Basic Tomato Sauce

Simple Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 stalk celery chopped
  • 1 carrot chopped
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 32-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
  • 4 to 6 basil leaves
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter optional
Instructions
  1. In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and simmer covered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
  2. Add half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
  3. If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.
Recipe Notes

Total: 1 hr 30 min
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 1 hr 15 min
Yield: 6 cups