Do you make your own spaghetti sauce?

[Blondie]

Growing up, all I had ever tasted was Ragu, until I met my DH that is! Then I got a taste of orginial Italian homemade gravy!

DH won't stand for anything other than homemade!

Mine is pretty basic in that it's 5 cans of Tomato Sauce (from a can, usually Hunt's) 1/4 cup of Gravy Master (gives the sauce a nice deep red coloring, and flavors it as well) fresh chopped basil, garlic salt and a cup of Merlot wine. I used to add tomato paste, but it made it too thick. DH likes a nice smooth sauce.

As I'm starting all that in the crock pot, I am frying up Hot Italian sausage. Adds a nice but subtle spicy flavor to it. After that, I fry up the meatballs which consists of high quality ground sirloin, minced onion, basil, parsley, garlic, bread crumbs, grated Locatelli cheese and one egg. I don't use a measuring cup, just add it as I go along.

My DH's Italian grandmother always told me to "get as much flavor from the meat as you can" so as I'm adding the sausage and meatballs to the "gravy" I don't pour off too much of the grease! I just add it in with everything else!

Then I let it all simmer in the crockpot for no less than 5 hours.

And yes, my house smells so delish when it's cooking!

 

[snoopy]

When I have time, which is rare, I make my own "gravy". Usually, though, I stick to Prego.

 

[kamgen]

Blondie- okay, sorry to sound stupid...but what is Gravy Master?
Thanks!

 

[FOJMO]

OK, maybe I'm dense, but when someone says "homemade" or "from scratch", I always think EVERYTHING is just that! In reading all the recipes, it seems as if the basic ingredients are still from a can. So, it sounds to me like you're really just "doctoring" up the canned tomato paste, tomato sauce, etc. with spices.

What's the difference between that and opening a jar/can of already mixed in spices?

I'll stick to Classico in a jar -- it's wonderful!

 

[Poohbear123]

I am WITH you on that! However, I have HAD and MADE HOMEMADE Sauce/Gravy and there IS a difference! The BEST sauce I EVER tasted, was my Older Brother's Ex-MIL! They were ITALIAN and She had the BEST sauce ever! When the "jar" sauces came out, they did NOT taste any where near Homemade.

 

[Christine]

OMG is there EVER a difference between making homemade sauce (from cans) and buying Ragu, Prego, or any others! I used to ALWAYS make homemade sauce and was a "jarred sauce" snob. Two kids later and no time, we regularly eat Prego. But, when I do have time to make it (mostly in the winter), I do it like this. It is NOT complicated at all:

2 (28 oz) cans of whole tomatoes (puree them in your blender)
2 of those tiny cans of tomato paste or 1 of the bigger ones
3/4 lb. ground beef, cooked
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. of Sun of Italy Italian Seasoning Blend (this brand DOES
make a difference over McCormicks)
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 lb. of sweet or hot Italian sausage
salt and pepper to taste

Puree the tomatoes and the paste together in a blend (I know you can BUY pureed tomatoes but they just don't work for me).
Fill the tiny tomato paste can 6 times with water (or the bigger one 3 times)
Add all other ingredients except the sausage. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 2-2 1/2 hours. Brown sausage and add into sauce. Cook at least another 30 minutes so sausage is cooked through. I like using the turkey italian sausage because it doesn't make the sauce greasy.

 

[BCVOwner2002]

Gravy must be an "East Coast" phrase because that's what my grandmother always called sauce too. Any way, I would never have jarred sauce in my house! EVER! Even when my sister used to work for Ragu and would bring cases of the stuff home, I always gave it away to co-workers.

Any way, during the tomato season I make sauce completely from scratch using Roma tomatoes from my garden. The taste is unbelievable compared to using canned sauce. When I do use canned I will only use Pastene products - paste and Kitchen Ready Chunky Tomatoes.

DS can tell the difference and will ask if I made Roma sauce or Pastene. He prefers Roma and told me I will definitely need to teach his wife how to cook! DS is only 17 so I hope it's a long time before he has a wife!

