Saucy and Simple

This is more of a method than an actual recipe.  I like to have a simple tomato-vegetable sauce when we have The Noodle King's home made whole wheat pasta for dinner.  I pretty much use whatever we have at the time and the only 3 requirements are tomatoes of some kind, onions, and garlic.

I like it much better with the addition of a variety of other vegetables which might include bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, celery, and even fresh spinach.  And, I use either olive oil or a blend of olive and canola oils to cook the veggies.  I have learned that we get more nutrients out of the vegetables if we eat them with a healthy oil... this was a tough one for me after years of 'no/low fat' brainwashing.

Here is how it goes:

1.  Wash and cut the vegetables you are going to use into chunks
     about 1/2 inch square.  I like to have about 1 to 1-1/4 cups of
     vegetables for each person.
2.  Peel the garlic cloves and mash and mince them - at least one
     clove per person.
3.  Measure 1 tsp of oil for each serving of sauce into a large fry
     pan and heat on medium to medium-high setting.
4.  Add the vegetables and the garlic, and cook till soft.  Watch
     the heat, and turn  down if the vegetables start to brown.  They
     may take 15 or 20 minutes to cook.

5.  Add your tomatoes of choice.  I like to use about 1 cup of tomatoes per

     person.  If I am using fresh tomatoes, I just cut them into chunks.  If I am

     using canned diced tomatoes I might whizz them a bit with my
     immersion blender.  Sometimes I use tomato sauce or even canned
     crushed tomatoes. 

    
     Just use what you would prefer to have. If you are using fresh tomatoes,

     you might want to use a bit of tomato paste and water to make a sauce.



6.  After the tomatoes are heated through, add your seasonings.  I use
     a good heaping Tbs of a spaghetti seasoning for each person.  Let it
     simmer till it is as thick as you would like it.

7.  Stir to blend in the seasonings, and cover.

8.  Turn heat to low. and let simmer while you cook your pasta of choice. 

9.  When pasta is cooked, drain it and rinse with hot water to remove
     the extra starch.
10. Plate the pasta and put the sauce on the top.
11. I like to add a bit of light freshly grated parmesan cheese on top.

Tonight, for 2 servings, I used:

• 2 tsp canola/olive oil blend
• 1/4 cup chopped white onion
• 1/2 cup each yellow and red bell pepper
• 1 cup green zucchini
• 2 large white button mushrooms
• 3 large cloves garlic
• 2 cups canned diced tomatoes, whizzed with immersion blender
• 1/4 cup spaghetti seasoning
• 2 Tbs light parmesan cheese

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 4.  This doesn't include the pasta.
Calories 150; Protein 6g; Carbohydrate 20g; Fat 6g; Fibre 4g



Just look at that beautiful home made whole wheat linguini!  The texture is magnificient.

Sometimes I think my whole life is spent chopping vegetables!