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Hearty Pasta Sauce From Scratch

This Hearty Pasta Sauce from Scratch is easy to make but so yummy!

Pasta sauce is one of those things that’s just hard to mess up. As long as you start with good ingredients, you’re sure to end with something delicious.

While at the farmers market the other day, I was inspired by seeing all the fresh tomatoes to make a pasta sauce from scratch. I purchased a pepper and onion to accompany it.

Another day, at our local health food store, I selected a bunch of vine tomatoes and a box of crimini mushrooms. Plus I had half a pound of grass-fed Italian sausage (also purchased at the farmers market) in the refrigerator to use up.

A blue plate with Hearty Pasta Sauce From Scratch on a wooden surface.

Once I got home I put Helen down for her nap and started prepping my ingredients. It’s almost therapeutic for me to chop vegetables without interruption.

I added the ingredients one by one to the pot and slowly cooked them together.

The blend of all the fresh ingredients in this made for an awesome sauce (yes, I did that on purpose). Reuben heartily approved.

How to Make Pasta Sauce From Scratch:

Ingredients on a wooden surface.

Equipment:

All you need is a large pan (an enameled Dutch oven works really well), a cutting board, and a sharp knife or two. A pairing knife is handy for coring peppers and tomatoes, a serrated knife if great for cutting tomatoes, and a chef’s knife is good for general chopping.

Ingredients:

When you cook pasta sauce from scratch, make sure you add your own personal touch. There’s just something satisfying about making a dish your own.

If you like your sausage with a kick, by all means use spicy Italian instead of mild! Or if you don’t care for mushrooms, leave them out! Through in whatever produce you have in the fridge. Experiment!

Hearty Pasta Sauce From Scratch | Buttered Side Up
More Pasta Recipes:

Hearty Pasta Sauce

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 8 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 53 minutes
Author Erica Lea

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb. mild Italian sausage
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 medium onion diced small
  • 1 small box crimini baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 1 bell pepper thinly sliced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 medium cloves garlic minced
  • 6 vine tomatoes about 1 bunch, diced medium
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 1 tablespoon cane sugar
  • your favorite pasta I used wide egg noodles

Instructions

  1. 1) Cook the sausage until no longer pink.
  2. 2) In a Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onion, lower the heat, and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook until the onions are almost transparent, about 3 more minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until everything is nice and soft. Add the garlic and salt and pepper to taste and cook for 2 more minutes.
  3. 3) Add the tomatoes, oregano, basil, sugar and remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Increase heat to medium and bring to a boil. Simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes. Add the cooked sausage and stir to combine.
  4. 4) Meanwhile, as the sauce is simmering, bring a pot of water to boil. Add salt and stir in your pasta. Cook to desired firmness (I like mine a little past al dente). Serve with lots of sauce and a sprinkling of parmesan. Enjoy!
Recipe Rating




Anonymous

Friday 15th of July 2016

can you use a mixture of ground chuck and sausage?

Erica Kastner

Friday 15th of July 2016

Definitely! I think that would be delicious.

Unknown

Wednesday 4th of September 2013

This looks really good! My husband would love the sausage and mushroom additions.

Unknown

Wednesday 4th of September 2013

This looks really good! My husband would love the sausage and mushroom additions.

Erica Lea

Wednesday 28th of August 2013

Thank you! That's not a dumb question at all - I often times see dishes on a blog and wonder where they're from! :) I got this one at Target - you can't buy them online, but they might still be in stores. Here it is: http://tgt.biz/190qMM1 Oh dear, now you've made me want to buy more fun plates... :D

Jenny

Tuesday 27th of August 2013

That looks AMAZING! This is going to be a dumb question, but where are those powder blue plates from? I am looking for a set for my new apartment, and my fiance and I cannot choose one for our registry!