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Romantic Homemade Pasta Sauce

Posted by Ari on May 5, 2009 in Life, My Recipes, Quick & Easy, Savory Recipes | 37 Comments
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Few things can turn a simple pasta dinner into something spectacular like homemade pasta sauce. Saute diced onion and minced garlic in olive oil, add tomatoes, red wine vinegar and herbs, then toss it with your favorite noodles and dig in. With freshly grated Parmesan cheese you can’t ask for a more satisfying weeknight meal.

My husband and I have a long history with the recipe in this post. More than seven years ago he decided to ask me to marry him over a romantic, homemade dinner. He pulled out all the stops, placing fresh tulips in a beautiful vase, lighting candles and even sprinkling rose petals on the table. When I got home that evening the scene he’d created took my breath away – and then we sat down for dinner.

Although my husband is now an exceptional cook, back then he was no more skilled than I was. Me, the girlfriend who set his kitchen on fire when trying to woo him with apple cobbler. However, by this point I had mastered the pasta sauce you see here. Delicious and requiring minimal cooking skills, this was my go-to recipe; the one I made when we wanted something special for dinner, or when we’d had a little tiff and I wanted a surefire way to smooth things over.

When the big night came around, my husband was so nervous he accidentally doubled the amount of basil in the recipe, then tried to fix the mistake by adding more sugar, and when that didn’t work he added yet more basil… you see where this is going? I wasn’t there so I can’t say for sure, but he tells me this went on for almost 10 minutes so I don’t think it will surprise you to learn that we decided to go out for dinner that night – no pasta sauce can stand that amount of abuse! But before we left he proposed and I agreed to marry him. Homemade pasta sauce or no, I was smart enough to hold on to a guy who’d go to such lengths to create a romantic evening.

Over a glass of wine later that night I asked what he was thinking when he started adding crazy amounts of sugar and basil to the recipe. He shrugged and explained: “Well, I remember reading that if you add too much of something to a recipe you can fix it by adding sugar.” Curious, I looked up this mysterious reference when we got home and turns out he had read such a thing, but the book had been talking about chili and using sugar to offset the heat from adding too much chili powder. Didn’t work so well with basil, but boy does this pasta sauce recipe have memories now!

These days I like to ladle this sauce over spinach fettuccine and serve it with rustic sweet potato muffins. It also makes a great base for homemade pizza topped with cheese and onions caramelized in white wine. For parties, I sometimes serve the sauce with slices of fresh mozzarella as an appetizer. Whatever form it takes, it’s a hit every time.

Just keep an eye on that basil. :)

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March Books
Don’t forget about the monthly book giveaway! April’s winner has been posted on the giveaway page. May’s book giveaway includes 3 copies of “Mix Shake Stir: Recipes from Danny Meyer’s Acclaimed New York City Restaurants,” by Danny Meyer. Just in time for the summer months this book includes over 100 recipes for bar classics, signature favorites, and original, refreshing libations – from the Modern’s elegant mojito made with champagne and rose water to Tabla’s Pomegranate Gimlet.





Homemade Pasta Sauce (My Recipe)

Ingredients: Serves 4

  • 4 large ripe tomatoes or 1 24-oz can of petite diced tomatoes
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
  • 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar (I enjoy the acidic taste of the vinegar, but you can reduce this to 2 tablespoons if you prefer a sweeter sauce)
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil

If using fresh tomatoes: cut a small X on the bottom of each tomato, then blanch them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Dunk them in cold water immediately, then peel the skin off, remove the seeds and roughly chop the tomatoes.

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan and cook the onion for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until light golden. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes and vinegar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the tomato pasta, herbs and sugar. Simmer another 15 minutes, stirring frequently. This is a chunky sauce as is, but you can make it smooth by using an immersion blender once the sauce has finished cooking.

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