Awesome Sauce

So for my first post I thought I would post my mom's awesome spaghetti sauce recipe. I don't recall where she got the recipe and it doesn't really have a name, so I have thus dubbed it "Awesome Sauce." This sauce doesn't only start out delicious, but the longer it ages the better it tastes! It freezes for seemingly forever. (The batch below, for example, I made when I first moved into my apartment around five months ago.) Its also extremely versatile, so if you prefer one flavor over another its easy to change.

This is also a great recipe because its made with stuff that's usually kept stocked in the pantry. So if you ever have surprise guests you can still pull out a great dinner.

If you wiggle the block of sauce around, steam appears and swirls prettily. Its a lot of fun~

Awesome Sauce recipe:
Serves: ? (The recipe makes a lot, but because it saves well we've never really bothered to measure how much it makes. If you're worried about not having enough because you have a large amount of company coming over, you can always double the amount and save the left overs.)
     1 sm can tomato paste
     2 lg cans tomatoes*
     1 lg yellow onion
     3 cloves garlic
     olive oil
     1 individual bottle** red wine (we use Merlot or Cabernet)
     4 T parsley
     1 T oregano
     1 T basil

     ~*OPTIONAL*~
     1 lb browned ground beef (you could easily use a different meat such as turkey or pork)
     1 package mushrooms (we like baby bellas, but use whatever you prefer or can find in your store)

1. Chop up the onion and saute in some olive oil in a large sauce pan on medium heat.
2. Chop up the garlic and add to the onion.
3. Add the tomatoes.
4. Add the meat and mushrooms.
5. Add the spices and wine
6. Turn heat down on low until ready to serve.

If you have any sauce left over, put it into plastic containers and store them in the freezer. Some can be stored in the fridge if you know you're going to eat some in the next week. We usually store it half in the fridge half in the freezer. When you're ready to eat it, just put the sauce into a pan and put it over low heat to defrost. Stir the block of sauce around occasionally so that it doesn't burn. If your pasta is almost done cooking and your sauce is still cold, you can turn the heat up, but you'll have to keep an eye on it and stir more often to make sure it doesn't burn. I'm lazy and forgetful so I usually just make sure to put it on extra early and leave it on low.

*I use crushed tomatoes for my sauce because, while I like their taste, I can't stand the texture of tomatoes. The original recipe used diced tomatoes however, so its really up to you what type you want to use.
**Each individual bottle has a little under a cup, I believe. But unless you're active wine drinkers, I suggest finding a store that sells the individual bottles because they are great for cooking and you don't end up wasting the left over wine.

All defrosted and ready to be nommed!

 If anything is confusing or you have any questions just leave a comment and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. c: