Make Ahead Red Pasta Sauce (freezer friendly)

Wow.... what a busy week. When I have a busy week I usually reach for meals that are usually half already made in the freezer. Freezer meals and the crock pot have gotten me through many long weeks over the years. I am sure you have a few favorites up your own sleeve as well (wink). This morning I made some pumpkin french toast using some puree I had gotten in the fall. Yay... Okay back to this yummy vividly red sauce. This freezer helper is special though because of these 3 huge reasons - besides just saving time. I adapted this recipe from another recipe here. 

1. Its easy and requires minimal tending. Trust me. Cooking with a toddler ( a growing boy who is constantly saying mom I am hungry in and out of the kitchen and driving trucks all over the floors) is hard. I really try not to cook many recipes that need me to stand at the stove for half an hr stirring constantly. That's usually a recipe for disaster someplace else in the house. A quiet house is trouble (laugh). 

2. Its full of veggies but doesn't seem to be full veggies. (Tomatoes can hide many things) Your family won't even suspect that there are veggies they don't like in it. If your family doesn't like certain veggies but you want those nutrients in them anyways - use this recipe. 

3. Its extremely versatile. I have used this recipe in at least four different ways at different times. You'll love this thing! Its like a transformer :)  Its so versatile that you can even base the ingredients of the sauce on the season, and or whats on sale. I love making huge batches of this at the summer when the tomatoes are perfect and using it during the winter when tomatoes at the store are welll flavorless. 

Different ways to use this recipe: 

Sloppy Joes

Spaghetti

Pizza sauce

Stuffed Peppers

Chili

Chicken Parm
Meatball Subs

So grab your favorite bottle of red wine... For this recipe I usually pick a Cabernet something a bit earthy and mild. I grew up in Washington State so I am slightly partial to a winery up there. But pick your favorite and the more local the better so you can support your own local economy, and well you'll probably get a better price than some fancy out of the country thing. Yes a whole bottle. We are going to have some fun! The first time I made this recipe I wasn't sure about it, so I was thankful to have leftover wine to drink with the hubby. well sort of. He tasted it. Thats more accurate. He's not a red wine person. Isn't it funny how there are "white wine" and "red wine drinkers" its like the people who like dark chocolate aren't the people who like white chocolate. Sorry rabbit trail. The prep takes a little while you don't have a food processor but its so worth it. If you don't have a food processor the hands on cooking time will be approx 15 minutes for the whole recipe. You will need a blender at the end though or an immersion blender to smooth the sauce. I usually double or tripple this recipe and make it a couple times a year. It freezes beautifully! 

Ingredients:

1 zucchini

1 small yellow squash

1 yellow or red pepper

4 stalks of celery

4 large carrots, peeled, 

1 32 oz can of crushed tomatoes, undrained

1 14.5 oz fire roasted tomatoes, undrained

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 small yellow onion

2 Tablespoons minced garlic

2 tsp kosher salt (course grind)

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

4 dried bay leaves

1 1/2 tsp ground red pepper * 

1 tsp smokey sweet paprika blend * sub smoky sweet paprika

1 1/2 cup of red wine (approx half a bottle)

1/2 cup of water
gallon sized freezer bags**
quart sized freezer bags

*if you don't like spicy things halve the red pepper seasoning

**gallon sized are for bigger quanties of sauce like for using pasta and for keeping small quanties of smooth sauce in so they don't get lost in the freezer. The double bagging also ensures no leaking and better freezer protection. 

Directions: 

1. In a heavy pot heat the olive oil over medium. 

2. Add the garlic to the pot - stir - don't let the garlic get too dark

3. Chop all the veggies or use a food processor, doesn't have to be perfectly uniform just small enough it will cook and saute well. You'll blend it smooth later anyways. 

4. Saute the veggies in the garlic olive oil

5. Once onion is translucent (clear) add in everything else

6. Simmer uncovered on low for 2-3 hrs - once its thick you can start cooling it down but I like to let the flavors hang out on the stove and develop for an extra hr. 

7. Once sauce is cool, and you have tasted it and adjusted seasonings. Grab your food freezer storage bags and your blender. I usually blend 3/4s of the batch a little at a time. The smooth sauce is an excellent sub for any recipe that requires can of tomato or pizza sauce.

(side note) I have found 1/2 cup of smooth sauce is perfect for one large pizza.  

Since the sauce is warm still use caution with your blender and use a towel for the top lid. 

 Thick sauce is perfect for spagetti so I do save portions of thicker unpureed sauce in 3 cup - seems good for 3-4 adult servings of sauce. 

There you have it... my veggie filled red magic sauce :) 

 Keep those freezers ready for when you have crazy weeks of school, sports, 

and everything else. 

Enjoy! 

from my kitchen to yours