Chunky Tomato Sauce

This tomato sauce was simple and tasty and easy to make. It also has the potential for great versatility. Go ahead: make it instead of buying sauce in a jar. This recipe makes about 4 cups of sauce.

Ingredients:

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

2 fresh basil leaves

2 teaspoons sundried-tomato oil (or olive oil)

1 156ml can of tomato paste

1 796ml can diced tomatoes with juices

7 sundried tomatoes

1/2 cup of water

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon honey

you'll also need:

bowl

medium sized pot with lid

heat-proof spoon

can opener

1. chop the onion and put it in a bowl. Mince the garlic, and add it to the bowl. Rinse and dry the basil, and cut it into pieces. Add it to the bowl, and set aside.

2. chop the sundried tomatoes, and set aside. Open your two cans, and set aside.

3. in the pot, heat the oil from the sundried tomatoes over medium heat. Dump in the contents of the onion bowl, and cook until fragrant, stirring frequently.

4. once the onion has started to soften, add the tomato paste to the pot. Stir it constantly for a minute until it starts to look cooked and change consistency.

5. add the can of diced tomatoes, the sundried tomatoes, the water, the vinegar, and the honey. Stir everything together, and increase the heat.

6. bring the sauce to a boil, then cover the pot and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the sauce, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7. if you're not eating it right away, remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool slightly before putting it in a container for storage in the fridge or freezer.

I adapted this sauce recipe from one I found in the magazine Clean Eating: Classic Comfort Foods.