It goes with out saying that eating pasta is a part of our weekly lives. When we are on the go and have to make something quick, pasta is the easiest thing ever to whip up.

At the height of our Sopranos obsession I got this book for Chad for his birthday. Needless to say, it has become our pasta Bible.

Ingredients

• 4 large garlic cloves, lightly smashed
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 4 lbs plum tomatoes (very ripe, peeled, seeded, and chopped) or 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes (Italian, drained)
• salt
• 8-10 fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

We find this makes enough for 4 people, so we usually half it.

We also use the cans of diced tomatoes since it is easy to keep a stock of them in the cupboard ready to be used.

The first step is to cook the lightly smashed garlic in the oil, in a large skillet. Press them occasionally with the back of a spoon, until they are golden, which usually takes about 4 minutes.
 

Next add your tomatoes and salt to taste.

Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the sauce is thick (15-20 minutes, depending on the tomatoes).

Chad likes to break up the chunks of tomatoes with a spoon or tongs. He is obsessed with making sure the chunks are the right size.

Now, normally, you would just cook the tomatoes as direct, then throw on some fresh basil, mix it around and BOOM, you’re done, but we here in the Ciavarro house hold, like to take artistic liberty.

A splash of red wine adds depth of flavour, so feel free to add as much as you like.

Chad likes things a bit spicy so he always throws in some red pepper flakes.

Something new we have started to do is to partially BBQ a hot Italian sausage, slice it up, and then let it finish cooking in the sauce. It’s a simple (and very yummy) way to add some meat to this otherwise vegetarian dish.

Lastly, just before the sauce has come to your desired consistency and thickness, throw in some fresh basil and mix.

Nom nom nom. Doesn’t that look good!?

All that is left to do is to toss the sauce with your favorite (fully cooked) pasta noodle. We love using short noodles and noodles with ridges (Short Cut Extruded Pasta) as they grab more of the sauce. It is a much more satisfying eating this sauce with some Penne Rigate then it is with Spaghetti!

As you can tell, this recipe is SUPER easy to make. It can satisfy both Vegetarians and Carnivores, depending on which version you use. Plus, if you always keep some cans of diced tomatoes stocked in your kitchen, you will always be ready for an amazing and easy meal!

Now that I have shared this recipe with you, you have no excuse to EVER eat store bought pasta sauce again!