Okay, so I’ve been trying to eat a little healthier lately, and that includes making more stuff from scratch. I’ve always been a fan of pasta, and a good, simple tomato sauce is a must. I saw this “Ragu Simply Ingredients” thing pop up, and I figured, why not give it a shot? Let’s see if I can make a decent sauce with just a few basic things.
Getting Started
First, I gathered my ingredients. I didn’t follow any specific recipe, just kind of winged it based on what I had and what sounded good. This is what I ended up with:
- A big can of crushed tomatoes (I think it was 28 ounces).
- A couple of cloves of garlic, because everything is better with garlic.
- Some dried oregano and basil. I didn’t have fresh, but dried works in a pinch.
- A little bit of olive oil.
- Salt and pepper, obviously.
- A pinch of sugar. My grandma always said a little sugar cuts the acidity of the tomatoes.
Making the Sauce
I started by heating up a little olive oil in a pot. Just enough to coat the bottom. Then, I minced the garlic and tossed it in. I let that cook for maybe a minute, just until it started to smell good, but not brown. Burnt garlic is nasty.
Next, I poured in the crushed tomatoes. I added the dried oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and that pinch of sugar. I gave it a good stir to get everything mixed together.
Then, I just let it simmer. I turned the heat down low, put a lid on the pot (but left it a little cracked so steam could escape), and let it do its thing. I think I let it simmer for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want it to thicken up a bit and let the flavors all meld together.
The Result
It worked, the sauce turned out pretty good! It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was definitely tasty and way better than the jarred stuff. It had a nice, fresh tomato flavor, and the garlic and herbs came through nicely. I tossed it with some cooked pasta, and it was a solid, simple dinner.
I Would do it this way again.
