Make Your Own Spaghetti Sauce

Whether you are Italian by heritage (or just love Italian food), you can't undermine the taste of a good spaghetti sauce. And while you've probably had fantastic-tasting sauces in restaurants, you might be wondering how do you make a good sauce that rivals the commercially prepared version. Below, you'll find a basic recipe for spaghetti sauce that you can use not just over pasta, but in any recipe that calls for spaghetti sauce.

BASIC RECIPE FOR SPAGHETTI SAUCE

• Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a saucepan over medim heat. Add 1 medium onion, chopped and 2 minced cloves garlic to the saucepan. Cook the onion and garlic over medium heat until the vegetables are tender.
• Add 1/4 cup dry red wine, 1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes with the juice included, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and coarse salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Simmer the mixture for about 10 minutes, over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves and 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese. Stir until the mixture thickens slightly, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Once you have your basic tomato sauce prepared, you can create other versions by adding different ingredients. If you enjoy the taste of fresh mushrooms, you can add 1 cup fresh mushrooms or 1/2 cup sliced pitted black olives. If you want to have a version of Brooklyn Clam Sauce, you could add fresh clams to the sauce.

Experiment with different ingredients and combinations of ingredients, and you'll have a version of tomato sauce that will taste unlike anything you can find commercially prepared.