Homemade Tomato Sauce

The hubbs and I are not huge tomato sauce fans. We're white sauce, or bechamel people. However, I do like to make spaghetti and meatballs on occasion. If I've got the craving for it. Usually I'll buy a can of plain tomato sauce and add my own herbs and spices to it. This time I was in the mood for something a little different. 

And I have to say...this sauce was the bomb. Haha. I don't know where that came from.

It's sweet, has a little bit of chunk to it (depending upon your chopping skills, you can determine whether you want it smooth or chunky), and is by far the best tomato sauce I've ever had.

It does take a while to cook. Be sure to read through the recipe- a total of about an hour and 20 minutes. When my sauce had about 20 minutes to go, I put the meatballs in the oven and started to boil the water for my spaghetti. Also, be sure to keep the heat on low while it's simmering, or you'll have a pretty messy red splattered kitchen... I speak from experience. :)

Source: Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped (omitted)
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped (omitted)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 (32 oz) cans of crushed tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Saute until the veggies are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard bay leaves. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste (I also added oregano, garlic powder, and basil at this point). This sauce can be also be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.

I'm getting a kick out of all this homemade stuff. It's fun.