[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hat are you having for supper tonight? Spaghetti is usually a hit with my kids. I have a list of reasons why it is a regular in our house. 1) Everyone enjoys it 2) It is quick 3) It is quick…:)
I want to give you another reason why you should be making spaghetti with this delicious homemade pasta sauce. Just to fill you in a bit…I used to be one that just grabbed the cheapest jar of pasta sauce at the store and voila! But today, I want to tell you why you should be using fresh ingredients to make your own sauce.
I am using fresh garlic in this recipe because it contains two components necessary to produce allicin. Are you thinking…what the heck is allicin and why do I care??! Well, after reading this you will begin to care about allicin. It is the most active ingredient in garlic that has been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth, thin the blood, and is even helpful in warding off viruses and bacteria. Now that is pretty impressive! But wait, you need to hear this as well.. you MUST wait TEN minutes after slicing or mincing your garlic before heating it otherwise the allicin is not produced. This is because one of the enzymes necessary to make it is destroyed by the heat. Wow!!…Did that make sense? Waiting the full ten minutes allows sufficient time for the component allicin to develop and give you multiple health benefits. So the bottom line…mince up your garlic, set a timer for ten minutes, and then move forward with your recipe. It’s that simple. After just ten minutes, you are free to heat the garlic in any way you wish and you will receive all of the benefits of garlic!
See my minced garlic below! Waiting the full ten minutes! 🙂
Once you taste this recipe you will be so spoiled, you will not want to go back to the store bought jars of pasta sauce. It is also reassuring to know you are using fresh ingredients right out of your kitchen. And this homemade pasta sauce will be ready to eat by the time your pasta is done cooking. You can’t beat that! Your quick spaghetti recipe is going to stay just that…Quick!!
I also can not forget to mention why I use tomato paste and puree rather than fresh tomatoes in this recipe. Tomatoes contain lycopene which has antioxidant properties and may help prevent certain types of cancers. Tomato paste has the highest amount of lycopene as it is the most concentrated form. So now get cooking and enjoy this wonderful new sauce you have discovered!
Homemade Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 24 oz tomato puree
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
Instructions
- 1. Mince up 6 cloves fresh garlic and let sit 10 minutes before you saute it in the pan.
- 2. Heat olive oil in large saute pan over medium heat. Add minced garlic (after 10 minutes!) to pan and stir a couple times a minute at least
- 3. Add tomato puree, paste, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, oregano, and fresh basil.
- 4. Mix ingredients well and let simmer for 20 minutes.
- 5. Add to your favorite pasta and enjoy this delectable and healthy sauce!
Reference:
Eating on the Wild Side by Jo Robinson
