November 21, 2022

12. One Secret To Terrific Tomato Sauce!

6 minutes

Do you use a secret ingredient in one of your meals to make it taste fantastic or to add nutrients? In today's episode I talk about one of my secret ingredients for my homemade tomato sauce. It is the one, the only...drumroll please....THE CARROT!

I use carrots for 3 reasons:

to reduce the acidity of the tomatoes

to add a natural sweetness instead of using sugar

to sneakily add extra veggies to my kids dietary repertoire

Growing up with an Italian mother, purchasing jarred sauce was a BIG SIN in my family (LOL) so I have never done that. I have always made my own. If you would like my recipe, click here to see the video or if you don't like videos, I have posted it below.

INGREDIENTS:

Three 28oz cans Italian plum tomatoes

Garlic, chopped (never let anyone tell you how much garlic to use...even me!)

Two or three Tablespoons olive oil

One small carrot, grated on a plane grater (not shredded, minced, chopped, sliced or diced. GRATED, I mean it!)

Fresh basil, chopped, or about 2 teaspoons dried herbs of your choice

Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

In a large pan on medium heat, saute garlic in olive oil just until fragrant (about 30 seconds)

Pour in tomatoes with juice

Add in grated carrot

Add dried herbs if using (if using fresh basil, wait until the end)

Stir and mash up tomatoes with masher or back of a fork (alternatively you can run them through the blender BEFORE cooking)

Cover pot and bring to boil

Bring heat to low, take the cover half off of the pot and let simmer about 30-40 minutes until the sauce thickens to your preference.

Add fresh basil and serve

Makes a healthy amount of sauce, but if it's too much, freeze it. Keeps in the freezer for 6 months. When ready, either thaw or pop it frozen in a covered pot on low heat. Stir occasionally and serve when hot.

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