You can make incredible spaghetti sauce on your own and get it tailored to your taste. I will give the basic recipe and then tell you how to adjust it to your individual taste.

Ingredients

• 1 28oz can of crushed tomatos (If you don’t have crushed you can use diced by putting tomatos and juice in a food processor and pulsing a few times)
• 1 8oz can of tomato sauce (low salt)
• 1/2 small onion finely chopped
• 4 oz water
• 5 cloves of garlic diced finely
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp of dried basil
• 1 tsp of dried oragano
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (to add a fresh taste to the sauce)
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• Salt as needed (This is a lower salt recipe. If you like it saltier, add salt to taste)

Directions

Put olive oil in a sauce pan and add 1/2 of the garlic,  1/2 of the onion, and red pepper flakes and fry the onion and garlic on medium heat for about 3-4 minutes till it softens, but no browned. Add in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, lemon juice, sugar, water, basil, oregano, and black pepper. Bring to a slight boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Add in rest of garlic and onion and simmer for 1 more hour.

Customization

• Basic: Follow recipe above.
• Spicy spaghetti sauce: add 1/2 tsp more red pepper flakes
• Sweeter sauce: add up to 1 tsp more sugar.
• Sauce with a stronger basil flavor: add 1/2 tsp more of the dried basil when you add in the rest of the garlic and onion.
• Meat Sauce: Brown 1 lb of ground beef and add into sauce.
• Vegan/Vegetarian Meat: Grind up 1/2 of a 14 oz can of chick peas slightly. Not too much or it will be a paste. Add in during the last 15 mins of cooking.
• Chunky: Use diced tomatoes instead of crushed and pulse in food processor till right chunkiness.
• Quick: Add all onion and garlic when frying and after adding tomato sauces and all other ingredients simmer 30 minutes.
• Robust: Add 1 to 2 tbsp red wine with tomato sauces. Cabernet Sauvignon is a good red wine to add.
• Garden: Follow Chunky version and add minced carrot while frying garlic and onion, then add chopped bell pepper and sliced mushroom when adding second half of garlic and onion. Also chop onion a little bigger.