Who needs canned pasta sauce when you can whip up this bold and tangy, flavorful Homemade Spaghetti Sauce in only 30 minutes???! Jazz it up even more by adding any of your favorite meat or veggie mix-ins.
Aren’t you appreciative, thinking back about your immature kid self, that you eventually grew up…and maybe matured…at least a little bit? Well, I am.
Let me give you a brief synopsis of my kid self:
- I was super shy and very self conscious. Boring!!!
- I had this obnoxious, whiny baby voice that came out whenever I wanted to tattle on my brothers, which was more often than not.
- I had absolutely no talents or skills. The only thing I mastered with flying colors was being a total teacher kiss up in class.
- I was no sight to look at unless you considered a pudgy, awkward, spaced out teeth, bifocal wearing preteen a thing of beauty.
- I was a goody-too-shoes to a fault. I think the worst thing I ever did was buy and eat a treat from the ice cream truck before dinner.
- I had very limited appreciation for good quality food. I believed stuffing was as equally disgusting as barf, onions and peppers were nature’s biggest flop, and pasta was best eaten naked…not myself naked, but the pasta naked. C’mon, I wasn’t quite that weird.
Now fast forward about 20 years and I’ve overcome at least some of these crazy quirks. LASIK and braces did me a world of wonders, running and eating healthy has slimmed down my stalky figure, and moving out of the house has limited my opportunity for obnoxious tattle tailing. Now I just deal with my own children’s overly zealous eagerness to throw one another under the bus. I guess that’s just a part of life.
But another thing that is extremely opposite between my past self and my present, is my appreciation of food. I have truly come to learn the importance of good, healthy, flavorful food and it has become an extreme passion of mine. No longer do I eat pasta naked (without sauce or without clothes) or shun Mother Nature’s beautiful array of onions and peppers which are now a necessary recipe staple in my home.
These days I spend most of my time thinking about what wonderful food I can make and who I can share it with. And because of that passion, I now actually consider myself a somewhat skilled individual. Yay for finally finding a talent.
Now if only I could go back in time and convince my younger self the error of my ways. I think I would have started off with dumping a heaping spoonful of this Homemade Spaghetti Sauce on a serving of noodles and shoving it in my own face. I’m sure I would have loved it if I had given it a chance. That or I would have spit it all over my present self, but either way I would have at least tried it.
But we can’t dwell on the past. We must focus on the present. And what I know now is that pasta topped with spaghetti sauce, especially homemade spaghetti sauce, is a thing to be reckoned with.
I can only attempt to describe the amazing flavor bursting from this quick and easy pasta sauce. There is so much bold and tangy flavor exploding from this pot of vibrant veggies. You’ve got tomatoes, of course, as well as a generous amount of tender sauteed onions and carrots. And let’s not forget the savory garlic and must have Italian spices that add extra flavor and dimension to this sauce.
Also, unlike most store bought spaghetti sauces, there is no refined sugar. I used coconut sugar to round out the acidity from the tomatoes and red wine vinegar. So you can pile on this sauce without an ounce of guilt from the addition of unnecessary preservatives or extra sugar.
Have fun getting creative in the kitchen with this pasta sauce. You can use it as a simple spaghetti topper or add it to your favorite lasagna, on top of pizza, as a dip for garlic bread, you name it. You can also play with the texture of this sauce. Leave it chunky, or puree it in a blender for a smoother sauce. It’s your call. You’re in charge of your own destiny!
So there you have it. A healthy, easy, tasty sauce at your fingertips. Life sure has gotten better.
What were some of your quirks growing up?
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- salt and pepper to season
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cans diced tomatoes (15 oz. each)
- 1 small can tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon pepper
- ¾-1 teaspoon sea salt
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat until pan is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles. Add onion and carrots and stir until coated. Reduce heat to just below medium. Season with a few shakes of salt and pepper. Cook until veggies are tender, about 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Add remaining ingredients to saucepan* and stir to combine. Bring sauce to a low boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes until desired thickness is reached.
- If you want your sauce smooth, transfer to a blender and blend until desired consistency is reached.
