Chunky Tomato Ragu

Most people these use store-bought bottled tomato sauce, and in a lot of cases I am one of those people. Most sauces are fairly smooth with a chunky piece of tomato here and there, and maybe some spices. I was so used to this kind of sauce, like a lot of people are, but I decided to give another type of sauce a chance.

This sauce fits in with the “healthy” recipes that I have been trying to come up with lately. There are lots of vegetables, it’s chunky, and most importantly the sauce is delicious.

As I mentioned last week, if you want to know calories counts, have tried the recipes and made changes, or just want to let me know what you thought of the dish comment below, let me know on Facebook, or e-mail me at miriya.whitaker@gmail.com.

What You’ll Need…

5 Ripe Plum Tomatoes (Chopped.)  [I’m sure that roma tomatoes would work, too.]

1 Medium Onion (Chopped.) [½ a large onion.]

2 Cloves Garlic (Minced)

1 Medium Carrot (Chopped)

1 Stalk Celery (Chopped)

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Basil (To taste)

Parsley (To taste)

Pepper (To taste)

Salt (To taste)

As always, start out by chopping all of the vegetables. (Even though tomatoes are actually fruit.)

Once the vegetables have been chopped add the olive oil to a large pot, I use the same pot that I use to make mashed potatoes in, allow the oil to heat up a little. Add the onion and garlic to the oil and allow the onions to sweat for about five minutes.

 

Next, add the carrots and celery and allow them to cook for five minutes.

Lastly, add the tomatoes to the pot. Once the tomatoes have been added turn the heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer for 50 minutes.

After 50 minutes add the herbs and spices and allow it to simmer for 1-2 more minutes. At this point the sauce is done.

We have served this sauce over meatballs and chicken, but I’m sure that it would be great over pasta, too.

Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Enjoy!