Summer has quickly drawn to a close and beautiful September is upon us. I love to garden, and while my garden continues to grow smaller year to year, it never ceases to reach a point where the produce is more than our little family can handle. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of time to can and preserve my garden bounty (hence the decreasing garden size). After a little experimenting, I’ve come up with this roasted Garden Spaghetti Sauce that is a perfect addition to the freezer inventory. It is fairly simple to make, and I always enjoy the fruits of my labors in the cold Midwestern winters. In fact, I even rotate it right into my meal planning!
The thing about this recipe is that it isn’t much of a recipe. I just bring in all my garden produce and start chopping. It isn’t the same exactly the same every time, but it is always well received by even the littlest in my crew. The beauty of the “recipe” is its flexibility. Just add whatever you want to use up from your garden. Eggplant, peppers, onions, garlic, zucchini, and summer squash are all great additions. Whatever – it always churns out the perfect Garden Spaghetti Sauce!
Easy Garden Spaghetti Sauce recipe
Ingredients:
- Tomatoes
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
- Italian Seasonings: Oregano, Basil, Fennel, Garlic Salt
Optional Ingredients:
- Peppers
- Eggplant
- Zucchini
- Onions
- Garlic
- Extra Add-ins: precooked beef or sausage
- Preheat oven to 425*.
- Coarsely chop tomatoes and other veggies. Spread your veggies on cookie sheets. (Do not overfill the cookie sheets or they will spill over in the oven. I normally just chop enough to densely cover the bottom of my pans.)
- Drizzle vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. ( I like about 1 Tbsp. of salt and just a pinch of pepper per cookie sheet.)
- Roast veggies at 425* for 45-60 minutes or until tomatoes are soft.
- Remove from oven and drain off the excess liquid.
- OPTIONAL STEP: Puree the sauce with an immersion blender or in your regular blender.
- Mix in desired Italian seasonings ( I use Oregano, Basil, Fennel, and a pinch of Thyme), and stir in any meat add-ins. Enjoy hot served over spaghetti.
- OR cool and freeze flat in plastic bags for later use.
- To use from freezer: thaw and reheat. (Occasionally, I need to drain off some extra liquid when I thaw my freezer bags.) Serve over pasta.
Here is what it looks like all chopped up and ready to hit the oven.
Here it is after cooking. Obviously, a little liquidy. All I do is just strain it off to make some thicker sauce.
And all ready to go in the freezer. Can’t wait to enjoy this when the snow is blowing!
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Aww… Look at that little red headed garden helper!
