Perfect Spaghetti Sauce

I apologize for my lack of posts. Between studying for my LSAT for approximately eight hours a day, doing research assistant work, and trying to have a life, I haven't had time to upload pictures in a few days.

What's on the docket for today?

Perfect Pasta Sauce!




Marinara/Spaghetti/Pasta (choose your moniker) sauce is easy to make, but unfortunately, so many people just empty a jar of Ragu into a saucepan instead of taking the extra few minutes to do it right.

Never fear! It's a really forgiving recipe, and almost impossible to mess up.

Step One:  Compile your basic ingredients. Because I made this in the dead of winter during a snowstorm, I was unable to procure fresh tomatoes and herbs. Therefore, the ingredients for this particular recipe consist of: 2 (28 ounce) cans of crushed tomatoes; dried oregano, basil, rosemary, parsley; worcestershire sauce; olive oil; one onion; six cloves of garlic. In the spring and summer, you can easily use real tomatoes for the base and fresh herbs for seasoning.

Step Two: Heat about two tablespoons of olive oil on medium in a large dutch oven or pot. Chop one onion, and put it into the pot.

Stir it around a few times, too.

Step Three: Take the garlic, and either chop it finely with a knife or crush it with a garlic press. Put the garlic in the pot with the onions, stir it, and let cook until the onions are translucent. (About five to ten minutes).

The garlic on the left was crushed in my garlic press. The garlic on the right was chopped with a knife. It's really up to you which way you want to do it, but I usually use the garlic press because it takes up less time.

Step Four: Open your cans of tomatoes and pour them into the pot. Now, here's the interesting part. You can put in pretty much anything you want. For this recipe, I used two tablespoons of oregano, two tablespoons of "Italian Seasoning" that I had in my cupboard, one tablespoon of crushed rosemary, and two tablespoons of dried basil. I also put in a tablespoon each of coarse salt and pepper. (If you're using fresh herbs, use about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of each).

Cooking tip: Coarse, or kosher, salt is best to use in recipes. It clings to the food better, and is harder to oversalt with than regular table salt. 

I also usually put a dash of worcester sauce and a pinch of sugar in my spaghetti sauce, a trick that Loving Boyfriend taught me. There is one other important ingredient in spaghetti sauce: baking soda. Put in about a half a teaspoon. It cuts down the acidity of the tomatoes.

(Embarrassing anecdote: when Loving Boyfriend and I started dating three years ago, he came to my house to meet my dad a few weeks into our relationship. We were making this same recipe together, and in my nervousness, I accidentally dumped about three tablespoons of baking soda into the sauce, which caused it to bubble and fizz with loud and crackling fury. Luckily, it still tasted good, but I felt like a huge idiot. Not the best way to impress your new boyfriend with your cooking skills.)

Step Five: You're done! Well, almost. After stirring in the ingredients, let the sauce boil. After it has boiled, turn it down to a simmer. Let it simmer on the stove for... as long as you want, but for thirty minutes at the very least. The longer it simmers, the longer the flavors have to mature and blend together, making a more delicious sauce. Just make sure to stir it every once in a while, so it doesn't burn on the bottom of the pot.

Bon appetit!