Roasted Tomato Sauce

Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.

Servings: Serves 4. Can be easily doubled. One serving includes 1 Tbl of your oil allotment for the day.

This is a super-easy way to make a full-flavored tomato sauce. You can serve with Zoodles (zucchini noodles) or a small amount of pasta. You could use this as a meatball sauce or even on a pizza. Think of all the things you like to have with tomato sauce, and this might become your “go-to” sauce.  Tastes soooo good homemade. You can make larger batches and freeze them in portions, too. You’ll think you’re eating at an Italian Grandma’s house when you taste this.

Ingredients:

• 8 peeled garlic cloves
• ¼ cup of butter (1/2 of a stick) cut into bits
• 28 oz can of whole, peeled tomatoes (I use Marzano brand)
• 1/8 of a tsp of red pepper flakes (you can leave these out if you don’t want any zip in your sauce)
• A grating of sea salt and fresh pepper
• Finely grated parmesan for serving

Instructions:

Heat your oven to 425 degrees.

Get out your 9 X 13 ovenproof pan.  Empty the tomatoes into the pan and squeeze them with your fingers or poke them with a fork to sort of break them up.  Add the butter bits and the garlic cloves. Toss them around so it’s nicely mixed up. Add the optional pepper flakes and the salt and pepper. Stir.

Roast the tomato mixture for about 20 minutes. Then open the oven and stir them up. Roast another 20 minutes until the sauce is chunky-wonderful.

Using a potato masher or a folk break up the roasted tomatoes and the garlic cloves until the whole mixture looks like chunky tomato sauce. The roasted tomato and the caramelized garlic will fill your kitchen with good smells.

You are ready to serve, or do what you’re going to do with it. Pour over roast chicken or zucchini noodles. Dust with the parmesan cheese and dig in.

You can keep this in your refrigerator for a few days. Make ahead and just reheat when you assemble the meal. Or freeze portions for later use.

Enjoy!

Cheers,