Pasta Sauce

Here's an easy pasta sauce recipe that I use on everything: eggplant parmesan  spaghetti, lasagna, pizza, etc.

It's quick and delicious!

The picture is of my mom's tomato plants from last year which she canned and I used to make the sauce tonight.

• 1 can whole tomatoes
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
• 2 small cloves garlic, finely chopped (1 large clove)
• 2 tsps dried basil (or 8 to 10 leaves of fresh basil, chopped)
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 3 leaves fresh mint (optional)
• olive oil
• water

Pour enough olive oil in the sauce pot just to cover the bottom. (Mom says a little extra never hurts.)

Heat the oil on medium heat, once hot add the onion and saute until almost soft, about 5 minutes or so.

Once the onion is almost soft, add the garlic and saute for a few more minutes. Don't let the garlic get brown. (Note: If you use fresh basil and mint add them when you add the garlic to the onions. It tastes amazing that way!!)

Add the tomato paste and mix with the onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes stirring often.

Blend the entire can of tomatoes until smooth.

Add the blended tomatoes to the paste mixture and stir until incorporated well. Add water as needed to thin to the consistency you want. The sauce will thicken as it cooks.

Add the sugar, basil, black pepper and sea salt (and mint if you are using it), stir well, cover and let simmer for at least 30 min and up to 3 hours. The longer it cooks the thicker the sauce will be.
You don't want the sauce to boil, you just want it at a simmer so reduce the heat as needed.