Recipe: Quick and easy garden tomato sauce

This is my regular, tried-and-true favorite fresh tomato sauce recipe. It’s quick and light and easy. I don’t bother with removing the tomato skins — instead I quickly run the sauce through the blender to get it smooth. If you’re working with tomatoes with a thick skin, or if you really don’t like tomato skin, you can always blanch and peel your tomatoes before making this sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup diced onions
• 8 or more cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 -2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• a small handful each of basil and oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 15-20 plum tomatoes (approximately 2 pounds), cored and roughly chopped
• 1 pound dry pasta
• optional: freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.

Set a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, and then cook the onions and garlic, stirring regularly, until the onions are soft and translucent.

Add the red pepper flakes, basil, oregano and salt and pepper and cook for 30 seconds or so.

Add the tomatoes to the skillet, and stir intermittently. After a couple of minutes, add the white wine. Turn the heat down to med-low and let the sauce simmer for ten to fifteen minutes, then remove from heat.

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box. I like to cook the pasta a minute short of the recommended time so that the pasta is still al dente after being tossed with the warm sauce.

For a smoother sauce consistency, carefully pour or spoon it into a blender or food processor and process until smooth.

Pour the sauce back into the skillet and combine it with the cooked pasta. Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan if desired.

This recipe was written by Jessica Webster and originally posted on AnnArbor.com on Sept. 14, 2011.