Barb’s Fresh Tomato Sauce

By Lindsey Corak

Tis the season for fresh tomatoes! Now is the time to stock up on fresh tomatoes from your local farmers market. Right now you can find fresh tomatoes for about $1.99/lb. But, even better, if you pick your own tomatoes they are only $1.00/lb. What is better then getting exercise picking tomatoes, supporting your local farm and getting quality produce at an affordable price?!

This meat sauce was inspired by my mother, Barbara. (hence the name Barbs fresh tomato sauce). This sauce can be used with any dish. You can add any type of meat to it if you prefer not to use chicken sausage. If you want to make it meat free, then you can just pour it over pasta! The best part about this sauce is you can make a big batch of it and freeze it! So when you need a quick meal or want to spice up that plain old chicken, you have fresh sauce ready to go! 

Barbs Fresh Tomato Sauce (Makes 4 quarts of sauce)

2 tablespoons olive oil (for simmering garlic and onion)

1 garlic bulb (about 8 cloves) chopped

½ small onion chopped

7 lbs. fresh tomatoes from farm stand

1 tablespoon pesto

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon parsley

3 tablespoon sugar (optional)

Meat of choice:

1 lb. Spinach and garlic chicken sausage (from whole foods)

Preparation:

1. Chop the garlic and onion.
2. Add olive oil to a saucepan and add the chopped garlic and onions.
3. Let the garlic and onions simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Cut each tomato into 8 slices and add to the pot (skin and all!). Cover and Simmer.
5. After all the tomatoes begin to simmer, add the sugar to balance out the acidity in the tomatoes. (This step is optional)
6. Add in pesto, oregano and parsley.
7. Cover the saucepan and let it simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Take the casing off of the chicken sausage.
9. Cook on the stove on medium heat until cooked all the way through. Chop the chicken sausage into little pieces.
10.  Add the chicken sausage pieces to the tomato sauce and stir.
11. Enjoy!

Nutrition per ½ cup serving: 49 calories, 5 g carbohydrates, 4 g protein, 2 g fat, 3 g sugar