Lycopene Party

AKA homemade tomato sauce! Making tomato sauce (or gravy) should always be the preference over jarred. It is SO easy and SO healthy. Cooking tomatoes increases the concentration of lycopene, supposedly a major disease fighter (cancer, cardiovascular, diabetes) so making sauce is a no-brainer. Tomato season peaks in the summer so that is when you are going to get the best supply.

Start with softening onions and some garlic in olive oil. Lycopene is fat soluble, so the oil helps your system absorb it. I have seen recipes with other vegetables (carrots, zucchini), so I think you can add vegetables to your liking.

Next, slice up your tomatoes. I used 6 large and that yielded enough sauce for several servings for two people. How beautiful are these??

Slice the tomatoes into chunks and transfer to your deep pan. Turn the heat to low and stir occasionally, constantly monitoring. Every now and then you can mash up the tomatoes a bit.

It takes quite awhile to cook, at least 30 minutes. Once done, you can thicken it up if needed. I do not use tomato paste, but I have found that a tiny bit of butter does the trick. I also add in a few sprinkles of brown sugar, plus salt and pepper to taste.

Tomato sauce stores well in the freezer if sealed up correctly, but nothing betas eating it right away. Rather than freeze it, I prefer to use up all of the sauce across different meals within  a week or so. This sauce is really yummy. It is sweet and tangy, and there is something to be said for making it from scratch!