Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 small carrot or 1/2 large carrot, finely chopped
- 1 small stalk of celery, including the green tops, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil or 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, including the juice, or 1 3/4 pound of
fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
1 Heat olive oil in a large wide skillet on medium
heat. Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery and parsley. Stir to coat.
Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet and cook for 15 to 20
minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are softened and
cooked through.
 
2 Remove cover and add the minced garlic. Increase the heat
to medium high. Cook for garlic for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes,
including the juice and shredding them with your fingers if you are
using canned whole tomatoes. Add the tomato paste and the basil.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a low simmer, reduce the
heat to low and cook, uncovered until thickened, about 15 minutes. If
you want you can push the sauce through a food mill, or blend it with
an immersion blender, to give it a smooth consistency.
Makes 2 1/2 cups of sauce.
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