This is a pleasing pasta sauce without beef. The longer you let the sauce simmer, the sweeter it becomes. If a meat sauce is desired, sauté 1/2 lb lean ground beef, veal or chicken, breaking up the meat until it is no longer pink. Pour off the fat and add the meat to the sauce before simmering it for the 30 minutes. Serve over any kind of pasta.

RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat the oil in a large, nonstick saucepan. Sauté the garlic, onion, green pepper and carrots until softened, about 10 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes, stock, wine, tomato paste, bay leaf, sugar, dried basil and oregano, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard the bay leaf. Purée until smooth. If too thick, add more stock. Garnish with fresh basil.

INGREDIENTS
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup red wine
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
pinch of salt and pepper

GARNISH:
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

NOTES
Nutritional Analysis per Serving

Calories 30
Protein 0.8 g
Fat 0.1 g
Saturated Fat 0.1 g
Carbohydrates 4.6 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 102 mg
Fiber 0.9 g

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Make Ahead: Make the day before and keep refrigerated or freeze for up to 6 weeks. If it’s too thin when reheated, add 2 Tbsp of tomato paste.

Makes about 3 1/2 cups

Nutrition Watch: Homemade tomato sauce has much less sodium than the store-bought product, which has over 300 mg per 1/4 cup.