Basic Pasta Sauce

You are going to love this basic tomato sauce for pasta. It can be used right away or look at the bottom of this recipe for storage possibilities.

TOMATO SAUCE
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total cook time: 20 minutes
Severs 4-6

3 lbs large ripe tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup freshly chopped mixed oregano, parsley and basil
1 lb your favorite pasta

MARK A SMALL CROSS on the top of each tomato. Place tomatoes in boiling water for 1-2 minutes; plunge into cold water. Remove; peel skin down from cross. Discard skin; roughly chop tomatoes.
Heat oil in heavy-based pan. Add garlic and onion; cook 5 minutes over low heat. Add tomatoes and carrot; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add tomato paste, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to boil; cook 2 minutes.
Place mixture in a food processor and process briefly until sauce reaches desired consistency. Add herbs and stir to combine. While sauce is cooking, add pasta to a large pan of rapidly boiling water and cook until just tender. Drain and return to pan. Add sauce to pastal toss well.

Storage time: Sauce may be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.