I use pre-made organic spaghetti sauce (and any kind of sauce for that matter) most of the time, is extremely convenient, inexpensive and most of the time delicious. BUT when is gone and I have all the ingredients at home ,the fact that I can make my own sauce, use whole ingredients, and have it taste just as good or better . well ...is just perfect!
All you need to do is get some simple ingredients and follow a few simple steps and you have it!
A little bit of salt, pepper, and garlic will take you a long way! Add some fresh basil, olive oil , and you are eating clean vegan healthy sauce!
Then make your own clean meatballs if you are a meat eater and you are complete! I did my spaghetti with this sauce and eat them as is...but my son wanted meatballs and here is the recipe I did for him. By the way, I use a all grain pasta and was just delicious!
Ingredients
8-10 large tomatoes
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 large basil leaves
6 cloves of garlic
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
Instructions
preheat oven to 400F and lightly spray a cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
prep tomatoes by cutting them in half and placing them in backing sheet facing up. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place fresh basil leaves and garlic in same pan.
Roast at 400F for about an hour or until the tomatoes begin to brown.
cooled a bit, place everything into a food processor (basil and garlic included!) and process until smooth. Add more salt and pepper to taste. I add a teaspoon of sugar at the end to cut acidity. (optional)
Follow the instructions on your pasta box and use the sauce as you wish !
Now for the meat eaters, lets make those meatballs!
Meat, egg, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. That is pretty much it. The key to tasty meatballs is to brown them slightly first. That way they hold their shape and are more flavorful.
Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
1 small onion, minced*
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1 egg
1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs (GF if necessary)
1/2 tsp salt**
Ground black pepper, to taste
Cooking spray (I use Misto)
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, mix to combine all ingredients, Form into 40 golf ball size meatballs and place on a large plate.
Preheat large non-stick skillet on medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Cook meatballs until browned, turning once and working in batches.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (if using slow cooker skip this step). Pour pasta sauce in a large heavy bottom saucepan or slow cooker and add browned meatballs. Cover and bake for 30-40 minutes in the oven OR cook on Low for 6 hours or on High for 3 hours in a slow cooker. Garnish with fresh basil or parsley and serve hot with whole wheat spaghetti, brown rice or quinoa.
