Homemade Tomato Sauce for Lasagna

[Roxy]

Does anyone have a good tried and true recipe for homemade tomato sauce please? I want to make lasagna and would like a good tomato sauce for it. Thank to anyone who can help me out on this

[doreenb]

What is wrong w/ Classico Basil Tomato??????????? LOL

That is what I use. You can "dr" it up!!!!! I add meat or seafood, if I'm in the mood -- saute up veggies, if in the mood. GREAT BASE SAUCE that you can add to!!!! I also add more fresh basil and parm cheese.

[heirofgryffindor]

Homemade Tomato Sauce(s)

Hello - A homemade tomato sauce can be as simple as warming several cloves of minced garlic in some extra virgin olive oil (how much garlic depends on how much you LIKE garlic - personally, I use 4-5 cloves). When the garlic has sizzled gently for a minute or so, add one 28-oz can of San Marzano tomatoes (I like to use crushed tomatoes, but pureed tomatoes have also worked well for a very smooth sauce, and you can use whole tomatoes if you prefer a chunky sauce and just break them up gently with a wooden spoon or a potato masher). Let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes or so, season with salt & pepper to taste, remove from heat and add FRESH basil (torn or as a chiffonade - did I spell that right?). Start with 6 to 10 large leaves, taste, and add more if you think it needs it. This is my nonna's recipe and I love it.

My nonno, on the other hand, likes to add Stuff to his "gravy": He starts by sweating a soffrito (equal parts chopped onion, chopped or grated carrot, and diced celery - say 1/2 c of each for each 28-oz can of tomatoes) in olive oil then adding as much chopped garlic as he feels like (2-4 tablespoons). Then he adds the whole San Marzano tomatoes (he usually purees part of the sauce and leaves the rest chunky to use in different dishes), smushes them up a bit with his spoon, adds salt, pepper, a bit of sugar (a teaspoon or two), some dry sherry (a glug - maybe 2 tablespoons), and simmers it for 20-30 minutes. Then he adds a few tablespoons of tomato paste if he thinks the sauce needs it. Now he adds the fresh herbs (oregano and basil) (roughly equal parts) - I'd start with 2 T of each and increase the amount until it is right for you. Sometimes at this point he adds a glug of wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar and simmers it another 5-10 minutes. To use this in a lasagna I would puree it for better "coverage", but that's just me.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your lasagna.

[BJinTexas]

The following recipe is from ALLRECIPES.COM and is truly THE BEST! Seems like alot of ingredients ... but worth every bit! ubmitted by : Johnchandler


1 pound sweet Italian sausage
3/4 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 lasagna noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese


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DIRECTIONS
In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

[BJinTexas]

I forgot to add..... the secret to a good sauce/lasagna is the ingredients used. San Marzanno (sp?) tomotoes are the best. A little pricey, but well worth it

[Rubelishous]

Rubella’s World Famous Spaghetti Sauce

One large tin of tomatoes (crushed or chunked)
One small tin of tomato paste
One onion chopped
Basil (1 tsp or more)
Garlic crushed or chopped (your choice)
Vinegar or Basalmic vinegar (1 Tbsp. or more)

Cover bottom of pot with olive oil and sauté onions and garlic. Add basil for a few seconds. Add tomatoes and paste. Add salt/pepper/vinegar. Cook for about 10 minutes and its ready. Check seasonings and make adjustments.

Serve over pasta of your choice. Double or triple easily for lasagna.

I'd make it a wetter version if you don't want to cook the lasagna noodles first. Just leave out one of the tomato paste if you double or triple the recipe.

[cheft]

Here's a couple I have used...

EASY ITALIAN PASTA SAUCE

1 Medium onion, finely chopped
3 Cloves fresh garlic, pressed
2 TBSP Olive oil for frying
1 can Mushroom stems and pieces or 1 cup fresh, sliced. (optional) I always add fresh mushrooms.
1 jar (24oz) Classico "Italian sausage, peppers, & onions" OR "Roasted Garlic and Onion" sauce (or your favorite brand)
1 Tomato Paste
1-28 oz Can Crushed Tomatoes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp Sweet basil
1 tsp Oregano
2 tsp White sugar

Cook onion in olive oil in a large skillet.
Then combine all other ingredients, and simmer for about half an hour.
If the sauce is too thick for your recipe, add 1/2 cup water or tomato juice.

Use for lasagna, manicotti, Rigatoni, Spaghetti or your favorite pasta dish!

*You can easily turn this into a meat sauce by browning 1 lb of ground beef with the onions!

*Or add your favorite cooked meatballs to the sauce for spaghetti and meatballs. When I make my meatballs, I add the meat from about 4 to 6 mild Italian sausage links and mix it into the ground beef before shaping into meatballs...Very good!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MARINARA SAUCE


2 TBSP Olive or Salad Oil
2 Garlic Cloves (pressed)
1 Onion (tennis ball size chopped fine)
28 oz. Can Crushed Tomatoes
1 can Tomato Paste (5.5 oz.)
1 Can Hunt's Tomato Sauce (14 oz.)
1 TBSP Sugar or Splenda
2 tsp. Sweet Basil
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper

In a 2 quart saucepan over medium heat, in oil, cook garlic & onion until tender, about 5 minutes. (Be careful not to burn, or sauce will be bitter). Stir in crushed tomatoes and remaining ingredients. Reduce heat to low; cover; cook 20 - 30 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. (This recipe can be doubled).
Be careful not to burn!
(Any left over sauce may be frozen for use later.)

*This sauce is great for lasagna, manicotti, spaghetti, rigati, rigatoni etc. It can also be used as a pizza sauce. (If using as a pizza sauce, prepare as directed, but add to the recipe 1 tsp. of Italian seasoning and a 1/2 tsp. of thyme).

[donna1967]

[QUOTE=BJinTexas]The following recipe is from ALLRECIPES.COM and is truly THE BEST! Seems like alot of ingredients ... but worth every bit! ubmitted by : Johnchandler


That's exactly the one I use, too! And, sometimes I just make the sauce, it makes a KILLER meat sauce! The meat sauce freezes great, too!