lizzycooks Italian Red Sauce

This beautiful red sauce goes well with lasagna, manicotti, and chicken or eggplant parmesan. I've been making and improving my meatless red sauce for years and this is the 2022 version. This is the sauce I use with my 3-Cheese Lasagna recipe. This sauce recipe makes enough for a 13x9 pan of lasagna. Any leftover sauce can be stashed in the freezer for your next bake. Bon Appetit!

      

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped 

1 28 oz can tomato sauce

2 14.5 oz cans organic crushed tomatoes

1 6 oz can tomato paste

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

2 teaspoons fresh oregano, minced

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

2 teaspoons fennel seed, crushed

2 teaspoons Kosher salt 

2 teaspoons sugar

Crushed red pepper to taste

1 bay leaf

1 cup water

Heat a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and let it heat up for a
minute or two. Add the garlic and onion. You want them to sizzle when they hit the pan. Stir until the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste, stir well. Add the Italian seasoning, oregano, thyme, fennel seed, salt, sugar, crushed red pepper, and bay leaf. Stir it all together until the spices are blended in. Add the water and stir again. Continue to simmer the sauce on low for another couple of hours, stirring occasionally. Remember to take the bay leaf out when the sauce is done!