I use a lot of spaghetti/pasta/tomato sauce, over, pasta, sure, but also in casseroles, like this manicotti crêpe casserole; crêpes stuffed as if they were manicotti, slathered in red sauce and baked. Tasty!
I also haven’t been really happy with any of the red sauces I’ve made from scratch (tho’ that’s changing – details coming soon), so I’ve taken to starting with a decent (real ingredients, no corn sweeteners) jarred sauce and adding stuff to it to make it more to my liking.
About my liking. I like my sauce to be a bit on the zippy side, so I add stuff (like crushed red pepper) to make it so. If you’re not as fond as zippy as am I, adjust your seasonings to suit your palate (or the palate of your fellow diners – my grand nephew Jayden wouldn’t care for this sauce as it is now, but given his love of dark chocolate, I have high hopes that we’ll bring him along once he’s older).
INGREDIENTS
•1-1/2 lb ground meat*
•1 (24 oz) jar sauce
•1/2 jar veggie juice (I usually use spicy)
•1 can diced tomatoes
•1/2 tsp onion powder
•1/2 tsp garlic powder
•1/2 tsp dried oregano
•1/2 tsp dried basil
•1/2 tsp dried parsley
•1/2 tsp red chili flakes
•1/2 tsp sea salt
•1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper
•1/2 tsp black pepper
•1 bay leaf
•1 tbsp sugar
*Use whatever ground meat you like – beef, pork, sausage, turkey – or none at all, and feel free to add chopped fresh onion, peppers, ‘shrooms as well.
Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a large pot and warm over medium high heat.
Add the ground meat, if you’re using it, and any fresh veggies, and sauté until the meat is cooked and the veggies are tender – I normally sauté until any cooking liquids have been cooked off.
Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, for about 90 minutes, until the flavors have blended the the sauce has thickened.
Use as you will, secure in the knowledge that, while not totally home made, no one else will have a sauce that tastes like this.
Ermmm, unless they have this recipe.