I have thought about opening my own Italian restaurant because I love to cook and I love to cook Italian food. One of my favorite items to cook is lasagna. I actually cook lasagna for thanksgiving dinner instead of turkey. But whether you are cooking lasagna, manicotti, ravioli, or even pizza, the key is in the pasta sauce. Here is my recipe for great pasta sauce which is the basis for most Italian meals.
I used to use a large soup pan to prepare the sauce but now I use a slow cooker. It is easier because I do not have to stir the sauce as much as I do cooking it over a stove. I do sometimes open the lid on the slow cooker to stir maybe two or three times but other than that the sauce is on its own. You need a food processor for this pasta sauce recipe. And of course you need the slow cooker.
This is a vegetable pasta sauce. I do add chicken or beef sometimes but usually I stick with just vegetables. Grate four medium sized carrots and three baby zucchini squash; then process three cloves of garlic with one large onion; then process one half a stalk of celery along with a bunch of parsley. All of these ingredients go in your slow cooker.
Now cover the ingredients with two 28 ounce cans of diced tomatoes and one eight ounce can of tomato paste. Stir all the ingredients together. Now add the spices. You add one teaspoon each of rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, basil, savory, and sage. Give that a good stir. Now you add about two tablespoons of sugar. The sugar cuts down the acidity of the tomato.
Now you are ready to cook or let the slow cooker cook. You have the setting at the lowest setting. You can stir the sauce a few times in the two hours you will cook it if you like. But it is not like cooking on the stove top you do not have to constantly stir the sauce.
If you are a pasta sauce purest you might not want to use a crock pot. But I have tried both and I do not notice the difference. But the crock pot is a lot more convenient because I do not have to get up and check the flame or make sure I stir to keep if from sticking.
But if you want to use a stove top method raise the sauce first to a boil and then reduce the flame to a low simmer. And keep stirring the sauce so it does not stick to the pan. Once the cook time is over prepare some spaghetti and try out your sauce I am sure you will enjoy it.
Remember to refrigerate your sauce when it cools. I transfer it to a cool pan to let it cool down faster. Now you have a lot of pasta sauce for the week. You can now try some lasagna recipes or other Italian dishes and your meals will taste like ones from an Italian restaurant. - 30543
I used to use a large soup pan to prepare the sauce but now I use a slow cooker. It is easier because I do not have to stir the sauce as much as I do cooking it over a stove. I do sometimes open the lid on the slow cooker to stir maybe two or three times but other than that the sauce is on its own. You need a food processor for this pasta sauce recipe. And of course you need the slow cooker.
This is a vegetable pasta sauce. I do add chicken or beef sometimes but usually I stick with just vegetables. Grate four medium sized carrots and three baby zucchini squash; then process three cloves of garlic with one large onion; then process one half a stalk of celery along with a bunch of parsley. All of these ingredients go in your slow cooker.
Now cover the ingredients with two 28 ounce cans of diced tomatoes and one eight ounce can of tomato paste. Stir all the ingredients together. Now add the spices. You add one teaspoon each of rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, basil, savory, and sage. Give that a good stir. Now you add about two tablespoons of sugar. The sugar cuts down the acidity of the tomato.
Now you are ready to cook or let the slow cooker cook. You have the setting at the lowest setting. You can stir the sauce a few times in the two hours you will cook it if you like. But it is not like cooking on the stove top you do not have to constantly stir the sauce.
If you are a pasta sauce purest you might not want to use a crock pot. But I have tried both and I do not notice the difference. But the crock pot is a lot more convenient because I do not have to get up and check the flame or make sure I stir to keep if from sticking.
But if you want to use a stove top method raise the sauce first to a boil and then reduce the flame to a low simmer. And keep stirring the sauce so it does not stick to the pan. Once the cook time is over prepare some spaghetti and try out your sauce I am sure you will enjoy it.
Remember to refrigerate your sauce when it cools. I transfer it to a cool pan to let it cool down faster. Now you have a lot of pasta sauce for the week. You can now try some lasagna recipes or other Italian dishes and your meals will taste like ones from an Italian restaurant. - 30543
About the Author:
As Mississauga restaurants offer some of the finest cuisine, restaurants Montreal also have outstanding desserts. If you're thinking of eating a one-of-a-kind meal, remember to visit those restaurants!
