The Soft Simmer

If I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life it would 100% be pasta. And this classic Italian red pasta sauce would definitely be in the rotation. It’s full of flavor, but also it’s simple and easy to make, making it a staple for Sauce Sunday.

I love this sauce because you can really pair it with many different types of pasta. Rigatoni is my favorite type of pasta, but you can use spaghetti, penne, shells, etc…

This sauce is also so versatile in the fact that you can choose any protein to add to it. Ground beef, turkey, or sausage, roasted chicken or chicken cutlets, meatballs. The options are endless.

It’s also incredibly easy to make. Start off how most delicious sauces do by sautéing garlic and onion. I also like to add in some diced sweet cherry peppers for a little more flavor. Then add in a little tomato paste. Once cooked, add in crushed tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Once your pasta is cooked, save about 1/2 cup pasta water and add that to the sauce.

Another great thing about this sauce is that you can leave it cooking all day on low. Just make sure you give it a good stir every now and then. If you choose to do this, start the pasta and your desired protein about 30 minutes before you’d like to eat. Bonus of this, your home will be smelling delicious all day.

I like my sauce chunky, but if you wish for a smoother sauce, either use an immersion blender or food processor to get your desired texture.

This classic pasta sauce is easy to whip up and can be left simmering all day. Pair with your protein of choice, like meatballs or sausage, and serve with some slices of Italian bread and you are all set for your next Sauce Sunday.

Italian Red Pasta Sauce

Serves: 4

Prep time: 5-10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pasta of choice 
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• 4-6 oz sweet cherry peppers (~8 peppers), diced 
• 3 oz tomato paste
• 28 oz crushed tomatoes 
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning 
• ½ cup pasta water
• Grated parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Once cooked to liking, save 1/2 cup pasta water before draining and set aside. Then set aside drained pasta.
2. Preheat oil in large sauce pan on medium heat. Once heated, add onions, garlic, and sweet cherry peppers to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Onions and peppers should be softened and garlic should be fragrant. Stir often to not burn the vegetables.
3. Reduce heat to low and add in tomato paste to the pepper mixture. Stir to combine and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add in crushed tomatoes and increase heat to medium. Bring sauce to a simmer then cover and reduce heat to lowest setting. Stir in Italian seasoning. Add in pasta and slowly stir in pasta water until desired thickness of sauce is reached.
5. Give sauce and pasta a good mix to ensure all pasta is coated. Add protein of choice and serve with grated parmesan cheese.

Notes:

• Simmer the sauce all day. This sauce can be left simmering on the stove as long as you have it on the lowest setting and give it a good stir every ~30 minutes.
• Add protein. I like to make this sauce with meatballs or sausage links.
• Like it hot? You can substitute out half of the sweet cherry peppers for hot cherry peppers. You can also add ~1 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes to give it an extra kick.