Homemade Chunky Tomato Sauce

I love pasta, but as a veggie-lover it seems weird to just have noodles and sauce (whereas, in a previous/non-vegan life that’s exactly how I liked it). But now, the meal just doesn’t feel complete unless there’s a little onion or red bell pepper, perhaps broccoli and nuts. I don’t buy jarred pasta sauces that often, so I usually just make olive oil pastas – like you’ve typically seen here at the Primate. Sometimes, however, you just crave that thick red sauce that can be sopped up with some garlic bread…mmmm..mmm. So here’s a recipe for a simple chunky tomato sauce, that’s as quick as it is to boil the noodles! Promise! This recipe makes enough sauce for about 4 servings (1 typical package of pasta), plus a little more for those who like it ‘heavy on the sauce’ And for the garlic lovers out there, you know who you are, there is a double-shot of garlic!

Ingredients:

1 red onion, diced

1-2 red bell peppers, diced

3-6 cloves garlic, sliced (you can mince if you want, but I like a good slice from time to time)

1 jar strained tomatoes

1 TBSP dried basil, plus some fresh for garnish

1 TBSP + 1 tsp dried oregano

2-3 tsp garlic powder

1 TBSP salt, or to taste – plus more for salting the noodle water

fresh black pepper, to taste-

1 4-serving bag of noodles – spaghetti, fusilli, bowtie, rigatoni, any noodle that can hold up to a thick and hearty sauce; which means no angel hair or capellini..

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil – that will fit a bag of noodles. In a large deep-sided skillet, warm a little olive oil (maybe 1-2 TBSP) over medium heat. Meanwhile, dice the onion and red bell, and slice the garlic.

2. Add noodles and some salt to the water, and onion, red bell, and garlic to the skillet. Saute until onion becomes translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in a bit of the salt and some pepper, toss in the herbs, and continue to cook another 1-2 minutes. Add the sauce to the skillet o’veg, and adjust the salt and pepper content to your liking. Warm and stir until noodles are ready. At this point, before draining the noodles check thickness of the sauce – if too thick for your liking, thin it out with a little of the pasta cooking water.

3. Plate out noodles, or toss them in the sauce, garnish with fresh basil or oregano, serve and enjoy!

**Note: There’s no actual chunks of tomatoes in this recipe, but feel free to add them if that tickles your fancy!

Happy Cooking!

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