Homemade Pasta Sauce

Have you ever wondered why the tomato sauce at an Italian restaurant is better than what you buy in a can or jar from the store?  If you have an Italian mama, like I do, you already know the answer.  You have to make it from scratch with quality ingredients!  And authentic pasta sauce is one that is fresh, not heavy with pasta swimming in it.  Now, don't be scared off by the idea of making it yourself - it's super easy and takes the same amount of time to cook the pasta from start to finish, making this an incredibly fast dinner for any night of the week.  This is my go-to recipe when I don't have a lot of time or I haven't gone to the store.  You will be amazed at the difference in taste and never want for anything but this processed free version ever again.  

1-2 cans of whole or diced peeled tomatoes (use 2 cans for every pound of pasta)

2-3 cloves of minced garlic depending on how much you like (or use garlic powder if you don't have any on hand)

freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I always have a block in my refrigerator)

salt

Italian seasoning/dried basil/dried oregano

coconut oil

olive oil

optional: fresh basil leaves torn or cut to add at the end

I have made it without the basil and it's still delicious, but the fresh basil always feels like the ultimate finishing touch in presentation and flavor.

Put on a pot of water to boil your pasta.  I use whole wheat or brown rice noodles.  I have heard good things about quinoa and artichoke pasta too, but I haven't tried them yet.  You can also use any kind of noodle too... spaghetti, penne, rigatoni, etc.  Don't forget to get out the sea salt and salt your boiling water right before the noodles go in.

In a skillet on medium heat, put about 2 Tbsp. of coconut oil and saute the garlic for a quick minute - don't let it burn!  Just get it to a golden color then pour in your can of tomatoes.  (My mother-in-law sends me home-canned tomatoes from her garden, and I have to admit, these are my favorite to use.)  Start to break up the tomatoes as you stir everything together.  Add salt to your tastes and sprinkle in any other kind of seasoning that you like - I gave you some ideas up above.  You want to cook out the water from the tomatoes, but not exactly boil it out, just a light bubble.  The tomatoes will continue to cook down and break apart as the water evaporates.  This all happens while your pasta water is heating then cooking your noodles - isn't that great!  When you pasta is almost ready and most of the water has evaporated from the sauce, grate in some fresh Parmesan cheese - no green can!  I like to use my microplane to get it really fine.  Add as much or as little as you want and stir it into the sauce - it will dissolve and not be visible. Then turn off the heat and add some finely chopped basil and a drizzle of olive oil.  In the picture below, I only used one can of diced tomatoes because I only cooked a half pound of pasta, but you can see how thick it turns out.

When the pasta is drained, I put it back in the pot it was cooked in and pour the sauce over the top to toss them together. When this is served, don't forget to add a few more grates of Parmesan to the top.  I promise you will love the fresh flavor and the speed at which this comes together for any night of the week!