Spaghetti Sauce

I went through the pantry in the basement to find all of the things that were close to expiring and I moved around all of them on the shelf so that the things going in the next few months were on one shelf.  I had some evaporated milk, whole tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste.  I was going to use them all up if it was the last thing that I did!!!  I opted for the easiest option of making spaghetti sauce.  I used up two cans of whole tomatoes, three cans of diced tomatoes, and two cans of tomato paste.

I decided to pull out two of the cookbooks that I know had recipes for spaghetti sauce and do a combination of the two recipes based on what ingredients I had on hand.  Do you ever do that??  Make it up as you go along and hope that it all works out in the end.  With these two cookbooks in hand, I was hoping that it would taste great.

I put all of the jars into my pot on the stove and turned to simmer at the lowest temperature.  I added the seasonings:

4 tsp basil
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp onion powder
3 tsp minced garlic
4-6 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar

I simmered for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours.  Stopping every once in awhile to stir and make sure it was doing okay.

I looked pretty good when I went to stir and even smelled more amazing (but doesn't garlic always smell amazing??)

My family doesn't like chunky sauce so I poured it in the blender and mixed it all up.  It took care of all of the lumps and made the sauce one texture and thickness.  We like the fresh flavor of the tomatoes without the texture of the actual fruit :)

It was a great flavor and I now have two jars to freeze and another container in the refrigerator.

I am glad that just a little bit of work helped to make lots of sauce that we can use for different meals going forward.  I can't wait to be able to can stuff so that I can make large batches but for now freezing is a good alternative.  I am sure that we will use them soon!!! 

The total cost for me to make the sauce was around $2-$3 for the whole tomatoes since the diced tomatoes and tomato paste were items that I got for free with coupons.  It made the equivalent to 4 store bought jars so it seems like a great bargain.  I hope that you try to make some yummy and frugal spaghetti sauce for your own family.  I think that you will like it.

Spaghetti Sauce

2 28 oz can of whole tomatoes
3 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes
1 12 oz cans of tomato paste
4 tsp basil
2 tsp oregano
4-6 bay leaves
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
3 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp onion powder

Put all the ingredients (everything in the cans including the liquid) in a large pot and simmer for 2 hours.  If you like a chunky sauce, use a potato masher or two forks to break up whole tomatoes.  If you like a smooth sauce, put all in blender in small batches.  If it gets to thick, add water to thin to the consistency you prefer.

Refrigerate for short amount of time or freeze parts that you can't finish in short amount of time.

Shared at Homemade Mondays  and Creative Home Acre
and Swap and Share Sunday