The BEST Pasta Sauce Ever!

Do you make your own tomato/pasta sauce? If you have never tried, you really should. It tastes SO much better than anything you can purchase from the store! I love to make pasta sauce. While it is time consuming, it isn't hard.

Here is my recipe:
20 - 24 lbs. tomatoes
1 cup Italian seasoning (I grow and make my own, see recipe below.)
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup minced onions (I grow and dry my own.)
1/4 cup garlic powder (I grow, dry and powder my own.)
2 TBS olive oil 

Italian seasoning recipe
2 parts basil
2 parts oregano
2 parts thyme
2 parts marjoram (I don't like marjoram. I usually double up the oregano.)
1 part rosemary
1 part sage

The hardest part of making any sauce is to turn the tomatoes into tomato pulp. I use a Victorio Strainer. It is quick and easy. It cleanly separates the skin and seeds from the pulp.

However, if you don't have one you can plunge tomatoes into boiling water for 1 minute and then plunge them into ice water. That will remove the skins. To remove the seeds, you can use a food mill (I used to use a food mill - it is a bit more work than the Victorio Strainer). I have also read recipe instructions that tell you to puree the pulp and seeds together - if you would prefer to do that.

From this point, add all the ingredients into a large pot and simmer for 2 to 3 hours. That's it! Now, how long you simmer depends on you and the flavor you are looking for. I usually simmer until the sauce is about half of what I started with. While I won't leave the house with the stove on and a pot simmering on the stove, it is not necessary to 'babysit' the sauce either. You can go about your household chores and check the sauce every once in a while - I usually stir it then too.

When the sauce has been reduced by about 1/3 to 1/2 of the original, go ahead and taste it. It is fabulous and full of flavor! You can then can the sauce or freeze it. Sometimes, I will freeze it for a few days until I have time to can it. (If you plan to can your sauce, please follow The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. Those recipes are safe to can using the instructions included in the book.)

I can't wait to eat some this fall!