Homemade Tomato Pasta Sauce

There is nothing like returning home from vacation to be greeted by a garden filled with a bunch of ripe roma tomatoes. Of course, my husband made salsa right away. And naturally, I decided to make homemade sauce to serve with whole grain pasta for dinner. Armed with the basic ingredients (most from the garden), inspired by countless different recipes, I gathered the kids to watch me make the key component of their favorite dish. Being that this was my first time actually making homemade sauce, my little ones weren’t shy about showing their skepticism while helping me prep. But, as the aroma of the simmering sauce started to fill the kitchen, my oldest said to me, “oh…I think you’re on to something”. That gave me a little confidence that I was on the right track. The true test was dinner time. I’ll admit, only two of the three kid taste testers approved, but a big thumbs up from the husband who liked the fact that it actually tasted like vegetables and not just salt. Next time, I may let the flavors cook together longer or add more veggies to chunk it up, but overall, I am sure that I won’t be buying store bought sauce much anymore.

Tip: If you love basil like we do, be sure to add sprigs of basil near the end of the sauce. Adding the sprigs too early will cause the basil’s oils to yield a less intense flavor.