Garden-style Spaghetti Sauce

From tomato to sauce! Used excess garden tomatoes and green peppers, along with fresh herbs to make homemade spaghetti sauce that I then added to browned ground beef and sautéed mushrooms. 

This recipe could easily be increased and extra sauce could be frozen or canned. 

Garden-style Spaghetti Sauce  Makes about about 3 1/2 pints 

1 quart tomatoes

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow or white onion, diced 

1/2 green pepper, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano,

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, chopped 

1 bay leaf

1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 to 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 tablespoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

4 to 6 ounces tomato paste

1. Core tomatoes and cut an X in the bottom of each. Drop into boiling water and blanch a few minutes just until tomato skins start to peel.
   
   
   
   
2. Transfer to a colander and rinse with cold water. Cool slightly and slip skins off tomatoes.
   
3. Cut tomatoes in half, remove any remaining cores and most of the seeds. Cut tomatoes into chunks and place in a bowl.
4. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a medium-sized Dutch oven on saucepan. Add onions and peppers and cook on medium heat until transulent; add garlic, fresh herbs and bay leaf about halfway through cooking.
   
   
   
   
5. Add tomatoes and any juice that has accumulated to the Dutch oven. Add tomato paste, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, pepper and tomato paste. 
   
6. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least an hour while sauce thickens and flavors meld; stir occasionally. Leave lid off for until sauce begins to thicken and then add as sauce continues to simmer Alternative– once sauce begins to thicken, it could be transferred to a slow cooker set on low. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. 
   
7. Remove bay leaf before using.

   

   We added browned ground beef and sautéed mushrooms to the spaghetti sauce and then served it over baked spaghetti squash. 

Recipe without photos . . .

Garden-style Spaghetti Sauce  Makes about about 3 1/2 pints 

1 quart tomatoes

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow or white onion, diced 

1/2 green pepper, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano,

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, chopped 

1 bay leaf

1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 to 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 tablespoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

4 to 6 ounces tomato paste

1. Core tomatoes and cut an X in the bottom of each. Drop into boiling water and blanch a few minutes just until tomato skins start to peel.
2. Transfer to a colander and rinse with cold water. Cool slightly and slip skins off tomatoes.
3. Cut tomatoes in half, remove any remaining cores and most of the seeds. Cut tomatoes into chunks and place in a bowl.
4. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a medium-sized Dutch oven on saucepan. Add onions and peppers and cook on medium heat until transulent; add garlic, fresh herbs and bay leaf about halfway through cooking.
5. Add tomatoes and any juice that has accumulated to the Dutch oven. Add tomato paste, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, pepper and tomato paste. 
6. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least an hour while sauce thickens and flavors meld; stir occasionally. Leave lid off for until sauce begins to thicken and then add as sauce continues to simmer Alternative– once sauce begins to thicken, it could be transferred to a slow cooker set on low. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. 
7. Remove bay leaf before using.