minutes. Some will say never cook with a wine you wouldnt drink but I keep a 4 pack of those single serving wines around for when I dont want to open a bottle of wine to cook with and I will keep the open bottle in the fridge for an eternity.
6. Consider sausage - if you are going to do a meat sauce (or just to add flavor) consider making it part sausage. I usually keep 2 oz baggies of cooked sausage in the freezer to add to sauce. a LOT of flavor and the fat adds some richness.
I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets
"When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7
Wow thanks. I didnt even think about roasting veggies for the sauce, this might be something to try. And you said this puree is something I could freeze? And just add to my sauce when I'm sauteeing everything else?
I would still like to make a big batch of this and divy it all up - we dont use much for our little fam on spaghetti night. Thanks for all the insight. Now I'm off to find a meatball recipe.....
I was going to add, one of the reasons it might seem acidic to dh is that if you have been using jarred sauce most of them have a ton of added sugar. You might want to at a little bit at first and then slowly wean off it as you get more used to the taste of fresh sauce.
I also think a ton of parmesan cheese helps with acidity. But definitely add that on "serving day" not freezing day.
If you are looking to save time all around, I find cooked spaghetti freezes quite nicely as long as you dont add anything to it and dont let it thaw in the fridge. Put it in a colander and pour hot water over it. I usually cook the whole box of spaghetti now.
Add pureed roasted veggies when you add the tomatoes after the onions and stuff have sauteed.
Yoda the 4-eared cat
Ennay,
I would agree with all of your points except that a sauce only needs to be simmered for a long time to thicken (uncovered, so, yeah, a crockpot is not the best option). For me, it's also to give the ingredients, especially meat, time to break down and develop flavour. A quick meat sauce will never be as good as a slow-cooked one.
Here is a recipe that I found really flavoursome for ragù sauce that uses milk, in theory to protect the meat from the acidity of the tomatoes. It has surprisingly few 'flavour' ingredients, but makes a really rich-tasting sauce. I reduce the proportion of meat and increase tomatoes and cook for a LONG time uncovered. I also don't necessarily use minced beef with a lot of fat, but no-fat beef would be less good in my opinion :
Tamasin Day Lewis' ragù sauce
Well, lets see. This time of year starting with canned tomatoes is probably your best option but come back next August and get the roasted tomato sauce recipe. I dont think crock-pot is the way to go, the only reason a sauce needs a long cook time is to thicken it which crock pots do not do particularly well. And you have the tomato paste to thicken with. If you are using canned tomatoes a good sauce takes so little time that I dont know that I would bother big batching it that much. Really dooesnt take any longer than the pasta itself. Some thoughts. 1. Sautee the onions and garlic rather than just dumping them in. with the tomatoes. Sautee on med-low to low heat in some EVOO until tender. When they are releasing their juices add the rest of your dried herbs. (Don't ignore cayenne...even if you dont want spicy a pinch of cayenne brings out the flavors of the other herbs and balances the sauce). Plus the olive oil adds to the goodness. 2. If you can find them roasted diced tomatoes tend to be a bit less acidic. Add to sauteed veggies and simmer for 10-15 min. 3. Adding other veggies can help with the acidity. THIS would be something to big batch...roast up 2 large roasting pans of red bell peppers and carrots and sweet onion and puree and freeze (drizzle with EVOO, salt and pepper roast at 450 stirring about every 10 minutes until well roasted). Add a 1/2 cup - 1 cup instead of the tomato paste. Or sautee diced veggies with the onions and garlic if your family doesnt mind vegetably chunky sauce. 4. A pinch of sugar or baking soda can cut the acidity. I dont usually need it if I have enough other veggies 5. Finish your sauce with a splash of red wine. I wish i could tell you how much but I really never measure. Not a lot - maybe 1/2 cup or so for a 4 can batch? - start with less and see what you like. Add and simmer a few more minutes. Some will say never cook with a wine you wouldnt drink but I keep a 4 pack of those single serving wines around for when I dont want to open a bottle of wine to cook with and I will keep the open bottle in the fridge for an eternity. 6. Consider sausage - if you are going to do a meat sauce (or just to add flavor) consider making it part sausage. I usually keep 2 oz baggies of cooked sausage in the freezer to add to sauce. a LOT of flavor and the fat adds some richness.
I dont think crock-pot is the way to go, the only reason a sauce needs a long cook time is to thicken it which crock pots do not do particularly well. And you have the tomato paste to thicken with. If you are using canned tomatoes a good sauce takes so little time that I dont know that I would bother big batching it that much. Really dooesnt take any longer than the pasta itself.
Ostrich runner
If you're making sauce with any meat in there, simmering/stocking the bones helps everything.
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