Hope's Tomato Sauce

Canned Tomato, Crushed, 28oz
*Tomatoes, peeled canned in tomato juice (14.5oz)
Diced tomato in puree, canned (14.5 oz)
1 medium onion
*Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 tbsp
Water, tap, 28 fl oz
Tomato Paste, 1 can (6 oz)
Parmesan Cheese, grated, .5 cup
Basil, 2 tbsp
Oregano, ground, 2 tbsp
Pepper, black, 1 tbsp
Salt, (to taste)

I store my unused sauce in quart freezer bags in 2 serving portions. I lay them in in the freezer until they are solid and then you can stack them. This is great because if it's just the two of us I pull out one bag the night before and let it thaw in warm water, if we have company I pull out however many bags I need. For baked dishes I just use the sauce cold but if I'm serving the sauce as is I reheat it on the stove, sometimes I add a little water if it gets thick reheating.

I use the same pot for everything so make sure it is large enough for all of the ingredients. Over med. heat cook diced onions in olive oil, until tender, add finely chopped garlic for the last 30-60 s. of onions cook time (just to lightly brown). Lower heat to low and add all of the tomatos, tomato paste & 28 oz. of water (I use the can from the crushed tomatos to measure). Stir together and add half of the herbs, cheese, and pepper. Leave to cook, stiring occasionally. After about 2 hours I add the other half of the herbs, cheese, and pepper and add salt to taste. The longer you leave the sauce on the stove the more developed the flavors will become. I usually make mine on the weekend and leave it for about 7-9 hours. If your sauce starts to get thicker than you like just add more water.

Serving Size: Makes 10 servings

Number of Servings: 1

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user HOSTRA333.