Spaghetti Sauce Recipes

Whenever I would meet other mothers over a dinner party or just a get together, I never really understood all the fuss they talked about their children not liking the food they cooked. Well, believe you me; it was a bit too much to take. It was like listening to a broken record. What I wondered most about was that they were all talking about a common problem without anyone volunteering to look for a solution? This is what I find funny about social get-togethers, people discussing their problems with each other with absolutely no intention of finding an answer.

That just goes against my logical upbringing. So, it came as no surprise to me or anyone else when I volunteered to run a small cooking class where I could introduce all of them to my own recipes and the food I cooked at home. They were all excited about this. Well, obviously so since they had always heard my children rave about the home cooked food that they had every single day. Many of these mothers although requested to let them decide the priority order of the food that they wanted to learn how to cook. The number one choice and the clear winner of this order was the spaghetti sauce recipe that I have mastered over the years. The best thing about my spaghetti sauce recipe is that it is very simple but not runny like most of the home cooked sauces are.

It is quite thick and that is what makes it unique as well as packed with taste. You can make a high chilly or a bland version depending on the taste of the people who are going to eat it. At my home, a medium chilly is a win-win option and that is the way I go with all my recipes. There are many little and big variations possible on this recipe and if your kids have different taste preferences, I would encourage you to mold this spaghetti sauce recipe accordingly. We all know that the store brought sauces and ketchups usually have a medium shelf life and similar is true for this home cooked one too. You can store it in your freezer and have it ready to be served in a matter of minutes anytime later. Another twist that you can make to this simple recipe is adding a slight sugar to cut through the acidity of the tomatoes.

I would recommend you do this only if your kids are vary of the tomato taste and would prefer something sweeter, if not, well, this recipe is good to go. And I always find myself surprised when people do not know the two most rules when it comes to cooking pasta, which are, first of al, sprinkle salt into the water when you cook pasta (any form). Second, and even lesser known rule is, add at least a cup of pasta water to the sauce while it is cooking.

Let us get on this, then:

1. Let the olive oil heat properly on medium heat in a skillet.
2. Add the red onions to the heated olive oil and cook until it turns very soft. Check with a wooden spoon.
3. Rush in the garlic and put the bay leaves (chopped or full as you prefer).
4. While stirring, add the tomatoes along with the salt and pepper.
5. After this, adding any other seasoning is up to you. Some of the seasoning options that you can choose from are oregano, rosemary, thyme. I like to keep it simple so I do not add these. Let the mixture simmer for at least 30 minutes.
6. If you find that after simmering, the sauce is a little too thick to your liking, add a little red wine (do not do this if you cooking for kids; in that case add another half a cup of the pasta water).