This recipe was passed down to me from my mother. It’s a simple dish but tastes like it’s from a 5-star restaurant. It’s incredibly simple to make and takes all of about 15-20 minutes from start to finish. The key is finding quality ingredients! For this dish, I went to my local Wegman’s to see what looked good. Wegman’s is more on the expensive side when it comes to groceries but I find their seafood is pretty reliable.

It’s always tough to come up with a side that compliments your main dish. Especially during the week when you just don’t have the brain capacity to come up with something on the fly. This recipe is incredibly simple, delicious, and can be made in 20 minutes.

Lentils are one of my absolute favorite meals. They’re healthy, delicious, filling, and very easy to make. I often make this recipe for dinner or sometimes even lunch if the mood strikes. Lentils are also a great source of fiber and protein especially when you’re in the mood for a vegetarian meal! My kids also love this recipe which is awesome because it’s a great easy week night dinner you can make in about 25 minutes and everyone’s happy.

So as we all know Thanksgiving and Christmas are going to be a complete mental challenge for all! If you’re like my family you’re use to visiting family on the holidays and not typically in charge of hosting the Thanksgiving or Christmas feast! With everything going on in terms of Coronavirus and this pandemic perhaps you’re not really sure what you’re doing for Thanksgiving or Christmas and are now feeling disappointed and a little overwhelmed at still maintaining holiday traditions and keeping it special for your kids. For the past few weeks, I have had a few ideas for how to make the holidays still feel special without being able to see family and friends

This recipe is so delicious. I came up with it one night when I needed to think of a side to serve and had some quinoa cooking in the microwave. As I started to slice mushrooms to sauté, I was laboring over how to prepare the quinoa and then it hit me… combine the two!  We’ve all heard the success stories about weight loss with quinoa; I don’t know if they’re all true, but I know that this was fantastic!

This butter garlic mushroom cooked quinoa can be served as a side dish (even for kids) of a vegetarian or vegan meal. Just use vegetable stock instead of chicken!

You can make this recipe a few different ways. You can use fresh ripe tomatoes for a wonderful summertime quick pasta sauce. This way is quicker and more vibrant than using canned and I highly suggest trying it when your garden is at it’s peak! Another way is to use your quick and easy canned tomatoes you’ve got stored in the cabinet, or sometimes you may run out or you just don’t have a garden but still want a great easy recipe. In this case you can use store bought tomatoes or sauce. If you buy whole canned tomatoes in sauce you can just put them in a blender and add in place of diced tomatoes. I recommend finding a brand that does not have added salt. It’s better if you can control how much salt is used. Either way works and all make for great options at dinner time!

Fresh Homemade Italian Pasta Sauce

October 15, 2020

by Steph

Cuisine Italian

Category Dinner How-To Recipes

Persons

6

Serving Size

1 cup

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

45 minutes

Total Time

1 hour

Notes

You may also make this recipe in an instant pot or pressure cooker for a faster cook time. See instructions below.

Ingredients

• 4-5 TBS of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2lbs of Fresh Ripe Tomatoes or 1 Jar of preserved
• 1/2 Onion Diced
• 3 Cloves of Fresh Garlic Minced
• 1/4 Cup of Fresh Basil -additional 3TBS for garnish
• I TB Dried Oregano
• 1-2 TSP Kosher Salt
• 1/4 TSP Fresh Ground Pepper
• 1-2 TSP Sugar

Instructions

1. Wash and prepare tomatoes for a rough dice. Remove stems while dicing. No need to remove seeds. Once all tomatoes are prepped, set aside.
2. Dice half an onion and set aside.
3. Drizzle about 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil in a deep wide sauce pan and set heat to medium. You can also use your pressure cooker and use the sauté function.
4. While oil is heating add diced onion and minced garlic. When the onions become translucent and the garlic becomes fragrant add in 1 tablespoon of dried oregano. Gently stir. Do not let the garlic burn.
5. Add diced tomatoes and turn heat to medium high. Continue to heat until tomatoes begin to break down and become watery. Turn heat to medium low.
6. Add 1 TSP of kosher salt and a 1/4 TSP of freshly ground black pepper. More to taste if needed. Add 1/4 freshly chopped basil.
7. Let sauce simmer for about a half hour. If using the pressure cooker method set the pressure cooker to 20 minutes on high. When finished, taste to see if more seasoning is needed. If the sauce is too sour or you prefer a sweeter sauce, add a TSP or two of sugar.
8. When the sauce is finished it should be thickened for serving.
9. Serve over your favorite cooked pasta and add some fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese on top and ENJOY!

© 2021 Copyright The DIY Handy Mom

If you have a garden and you grow tomatoes, there comes a time when you’ve got more than you can handle! You’ve probably got it in your mind to can them but you know it’s an all day event and you just don’t have the time between work and the kids! Each day that goes by you toss another moldy tomato in the trash and think “Ughh all that work gardening and here I am throwing them away!”  Canning tomatoes (a.k.a. jarring tomatoes, or some people call it water bath canning tomatoes) can be easy, even for beginners.

I will show you the quickest easiest way to can or jar your tomatoes that will take you about an hour or two tops!