The Best Spaghetti Sauce Ever (Really!)

This sauce was first made for me by my friend and neighbor Nick.  It could just be that I love anything with tomatoes, or maybe it’s the fact that the meal was eaten while watching Lost, but this stuff really knocked my socks off.  Of course I asked for the recipe and have made it a weekly staple around here.  This versatile stuff can be used as a pizza sauce, dipping sauce for bread or cheese sticks, or with eggplant Parmesan.  I usually just serve it with spaghetti, however, because it’s really good enough to not need anything else.  Another thing I love about this sauce is that once it’s on the stove it requires very little attention, which is good for weeknights when I have a lot of school work to attend to.

As usual, my favorite foods are less than photogenic.

If I’m not in a hurry, I typically follow this Pasta Sauce #1 recipe from Recipezaar.com pretty closely since I’ve had tremendous success with it.

1/2 medium onion, chopped
4 large cloves of garlic
1 t kosher salt or sea salt
olive oil
1 24 oz can of whole tomatoes
1 C vegetable stock
1/4 – 1/2 C tomato paste (depending on how thick you like your sauce)
2 – 4 T sugar (depending on how sweet you like your sauce)
1/2 t crushed red pepper
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 t dried basil, or a couple of sprigs if fresh
1 t dried parsley

The original recipe recommends to smash the garlic and salt with on a cutting board with a knife.  (If I’m not in a big hurry I do this, but in my mortar and pestle, though sometimes I skip this step altogether with no adverse affects.)  Once the garlic and salt are mashed up together, cook them in a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until they’re pretty brown (around 10 minutes).  Pour in the vegetable broth, making sure to scrape all the onions from the bottom of the pan.  Next, crush each tomato into the saucepan with your hands  (Kyle hates this step because of the mess it makes, and I’ve used crushed or diced tomatoes instead when I’m pressed for time, but the texture of the sauce is so much better when I take the time to do this extra step).  Next add the tomato paste, sugar, and black and red pepper, stirring until everything is combined.  (I usually only add 2 T of sugar, but when Kyle is in the kitchen I have to add more because he likes his sauce, and everything else he eats, really, very sweet). Bring the sauce to a boil, cover it, and reduce the heat to a simmer.  Again, if you have the time it’s best to let it cook at least an hour and a half, but I’ve only let it simmer for 30 to 45 minutes when in a hurry with few problems.  Wait to add the basil and parsley until around five to ten minutes before serving.  I’m pretty sure that this stuff keeps very well in the fridge for as long as a week, but we can never keep it around for that long.

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