This is my go to spaghetti sauce recipe in case we run out of the brand I like. I admit that I’m not a sauce snob by any means, but I do love a great convenience recipe that’s ready in a flash. This fits the bill!
If you have visions of seeding fresh, plump sun-ripened tomatoes and slow simmering them with fresh herbs all day, then this is really not the recipe you’re looking for. This is three things, tossed in a jar and shaken up in less than thirty seconds, because that’s how I roll some days. Like today.
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Let’s make this!
The first ingredient you want isa good quality tomato sauce, like this organic Kirkland’s Tomato Saucefrom Costco (affiliate link). According to this blogger, she contacted Costco, and states that the Kirkland brand is in BPA free cans,and Costco says so here for their diced tomatoes. So it’s a really greatpick at a great price. I keep a box of these beauties on hand for making tomato soup and sauces. (See notes on added sugar on printable recipe)
The second ingredient I use is a good Italian spice blend. I use my Greek spice blend that I keep mixed up at all times…it’s close enough to Italian flavors. 🙂
The third ingredient is garlic powder.
Toss all 3 of these together in a jar and shake! Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt and pepper if you like. You can also toss in other add ins as well if you want to get fancy. My son likes to add parmesan cheese to create a cheesy pasta sauce.[bctt tweet=”Toss all 3 of these together in a jar and shake! #spaghettisauce #recipe #gwensnest”]
We have used this to make a basic spaghetti, or for putting together dishes that call for marinara sauce. We’ve also used it for pizza sauce and meatball sub type creations. I get no complaints! If you want a full jar, the equivalent of a normal jar of marinara sauce, I’d double this recipe and use 2 cans of tomato sauce.
Three ingredients, one jar, and a few shakes makes a very yummy spaghetti sauce! The recipe is made with one 15 ounce can of tomato sauce. If you want the equivalent of a full jar of pasta sauce, then double the recipe.
Author: Gwen
Serves: 1½ cups
Ingredients
1 15 oz. can of good quality tomato sauce
½ to 1 teaspoon of Italian or Greek seasoning blend (I love & use the recipe on my blog)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons powdered or finely chopped parmesan cheese, optional
salt & pepper to taste, optional
Instructions
Add all ingredients to a glass jar or bowl.
Add lid and shake to blend, or stir until well blended.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
Cheese, hot pepper flakes, mushroom cubes, browned meat, etc. can be added to create any flavors you prefer.
Notes
THM type: FP If you're watching sugar/carb intake: The Kirkland's Organic brand I use has 35 total carbs for the can with 7 fibers, so 28 net carbs for the entire can. Or 4 net carbs per ¼ cup serving.
No sugar added tomato sauce on the other hand contain around 30 carbs and 15 fibers, which is 15 carbs for the whole can, and around 2 carbs per serving.
For the total can, no-sugar is 165 vs 175 calories. All things being equal, that means there's a little over ½ of a teaspoon of sugar added to the Kirkland's brand that I use. That's around 2.3 grams of carbs, or 10 calories worth in the *whole can*. This adds zero carbs per serving and about 1.4 calories per serving. The rest are the naturally occurring sugars in the tomatoes. I can live with that. But if you're super careful with sugar then look for a sauce that doesn't have sugar added.
Nutrition Information
Serving size:¼ c. Calories:25 Fat:0 Carbohydrates:5 Sugar:3* Fiber:1 Protein:1
IF YOU COOK spaghetti in a big pot of water, drain it, then toss it with sauce, you are pouring a lot of flavor down the drain, says Vendemmia chef Brian Clevenger. “The trick to good pasta is cooking it in the sauce,” he says. It was while working at Delfina in San Francisco that he really started to understand why.
Tossing in strips of basil, a sprig of thyme or some oregano can take your sauce to the next level. Although fresh herbs might pop a bit more, dried herbs and spices can work just as well. Sprinkling in some red pepper flakes, a pinch of parsley and a dash of salt and pepper can liven up your jarred pasta sauce.
Great tomato flavor is all about balancing acidity and sweetness. Too much of either can leave you with asauce that tastes one-dimensional. Many sources recommend adding a pinch of baking soda to a sauce that's overly tart, which raises the pH and makes it less acidic.
It is widely held that Italian immigrants began adding sugar to their sauce to make up for the overly acidic tomatoes they were forced to work with in their new home.
Briny ingredients like olives or capers are another way to brighten up your pasta sauce while also introducing texture and depth of flavor. Roughly chop a handful and stir them into your sauce while it's heating up on the stove.
Whether you can pronounce it or not, Worcestershire sauce is an easy, effective way to load up spaghetti sauce with umami flavor. It is salty, tangy, and has lots of potent vinegar, all of which cut through tomatoes to create a soothing, savory flavor.
To make your sauce rich and luxurious, finish it with a pat of butter, a splash of cream or coconut cream, or a spoonful of yogurt, crème fraîche, or sour cream. 13. Swirl in some high-quality olive oil Adding a glug to the sauce just before serving gives it a similar richness and shine to butter without adding dairy.
Yes, sugar might make the sauce taste better, but good old baking soda is an alkaline that will help balance the excess acid. A little pinch should do the trick.
A small amount of fat—extra-virgin olive oil or butter—is essential to good pasta sauce texture. Without fat, you have at best watery sauce (nobody has ever said, "Waiter, my pasta is not quite wet enough"), and at worst sauce that over-thickens with starch alone and takes on a pasty texture.
Long, slow cooking concentrates the flavors and brings out sweetness by breaking down carbohydrates. Some of those carbohydrates caramelize, giving rich, "brown" flavors like those in cooked meat. Let it go too long, though, and you can over-concentrate the flavors.
A shot of red wine vinegar might do the trick here, but that adds its own flavor; a small splash of humble lemon can brighten the sauce exponentially without stealing the spotlight. That's what a hit of acidity does—it sharpens the flavors, sometimes imperceptibly.
Heat 1 cup of sauce with 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (baking soda neutralizes acidity). Taste the sauce and add tiny amounts of baking soda to see if it mellows the acidity. If there is still an edge, swirl in a teaspoon of butter, letting it melt until creamy. Usually this does the job.
Nutmeg. Nutmeg is the key to boosting earthiness and adding a touch of nuttiness to your spaghetti sauce. Nutmeg also has a slightly sweet flavor, which we know goes great with acidic canned tomatoes. Overall, it accentuates the other ingredients in the sauce and adds complexity.
Introduction: My name is Annamae Dooley, I am a witty, quaint, lovely, clever, rich, sparkling, powerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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This is my go to spaghetti sauce recipe in case we run out of the brand I like. I admit that I’m not a sauce snob by any means, but I do love a great convenience recipe that’s ready in a flash. This fits the bill!
