Pasta Sauce Three Ways

Pasta sauce falls into the “things I like to batch cook” category (right up there with ground beef, shredded chicken, homemade chicken stock). Why? 1) It’s a staple ingredient that I use often, and 2) it takes just a teeny bit more time to double or triple the recipe.

Work smarter, not harder, right?

Jarred sauce is great for convenience (trust me, I’ve used about every convenience item in the store at some point, so this is a non-judging zone) but many of them contain quite a bit of added sugar. Homemade sauce is silly easy to make, so why not avoid the added sugar and just make your own?

These three sauces are all built on one basic sauce; you're just adding a couple of ingredients each time that transforms the final product. All of these sauces can be frozen (make sure to cool completely first).

The basic sauce is equal to about one 28-ounce jar of pasta sauce.
 

RECIPE: PASTA SAUCE THREE WAYS

Sauce #1: Easy Basic Pasta Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes (or canned whole ones that you break down and puree)

• 2 big garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/8 teaspoon oregano

• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder

HOW YOU MAKE IT

1. Add your garlic and oil to a skillet. Mix them together.

2. Turn the skillet on low heat, and let the garlic warm a few minutes until fragrant.

3. Add your tomatoes and seasonings. Stir. Simmer for 5-10 minutes. 

That's it. No fancy hours upon hours of simmering.

Sauce #2: Creamy Pasta Sauce

ADD (to the basic sauce above)

• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

• pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Add these ingredients in after the basic sauce has simmered for 3-5 minutes, and let it cook together for an additional 3-5 minutes.

Sauce #3: Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

ADD

• 1/2 cup pureed roasted red peppers (about one full pepper from the jar or you can roast your own)

Add this in after the cream sauce simmers 3-5 minutes. I love this with cheese tortellini or over cooked chicken breasts and fettuccine.

Note: Canned crushed or whole tomatoes typically have some added sodium, so if you are watching your sodium intake, you can find no salt added crushed tomatoes or use fresh tomatoes.

I personally like to TRIPLE the basic recipe and make all three sauces at once (and freeze them, of course)!

Here’s how I do it:

1. Make the basic sauce but triple the ingredients. Once the sauce simmers about 5 minutes, remove 3 cups of the basic sauce and set aside (this will be your basic sauce).

2. Then add in the cream sauce ingredients to the remaining sauce (double the cream sauce recipe…so add about ¼ cup of heavy cream). Let this simmer a couple minutes. Then remove 3 cups of the cream sauce and set it aside (this will be your creamy sauce).

3. Add in the red pepper sauce ingredients to the remaining sauce and you’ve got your red pepper sauce!

So, you end up with all three sauces in one batch. Let them cool completely and then you can freeze them in gallon sized freezer bags (or these amazing Souper Cubes), making sure to squeeze out as much air as possible and label. Freeze flat and then you can store them upright in bins.

You can also make a big batch of just one of the sauces (if roasted red pepper sauce isn’t your thing). Having sauce in your freezer will help you put together a quick meal on those busy nights.

Here are some quick meal ideas you can throw together with your healthier homemade thawed sauce:

-Toss with your favorite pasta & shredded rotisserie chicken.
-Toss with pasta and meatballs. Freezer tip: make a big batch of meatballs and have ‘em ready in your freezer or make Low Carb Meatball Parmesan (recipe in the May freezer meal recipe bundle).
-Make spaghetti! Freezer tip: having a couple batches of cooked ground beef in your freezer will save you even more time on spaghetti night.
-Use the sauce to make English muffin or bagel pizzas (kids love these). Use whole wheat muffins/bagels to make them healthier.
-Make a ravioli lasagna (recipe in the January freezer meal recipe bundle) or regular lasagna.
-Make a lighter chicken parmesan. Pour the sauce over boneless, skinless chicken breasts and top with cheese and bake (I like to add crushed croutons on top).  
-Make tomato soup and grilled cheese. Add some chicken or vegetable broth to the creamy tomato sauce to thin it out to desired thickness and heat until warm. Add some fresh chopped basil if desired.