Homemade Pasta Sauce

I learned how to make this when I read How to Cook Without a Book by Pam Anderson (no, that's not Pamela Anderson...) several months ago. After I read the recipe, I realized that's basically what I did with store-bought sauce. I never used it straight from the jar; I always doctored it up. I also realized it's cheaper to buy crushed tomatoes and tweak it than to buy name-brand sauce and tweak it, too.

I do adjust it according to what ingredients I have on hand, but it's basically the same.

Meat Sauce
1 medium onion, diced
1 small bell pepper, diced, optional
1 lb. ground beef or Italian sausage (removed from casings)
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, pressed
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced or quartered, optional
Italian seasoning to taste
* brown sugar to taste, optional
salt and pepper

Brown onion, bell pepper, and meat in large saucepan until cooked through. Drain grease, but leave some in the pan - say whatever sticks to the bottom and sides. (You need some fat or your sauce will have a bland, tomatoey taste.)

Return meat mixture to pan and add crushed tomatoes, garlic, mushrooms, and seasonings.

* Add brown sugar to taste. (Since we like a sweet sauce, I usually add a small handful, let it simmer a few minutes, then taste to see if I need more. If you're using Italian sausage in your sauce, don't add as much brown sugar since the sausage adds some sweetness. If you like a zestier sauce, omit the brown sugar.)

Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over hot pasta.

Meatless Sauce
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 small bell pepper, diced, optional
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, pressed
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced or quartered, optional
Italian seasoning to taste
* brown sugar to taste, optional
salt and pepper

Saute onion and pepper in oil for 2-3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, garlic, mushrooms, seasonings, and brown sugar (optional). Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over hot pasta.

** If you like a spicier sauce, you can add 1/4 tsp. (or more, depending on taste) of red pepper flakes.

Peperoncini Roast

1 3-lb. round roast
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 16-oz. jar peperoncini peppers, with juice
2 pkgs. Good Seasonings Italian Dressing Mix
1/2 c. water

Trim roast as needed. Place in Crock Pot along with onion, peppers, dressing mix, and water. Add about 1/2 the peperoncini juice. Cook on HIGH for 6 hours or until roast shreds easily with fork.

Great complement to veggies and crusty bread! Also great on toasted hamburger buns with a slice of melted provolone cheese.

*Chuck roast can be used, but it typically has a large ribbon of fat running through the middle. It's hard work to cut it out; plus, that fat was included in the price. I like something a little leaner, though it may be a little pricier. In the end, I get more for my money.

*Adding too much of the peperoncini juice can make the roast too tangy. If spice is an issue, use half the peppers, less juice, and more water.

Baked Rotini

1 pkg. rotini
1 pkg. ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 jar pasta sauce
1 pkg. fresh mushrooms, quartered
1 can black olives, drained and halved
2 cloves garlic, pressed
Italian seasoning, to taste
brown sugar, to taste
mozzarella cheese, shredded

Cook pasts as directed on package. Brown beef and onions; drain.

In a large saucepan, combine beef and onions, sauce, mushrooms, olives, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Heat thoroughly. Add brown sugar by small handfuls until desired flavor is reached. (If you prefer a less sweet sauce, omit brown sugar.) Simmer 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add pasta to sauce and mix well. Pour into a large casserole dish and top with cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve hot.

A fresh garden salad or Caesar salad is a perfect pairing!

Italian Herb Bread

This recipe is from a bread machine cookbook.

8 1/2 oz. warm water
2 3/4 c. bread flour
1 Tbsp. dry milk
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 tsp. bread machine/fast rise yeast

Add water to pan. Add flour, dry milk, sugar, salt, cheese, and seasoning to pan; tap to settle. Place cut pieces of butter in corners of pan. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add yeast. Program machine for BASIC/SPECIALTY.

*I haven't tried making just the dough in the bread machine then baking it in the oven, so I'm not comfortable giving any suggestions on how to do that.

*Makes a great panini! Brush slices of bread with butter or light olive oil and put in skillet. Fill with mozzarella cheese, portobello mushrooms, fresh basil, tomato slices - whatever sounds good - and brown on both sides of sandwich. Press down while grilling with a grill press or a heavy skillet.

Tuscan Sausage Pasta

5 links Italian sausage, medium or spicy
1 pkg. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 can black olives, drained and halved
1 can diced Italian tomatoes (with basil, oregano, and garlic)
4 c. fresh baby spinach leaves
bowtie or other pasta
shredded Italian blend cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.

Remove sausage from casings and brown. Drain well and return to skillet. Add mushrooms, olives, and tomatoes, cooking until mushrooms are tender. Add spinach and cook just until wilted. Pour over pasta and serve immediately. Top individual servings with cheese.

Serves 8.

Lasagna

1 pkg. oven-ready lasagna noodles
1 lg. jar Prego pasta sauce
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 16-oz. container ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 pkgs. Italian blend shredded cheese
additional seasonings, per your taste
(*I add onion flakes, Italian seasoning, and brown sugar.)

Remove sausage from casings and put into a large skillet with ground beef. Brown well and drain.

In large saucepan, heat pasta sauce, garlic, seasonings, mushrooms, and meat. Simmer 10-15 minutes.

In small bowl, mix ricotta cheese and egg.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In 9x13 baking dish, put a layer of sauce and a layer of pasta. Spread the ricotta cheese mixture over the pasta, then top with shredded cheese. Repeat layers two more times, ending with cheese.

Cover with a double layer of foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake additional 5-10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes, then serve.

Serves 12.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

1 can tomato soup
1 can Italian-style diced tomatoes (with basil, garlic & oregano)
1/2 c. Half & Half

Pour soup and tomatoes into blender or food processor and blend until smooth; pour into saucepan. Add Half & Half, stirring well. Heat over medium heat until almost boiling, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking.

Makes 2-3 servings.

Thanks for the recipe, Tricia!

*I made a double recipe and had just enough left over for one small bowl of soup.

Tuscan Chicken

Tuscan Chicken served over angel hair pasta, garlic bread on the side

1 lb. chicken tenders
3 Tbsp. Pampered Chef Italian Seasoning Mix, divided
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 can diced Italian-style tomatoes, undrained
1 can black olives, sliced
1 small pkg. mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c. water
fresh grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Thaw chicken and trim fat; coat with 2 Tbsp. Italian seasoning. Heat oil in skillet and cook chicken until done. Add tomatoes and liquid, olives, mushrooms, remaining seasoning, and water. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Serve over pasta and top with cheese.

*The original recipe came from the McCormick One-Step Italian Seasoning jar, but I haven't been able to find it in several months. I copied down the recipe before I threw away my last empty container of it and have added a few ingredients here and there. My friend Kim mentioned putting Parmesan cheese on top of a similar dish that she makes. That was an "Aha!" moment. I hadn't thought of that, even though Parmesan cheese is one of my staples.