Rich & Chunky Pasta Sauce + 5 recipe uses for it that aren’t pasta. You’d be right to assume pasta sauce is for pasta. No awards for figuring that one out. But pasta sauce is good for a multitude of other recipes, requiring no pasta. Wholesome, low carb food that’s easy to prepare & delicious to eat. I made a big pot of the sauce, divided it into five containers & froze it to have on stand-by for those ‘ugh, I-don’t-feel-like-cooking-tonight nights. Or, my kitchen is being renovated & it’s impossible to traverse my way around the air compressor, ladder & assorted tools strewn about the place nights. You know these circumstances. We’ve all been there, especially the quandary of what to make for dinner & the lack of enthusiasm needed to cook.
Having food in the freezer that can be turned into a multitude of easy recipes at a moment’s notice is a godsend. An hour or two on the weekend or one night a week can save you during those crazy times. This pasta sauce is versatile, easy to make & inexpensive.
I use canned tomatoes in the sauce – whole, unpeeled tomatoes that I squished with my hands to break them up (you could use a potato masher). I wanted the sauce to have some texture, some chunky bits. Then I froze the mixture into 5 separate containers. Now feel free to use this as a pasta sauce but this is what I created with the five quantities I’d frozen:
Baked Eggs with Tomato
1 quantity of pasta sauce + eggs + prosciutto + fresh dill – heated the tomato sauce in an ovenproof frying pan, cracked eggs into the sauce, arranged some prosciutto & baked in 357F/190C oven for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with dill (& parmesan if preferred)
Creamy Tomato Soup
1 quantity of pasta sauce + 1 cup veg or chicken broth + 1/2 cup whipping cream + fresh basil – blend the sauce with broth & cream until very smooth, place in a saucepan, bring it to a gentle boil, stir in chopped fresh basil & ladle into bowls.
Beef Stuffed Peppers
1 quantity of pasta sauce + browned ground beef + halved peppers + pesto – brown ground beef, add the pasta sauce, spoon into halved peppers, place in baking dish, cover & bake in 350F/180C oven for about 50 minutes, top with pesto & extra parmesan cheese.
Spicy Tomato Shrimp
1 quantity of pasta sauce + shrimp + butter + basil + crushed red peppers – cook shrimp in browned butter, remove from pan, add the sauce to heat with a splash of dry sherry or wine & crushed peppers, then add the shrimp & chopped fresh basil or oregano.
Sausage & Peppers (pictured)
1 quantity of pasta sauce + grilled peppers + grilled sausages + Italian parsley – cook sausages & peppers on a hot grill, cut into chunky slices, heat pasta sauce in a frying pan, add sausage, peppers & parmesan cheese.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups diced onions
- 12 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 x (6 oz/170g) cans tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons crushed red peppers (chili flakes)
- 5 x (28 oz/794g) cans whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs – oregano, dill, basil, parsley, basil (a combination of two or more)
- Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion & cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add garlic & cook 1 to 2 minutes until garlic is softened. Stir in tomato paste & crushed pepper. And stir to cook the tomato paste for a minute.
- Stir in the wine. Add tomatoes & their juice. Break the tomatoes into chunks using a spoon or potato masher (or empty the tomatoes into a large bowl first & squish them with your hands to break them up).
- Add honey, salt & pepper. Simmer, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until thickened somewhat. Makes about 15 cups.
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