This sauce is full of veggies and taste. It’s a bit of a labor of love, as you need to give it time to develop its flavor. You will not be disappointed, so make this your go-to sauce for pasta, pizza, lasagna and more. Enjoy!

Makes approx. 7½ to 8 cups

Prep Time: 25 minutes   Cook Time: 2hrs. *

 

Ingredients

1 large onion, diced

¼ cup water for sautéing

1 each red, yellow and green pepper, cored, seeded and diced

2 medium carrots, ¼” diced (approx. 1 cup)

8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, halved and thinly sliced

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

1 Tbsp. dried oregano

1 Tbsp. dried basil

1 28 oz. can crushed (plum) tomatoes, unsalted*

2 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes, unsalted

4 bay leafs

2 Tbsp. of tomato paste, unsalted

¼ cup high quality balsamic vinegar*

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

• Heat a large pot with lid to medium-high heat.
• Add onions and sauté until they just slightly starting to soften and brown, approx. 3-4 minutes.
• Add ¼ cup of water, peppers, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, herbs, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine, lower heat to medium and sauté until vegetables are soft and translucent. Approx. 8-10 minutes, with lid on the pot.
• Add crushed and diced tomatoes, bay leafs, tomato paste and balsamic vinegar. Stir to combine and simmer on medium-low heat for about 1 hour. Keep lid on the pot. Stir from time to time to avoid sauce sticking to the bottom.
• Remove 3 cups of sauce from the pot, add to a blender and blend until smooth. Then add back into the sauce pot (be very careful, as the sauce may be hot). Make sure, none of the bay leafs end up in the blender.
• Let simmer for another 45 minutes or longer. Remove bay leafs. This sauce gets better the longer you cook it. Enjoy.

Notes*.

• I happen to use crushed plum tomatoes.   Use whichever ones you like.
• I used an 18-year-old balsamic vinegar. The quality of the vinegar will affect the taste.
• This sauce is great over pasta, on pizza, in lasagna etc. and does freeze well.