Recipe: Pasta with Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Recipe Name:
Pasta with Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:
1 medium or large onion
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
6 large or 12 medium sized red garden tomatoes
2 (12 oz.) cans tomato paste
9 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 Tablespoon dried basil or 10 large garden basil leaves, diced
3 Bay leaves
3 Tablespoon sugar

Any choice of whole wheat pasta such as spaghetti, linguine, ravioli, etc. (Use one full box of spaghetti)

Optional: 2 pounds ground turkey or lean ground beef

Instructions:

1. Saute onion in olive oil until transparent. Add chopped garden tomatoes.
2. Cook the tomatoes for several minutes, simmering so that some of the juices from the tomatoes become thick.
3. Add tomato paste and water.
4. Add salt, pepper, basil (fresh is better), bay leaves, and sugar.
5. Allow the sauce to cook for at least 2 hours at a gentle boil. Stir frequently to move the tomatoes (and optional meat) off the bottom of the pan.

Makes 10-12 cups of sauce. If not using right away, you can freeze the sauce for up to 6 months.

(Optional) If adding meat, cook the turkey or lean ground beef until it breaks into little pieces and is no longer pink. Add to the sauce.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Use whole wheat pasta, if possible.

Serve with a mixed green salad topped with garden cucumber, peppers, and cherry tomatoes.