Rustic Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

Tomatoes and I have a strange history. I enjoy (and don’t enjoy) tomatoes according to my own spectrum. On one end, you have something like raw tomato slices on a sandwich. Blech. That’s my “don’t enjoy” side. Just can’t do them raw.

In the middle somewhere, you have fresh salsa. I LOVE LOVE LOVE salsa but as long as it’s not too chunky like pico de gallo. I know it’s raw (just like that sliced tomato) but for some reason it doesn’t bother me.

At the other end of that spectrum you have cooked tomatoes. That’s the REALLY enjoy side of it. I’ll eat cooked tomatoes all day long. Tomato soup, tomato sauce, cooked diced tomatoes… I could go on and on like Bubba about his Bubba Gump shrimp.

While Big Roo has no clue what the government considers dietary guidelines for Americans, what he does know is that eating veggies makes him strong. Tomatoes are no exception. In fact, the guidelines actually say that people should try to eat one more serving of them each day since they’re good for your heart. (I’ll do it as long as they’re cooked!)

While I don’t share recipes all that often on Adventuroo, my hubby and I make this rustic spaghetti sauce that’ll knock your socks off with its taste and simplicity. We use canned tomatoes like Hunt’s for a couple of reasons. One: I don’t actually like cutting up raw tomatoes (remember my spectrum?) and two: the lycopene in canned tomatoes is easier for your body to use than from raw tomatoes, and you get seven times more lycopene from canned tomatoes than from the raw version. That statistic blows my mind.

I want to dedicate this recipe to Big Roo because this kid has a LOVE of cooking just like his parents. He watches cooking shows, he helps us in the kitchen and he eats veggies like no other kid I know. He’s only four but he already appreciate healthy food that’s yummy to boot. Now, onto the recipe…

Rustic Spaghetti Sauce

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cans Hunt’s whole plum tomatoes

2 tablespoons Hunt’s tomato paste

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (herb blend)

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons sugar

salt to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat up the olive oil in a skillet. Add garlic and onions. Cook until onions are transparent, about 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle salt on the onions and add Italian seasoning.

Now… it’s only rustic if you get to be messy. Open your cans of Hunt’s whole tomatoes and squeeze them into the pan just like this:

Now doesn’t that look like fun? So, Daddy Roo got to squeeze them this time but we let Big Roo squeeze them into a bowl first so he doesn’t have to lean over the stove. Kids love squishing food!

Let it simmer while you boil your pasta noodles. Reserve some of the pasta water to use in the sauce to get it the consistency you want. Just remember it’s rustic so it’ll be chunky!

When you’re done with the sauce, serve over your noodles and sprinkle with parmesan. Ta-da!

Do you make any recipes in honor of a loved one? Have a super secret spaghetti sauce recipe that you pass down? I’m curious since spaghetti sauce recipes vary so much from family to family!

This post was sponsored by Hunt’s and The Motherhood. I received a stipend but all opinions and the recipe are from yours truly. Okay, well, my hubby would probably claim the sauce as his creation but we’ll share the glory.

Tagged as: hunts, rustic spaghetti sauce recipe, tomatoes