So I’m calling this a red pasta sauce because it is most similar to marinara sauce, but I’ve spiced it up and made it my own. Please feel free to experiment with this; I don’t think the sauce ever comes out the same twice in my household. I always like to add new things, but this is the basic version.

Ingredients:

3 cans crushed tomato (28 oz cans)

3 cans tomato paste (6 oz cans)

1/2 can red wine (i.e. 14 oz wine)

1/2 can water (i.e. 14 oz water)

1/2 cup basil – You can add as little or as much basil as you want. However, the basil is where the flavor comes from in this sauce, so if you skimp on the basil, add some other spices too. Thyme is a great addition.

2 full-sized carrots, cut into baby carrot-sized pieces – This is a little known secret of mine. I use carrots instead of sugar to make the sauce sweet.

5 cloves garlic

2 medium onions, cut into wedges

Olive oil, as needed

2 1/2 tbsp korean red pepper flakes

1 tsp pepper

Salt to taste, about 1-2 tbsp

Start by placing your onions, garlic, and 1 tbsp of olive oil into a blender. Blend until smooth. If the mixture becomes too solid to mix well, you can add more olive oil.

Heat a stock pot with the bottom just barely covered in olive oil (it should take about 3 tbsp depending on the size of the stock pot) on medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic mixture and allow to cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the onion/garlic mixture cooks, put your carrots and basil into the blender with 1 tbsp olive oil. Blend until the carrots are minced. You will probably need to add more olive oil to keep the blender moving. After the onion/garlic mixture has cooked for 5 minutes, add the carrot/basil mixture and stir. Let this cook for 5 minutes more.

Next, open up all your cans of tomato sauce/paste and pour it into the stock pot. Add the wine and water as well, then stir until well mixed. Finally, add the salt, pepper, and korean red pepper flakes, cover the pot, and let it simmer on medium-low heat for 1-2 hours, checking it every 20 minutes to stir. The cooking time depends on your preferred sauce thickness. Check the consistency every 20 minutes, and when it’s reached the desired thickness, you are ready to package it in jars for the freezer and fridge.

That’s it! Super easy, isn’t it?