tomato sauce recipe

[crl]

Hi,
I thought I might try to take advantage of the farmer's market bounty and make some tomato sauce for the freezer. Anyone have a recipe that starts with fresh tomatoes and freezes well? I'd use it over pasta, sometimes with meatballs, sometimes just with cheese.
Thanks,

[mldflygirl]

Here is my grandma's slow-cooked sauce recipe. Turns out similar to the sauce you buy in jars.

1 1/2 lbs ground beef - shouldn't be TOO lean, like 97/3
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, chopped or finely diced (based on personal preference)
1 soup bone (beef bone w/some meat still attached to it)
8-12 medium tomatoes, diced
1 large can tomato paste
2 cans water (the tomatoes will release liquid as they cook)
1/2 C parmessan cheese
2 tsp salt
2-3 tsp white sugar
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp Italian seasoning (or 1 tsp basil, 1 tsp oregano, and a dash of rosemary)

- Brown first 3 ingredients together, adding garlic at end because it cooks faster than the onions or beef.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients and heat till almost boiling.
- Simmer on low for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- If the sauce looks too thick after it's cooked for approx. 30 mins, add more water
- Remove soup bone prior to serving, if desired.

An easy, "fresh" tomato sauce I often make is something like this: (I don't know for sure, because I usually just throw ingredients in!)

INGREDIENTS:
Ripe tomatoes, diced (Use however many you want, just adjust proportions accordingly.)
olive oil
1 or 2 medium sweet onions
1-3 cloves garlic, minced (I use the already-minced stuff in a jar)
basil
oregano
dash of salt

- Cook the onions in at least 2 Tbsp of olive oil (too little oil & the sauce won't "stick" to your noodles well) on med-high heat
- Add in garlic & stir
- Add tomatoes once garlic has turned white (cooked through)
- Reduce heat to medium & simmer approx 10-20 minutes, stirring occasionally (This really depends on the kind of tomatoes you're using & how soft or firm you want them to be)
- Add the spices approx. 5 minutes before serving

HTH!!!!

[crl]

Thanks!

[kboyle]

your grandma's recipe sounds great, i'll definately try that one, dh just brought home about 15 tomatoes and since no one in our house likes tomatoes i think sauce sounds good!!