Homemade Pasta Sauce

I have been completely spoiled with Ben's homemade pasta sauce. We are able to never buy pasta sauce from a jar (which works out perfectly as I hate how sweet it is!). We always have the cupboards stocked with tomato sauce for a quick and easy topping for casseroles, pizzas, and pasta. I thought I'd share the sauce recipe, which he taught me last night, so that everyone can enjoy the delights of not eating jarred sauce.

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Delicious Home-Made Pasta Sauce (for 2)

Cook + prep time: about 20 minutes

2 Sausages (eggplant also work really well for the vegetarians)

2 cans tomato sauce (not paste!)

1/4 c + 1 tsp olive oil

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/2 c. chopped red onions

Sage, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, basil, oregano (all to taste)

Heat up a teaspoon of olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Once it's been heated up, add two tablespoons of minced garlic. We use the pre-minced jars of garlic (so easy to use!) but you can certainly add a clove or two of minced fresh garlic. Ben usually flings the pan around professionally at this point to keep the garlic from burning, but I use a spoon to get it evenly cooking At this point your house should smell like heaven... if it doesn't, use more garlic. Drop the chopped onions into the pan with the garlic and olive oil and then add your sliced sausages (I prefer hearty 3/4" slices). Once the sausages are starting to heat up, about a minute or two for pre-cooked sausage, add about a 1/4 c. of olive oil to the pan and then pour on your two cans of tomato sauce and mix well.

The spicing part of the sauce is key. You'll want to grind up  two pinches of rosemary, one pinch of sage, and one pinch of thyme in a mortar and pestle until it's fine and smells aromatic. Sprinkle the spices over the tomato sauce (which should be bubbling by now). Then add a very liberal dousing of black pepper, oregano, and basil. I'd guess it's a few teaspoons each. And voila, perfect homemade sauce to ladle over pastas!