Emergency tomato sauce

Does this happen to you? You're about to start making pizza or pasta and you realize that you forgot to thaw the delicious homemade tomato sauce you had put in the freezer to use at just these moments. Or maybe you forgot to pick up jarred tomato sauce at the store (stay tuned for a future blog post on homemade tomato sauce to stick in your freezer- you'll never buy tomato sauce again). Worry no more!

We like to keep canned diced tomatoes on hand for different things- tacos (I know, fresh is better), pizza toppings, my homemade freezer sauce recipe AND for emergency tomato sauce. When we go to Sam's we usually get a 6-pack and that way we don't ever have to worry about not having tomato sauce!

Ingredients:

1 can diced tomatoes
Italian spices (I usually use basil, oregano and cracked red pepper)
*1/2 tsp to 1 tsp sugar
additional ingredients (not necessary, but delicious): **red wine, roasted garlic, black olives, mushrooms, really whatever you feel like adding to doctor it up.

1. While your pasta is cooking dump the entire can of diced tomatoes with the juice into a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

2. Add spices, sugar and wine (and other ingredients) and let it simmer quietly for about 15 minutes- or until you really need it- up to about 45 minutes.

3. Use as needed. That's it.

*The sugar is very important in this emergency tomato sauce recipe because it helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes. You don't have to use sugar- just about any sweetener will do, really. I've made it with agave nectar in a pinch.

**Tomato sauce tastes so wonderful with a bit of red wine cooked into it. The alcohol simmers off with the sauce and leaves the rich taste of red wine.