spaghetti (red) sauce

This is one of my favorite quick dinners. It is so easy to make and quick and tastes amazing (and a bit different) each time.  Throw it over a plate of noodles (or dump them in the pan with the sauce), sprinkle on some melted cheese, and you have dinner!

Tomato (red) Sauce +++

-used for spaghetti, lasagna, stuffed shells, ravioli, and mancotti

* 1 large can diced tomatoes (crushed tomatoes, whole tomatoes, tomato sauce... etc - I use whatever I have in my pantry (ps. I love the word pantry))

* some onion (it is hard to say half an onion or a whole onion because I have no idea what size your onion is... about half a medium onion or 1/3 a sam's club onion)

* some butter

* two or three diced garlic cloves (I have recently started using real garlic... it makes all the difference in the world people... all the difference, it is delicious!)

* (~1/2 - 1 tsp) oregano (wish it was still summer, fresh oregano is better)

* (~1/2 - 1 tsp) basil (dried is okay)

* (~1/8 - 1/4 tsp) a few red chili pepper flakes (the things they serve at pizza places on the table)

1. Fry the onion in about a tablespoon of butter (maybe two).  Cook it until it is semi translucent. You can add the garlic here, but I add it with the tomatoes.  

2. Add tomatoes, garlic, oregano, basic, and chili peppers. 

3. Let simmer 15 min - 75 min.  The flavors are better the longer it sits, but it is good after the first 15 minutes or so.  We usually don't wait.  :) 

+++I don't measure any of this. 

Sometimes I add green beans, broccoli, chicken, ground turkey, meatballs, cheese... etc.  It is a wonderfully forgiving and adapting recipe.  Last night I didn't want to open another can of tomatoes (I was using up some tomatoes that I had opened to make salsa) so I added some leftover tomato soup to my sauce to stretch it out a bit... it still tasted great. My advice when cooking is, never be afraid to experiment.