I love this sauce. It's a quick sauce to get started, and the simmer time is hands off. It freezes well, so if you have a big pot you can double the recipe (I use a 5 quart pot) and have a nice store of sauce in the freezer.
I use it for everything: pizza, calzone, lasagne, ravioli, spaghetti. If you like your lasagne saucy (which I do), a single batch is the perfect amount for a 9x13 pan.
There has been much discussion on the danger of canned tomatoes. Some canned foods contain BPA in the lining of the can and acidic foods (such as tomatoes) can cause the BPA to leach into the food. Amazon sells boxed and jarred tomatoes, and Muir Glenn tomato products have been transitioned to non-BPA cans. Which is good news as Muir Glenn tomatoes won the taste test at America's Test Kitchen!
Best Red Sauce
I don't recall the original source for this sauce, but I believe it was originally a sauce for a lasagne from All Recipes.
1 TB extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 tsp minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14 oz) can tomato sauce
2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
1/2 cup water
2 TB sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried basil (or 3 tsp fresh basil)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 TB salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 TB dried parsley
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat.
Saute onion and garlic until the onions are soft and golden.
Stir in remaining ingredients.
Simmer uncovered for 30-45 minutes.
Serve with pasta, or use as a sauce for pizza or calzone, adding meat or veggies to the sauce as desired.
