Lost recipe for spaghetti sauce (ingredients, carrots, vegetarian, brown sugar)

[Sandhillian]

Can anyone help me with a really good meatless spaghetti sauce recipe? I lost all of my recipes (I had put them in a grocery bag and was going to redo my recipe cards but the bag accidently got put out with the trash). Anyway, I am pretty sure the one I used originally came from Cooks Illustrated. It was so good!

[Tnhoneypot]

sorry, I can't find the Cook's Illustrated recipe for you, but did want to post this one. I found it on a message board years ago and I have tried it many times. Its very good! The only difference that I make is instead of using white sugar in the recipe, I use brown sugar, and I also add dried Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes to spice it up.

mom's best spaghetti sauce

Ingredients:

4 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
4 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
4 teaspoons white sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 (14.5 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 onions, chopped
salt to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 pinches baking soda
ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups water




Servs: 8
"A simple, slow cooked, authentic spaghetti sauce, as good as the restaurants serve...or better! The secret ingredient is baking soda, but do not taste the sauce right after adding it. Wait a while, and this sauce will not disappoint you. It is good right from the stove, but the flavors blend overnight. Best served with your favorite meatball recipe, where the meatballs cook in the sauce the last half hour. Be prepared to take a nap after eating."





Instructions

1. 1. Mix together whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, mushrooms, onions, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper, basil, and 1 pinch of baking soda in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce to a simmer, and cook for 4 hours minimum.
   2. Stir in another pinch of baking soda; the sauce will foam. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and almost brown. Make sure to scrape the sides of the pan in to the sauce.
   3. After the sauce is fork consistency, stir in Parmesan cheese. Watch that the cheese does not burn. Taste sauce. If it is too tangy or acidic, add another pinch of baking soda and simmer another 1/2 hour.
   4. Cool, cover, and refrigerate overnight. The next day, reheat and serve

[B4U]

Marinara Sauce

• 1-2 TBSPs. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes in juices
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley or basil (or both)
• Handful or grated cheese; parmesan or romano or combo

1. Saute the onions in olive oil until soft, about 7 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the Italian seasoning and cook for another minute.
4. Add the tomato products and ½ the parsley and/or basil.
5. Let simmer for ½ - 3/4s of an hour.
6. At this point, if you want a smoother consistancy, you can puree with an immersion blender.
7. About 5 minutes before serving add remaining herbs
8. Blend with pasta and top with grated cheese.

(If the sauce seems too acidic, you can add alittle granulated sugar, or a touch of baking soda to neutralize)

(I do this for a lb. of long pasta and have good bread for mopping)

[Sandhillian]

Thanks and rep to both! I'll try them.

[hutch5]

If you want a real Italian sauce then you need to keep things simple. The ingredients tend to be few and normally fresh (though we use canned tomatoes in winter).

Many of those sauces and dressings that are described as "Italian" do not exist in Italy.

A very basic tomatoe sauce is with:

A can of crushed tomatoes (In summer you can blend your own fresh tomatoes)
A clove of garlic
Olive oil
Few basil leaves (o alternatively oregano)
Salt
1/2 teaspoon of sugar

Heat the garlic in the olive oil, add the rest of the ingredients and cook gently until some of the liquid has evaporated.

Another great and very simple recipe is:

Spaghetti with clams, here is the link
Spaghetti alle Vongole, Ready to be Served

A vegetarian recipe I prepare a lot is with roasted vegetables.
Dice:
1 red pepper
1 eggplant
1 crougette
2 carrots (slice them thinly)
1/2 onion

Put all in an oven dish, add basil, crushed garlic, salt and olive oil.
Put in preheated oven (maximum temperature) until the vegatables look roasted stirring occasionally.

When the pasta is cooked add the vegetable alone or accompanied by the above mentioned Tomatoe sauce.

[Ohiogirl81]

From my Italian grandma (RIP): Use a mix of tomato paste and crushed tomatoes, and add water until the sauce is rather thin. To that I add one whole onion (with toothpicks in it so you can fish it out easily) and as many cloves of garlic as I'm in the mood for (sometimes up to 10! ). A little salt and pepper, a couple pinches of oregano. Bring to a boil, and simmer until the sauce is thick (this takes at least three or four hours). Remove the onion, and the garlic if you don't want to bite into a garlic clove.

Always always always mix the pasta and sauce in a pan over the stove, and heat it and stir for a few moments. This helps the sauce stick to the pasta better, eliminating pools of watery sauce that you sometimes see on your plate.