Annmarie

 

[Blondie]

Originally posted by FOJMO
OK, maybe I'm dense, but when someone says "homemade" or "from scratch", I always think EVERYTHING is just that! In reading all the recipes, it seems as if the basic ingredients are still from a can. So, it sounds to me like you're really just "doctoring" up the canned tomato paste, tomato sauce, etc. with spices.

In my case, yes, that is true. I don't have the time to press fresh picked tomatoes, removing the seeds, etc. then puree them. Hunt's Tomato Sauce is just that, plain sauce you get from the tomatoes without any spices added in. There are spiced up versions, but I don't bother with them. In these parts, the only brand I can get is Hunt's! In PA I could get Pastene, or other italian brands, but down here, it isn't happening!

Truth be told, I don't know of anyone (except someone here who said they do it) who gets fresh tomatoes and starts from scratch!

Blondie- okay, sorry to sound stupid...but what is Gravy Master?

It's sold in very small bottles in the spice or canned gravy section of your super market. It's mainly used in flavoring beef gravy you'd use for Roast Beef, etc. It's a dark brown color and a little goes a long way. A friend recommended it to me, and I balked at the thought of it...but I tried it...and now I never forget it!

Try it next time you make a roast, then experiment a little.

 

[Jiminy102]

we have some in the crockpot right now!!!

 

[GenePA]

Mostly we use jar sauces...DW likes hers smooth but I like mine chunky. With that known, let's just say I don't get chunky sauce very often. Every so often (like when I make stuffed peppers) I will make a simple and light tasting sauce that I really enjoy.....

*** Hot pan.....olive oil & chopped garlic....
*** Add two cans (or so) of whole tomatoes.....I crush them as I put them in the pan.....
*** salt, pepper, pinch of sugar, oregano, lemon zest, and fresh lemon juice.....
*** let that cook down for 45min to an hour....
*** add a lot of fresh basil for the last few minutes....

That's it....very light and fresh tasting. Not as robust as a lot of the sauces around but I find it to be a nice change of pace.

 

[Mishetta]

Lots of different variations on the homemade sauces here. Very interesting. I make mine very plain & simple & I do use the canned tomato sauce (my Mom used fresh tomatos & took all the seeds out ~ OMG, like I'd have that time!)

This is the quick version I have been using since children came into my life:

1 28 oz can tomato sauce or tomato puree
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 6 oz can of water (use the tomato paste can)
1 medium or large onion ~ whole, peeled
2 medium cloves of garlic ~ whole, peeled
3 tablespoons of sugar
Handful of FRESH basil leaves
Handful of FRESH parsley
1/4 cup olive oil or a little less
salt/pepper

1 lb of ground round ~ browned (optional)

I just dump everything in a large pot & simmer for a minimum of 2.5 hours. When it's done to my liking, I remove the garlic, onion, & greens (basil & parsley) because my kids don't want to see that stuff in their sauce. This is not as good as making it with fresh backyard picked tomatos but it's pretty good. I can't compare it to any jarred sauce since I've never tasted sauce from a jar before.

NO OREGANO! The true "old fashioned" Italian way was to ONLY add Oregano in pizza sauce, NOT pasta sauce.

 

[aunties]

I love making sauce/gravy from scratch. I buy a large box of "seconds" tomatoes from the local farm stand. I have an awesome contraption that separates the skin and seeds from the juice and pulp. I fry up hamburg, puree fresh onions and garlic (don't like veggie chunks), chop fresh basil, and add in the tomatoes. Then, I inhale the aroma for the next 3-5 hours. I usally make enough to fill my canning pot and then freeze it. I will admit to eating just sauce for lunch at times. It does take an afternoon to make but it tastes so good!

 

[dcgrumpy]

I don't measure anything, 3 cans whole peeled tomates which I crush by hand, saute garlic in olive oil, add tomatoes, fresh or jarred basil, pinch of salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper, parsley, tbs sugar, a little wine, add meatballs, sausage, brasciole or whatever meat, simmer for a few hours

as far as jarred, i like Classico and Barrila