All covered with cheese…
Pops & Nonna have been keeping us stocked with tomatoes, squash, okra, and other fresh veggies this spring and summer! Earlier this week, we had an over abundance of tomatoes, so Mr. Gray and I decided I should make some spaghetti sauce to freeze. I pulled out my trusty crock pot and got to work.
I rinsed the tomatoes really well and got my tomato knife and cutting board ready. I diced the tomatoes up and threw them in the crock pot on low. I made sure to keep as much of the juice and moisture with the tomatoes so they wouldn’t dry out in the crock pot all day.
I peeled some garlic (I had it leftover from a previous meal) and chopped it up as well. I stirred it all up, put the crock pot on low, covered it, and went to the grocery store. It was Monday; I hadn’t been yet for the week, but I wanted the tomatoes to get a little head start.
I picked up an onion, some basil, and some mushrooms at the store. When I got home, I chopped half the onion and the whole package of mushrooms. I shredded the basil and added it, too. I left the crock pot on low until we left for Heart Group; then I turned it off and let the sauce cool down. I refrigerated it overnight (you don’t have to do this step at all, but, in my opinion, soups, stews, sauces, etc. are better after they sit.
The next morning, I browned some ground meat to add to the sauce. While I was browning the meat, I put a cup or two of sauce in my small blender and pureed it; I wanted to add some thickness to the juicy part of the sauce without added canned tomato paste or sauce. I added the pureed portion back, drained the brown meat, added it to the crock pot, and warmed the sauce on low again.
Tuesday evening we had whole wheat pasta, fresh spaghetti sauce, and Parmesan crisps. We had plenty left to freeze so we can enjoy it again! Bon appetit!
