15 Minute Delicious Tomato Sauce for Think Pink

I don’t know about you guys, but I absolutely love pasta. However, I have become spoiled and mostly only eat homemade sauce. Making sauce tends to be a long process so I usually make extremely large batches and freeze it in separate containers. These containers tend to be enough sauce for at the very least feeding 6-8 people pasta, usually more. This creates a couple of problems: 1) sometimes it is just me or me and one other person, AND 2) sometimes I don’t have time to defrost a container of sauce, yet make a whole new batch…. SO I developed a really quick 15 minute pasta sauce that is absolutely divine. When you simply don’t have time or don’t need too much sauce, here is your solution for that quick dinner pasta fix.

You ready?

Here goes….

First the ingredients: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 small can tomato paste, 2 ripe tomatoes or 1 carton of ripe cherry tomatoes, 1 onion, 1 Bay leaf, 2 fresh basil leaves, 2 fresh sprigs of rosemary, 4 segments of garlic clove, 1 habanero pepper, garlic powder, a bottle of Bordeaux (optional).

That’s it! Nice and easy. Now for the process.

1) Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan.

2)Finely chop the garlic, half the onion (save the other half for something else), and the habanero. Always wash your hands after handling the pepper, and do not touch your face until you do so.

2) Add the garlic, onion, and pepper to the hot oil, reduce heat, cover, and let the mixture sweat out, stirring occasionally as you proceed with the next steps.

3) Dice the tomato into small chunks. If using the cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters.

4) Finely chop the rosemary and basil.

5) Once the onions, garlic, and pepper have cooked down a bit (about 5 minutes) add the tomatoes, rosemary, basil, and bay leaf to the sauce pan. Stir and cover for 3 minutes.

6) Using a wooden spoon or a potato masher, smush the tomatoes into the mixture.

7) Add the can of tomato paste. If so desired, add a splash of the Bordeaux (This gives the sauce a very deep, bold and unique flavor and helps to counteract the spice of the habanero a bit… completely optional, but I like it). Increase heat to medium-high. Stir frequently and heat for 5 minutes.

8) Season to taste with a bit of garlic powder, probably no more than 3/4 a tablespoon.

There you have it! Deliciously spicy tomato sauce in about 15 minutes. Try it out and let me know what you think. Also goes great with pork and chicken dishes. If you want a full dish, check out my full Simple Italian Dinner Recipe.

Till next time!