Garden Fresh Pasta Sauce That You’ll Love All Summer Long

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Here’s the funny thing. I generally don’t like pasta. I think it’s because I grew up eating spaghetti sauce made from ground beef and a jar of store bought sauce. For whatever reason, I still avoid making spaghetti. I just don’t love it. I never crave it. But I do love this Garden Fresh Pasta Sauce. The ingredients are simple. The recipe is easy to follow and doesn’t require a ton of time. I love the zing that the fresh herbs bring to the sauce. I value this recipe even more since I can take many of the ingredients from my backyard garden. This is a recipe that I use all summer long. I hope you’ll love it all summer long too.

THE INGREDIENTS

Keep it simple. I love that these ingredients are easy to access and many can be grown in your backyard garden. They’re not complex or complicated. Here’s what you’ll need to make this Garden Fresh Pasta Sauce:

• olive oil
• tomatoes
• red onions
• garlic
• fresh parsley
• fresh basil (can use dried if needed)
• italian seasoning
• sea salt
• red pepper flakes
• white pepper
• canned chickpeas

That’s it. I really think it’s the fresh herbs that make me love this recipe so much. I highly encourage you to grow your own. Herbs are easy to grow, even in a small space. I find that they make soups and sauces taste so much better than using their dried counterparts.

THE CASE FOR FRESH GARLIC

For ease, I think a lot of people purchase minced garlic in a jar. I get it. It’s precut. But to preserve the garlic, it’s soaked in water, citric acid, and sometimes xanthan gum. Even with a fresh jar, I find that the garlic tastes a bit rancid compared to fresh garlic. I’ll be honest here. Twenty years ago, I used to buy garlic in a jar because I didn’t know how to get into a garlic bulb. Peeling a garlic clove seemed painfully tedious. I was lost until someone graciously taught me otherwise.

The truth is, fresh garlic is not that hard to manipulate if you know the tricks. Also, truly fresh garlic bulbs will last up to a year in a cool environment with low humidity. There’s no need to worry about spoilage.

Over a trash can, I remove the outer paper of the bulb. By pulling from the point down, you can peel back the paper. Once you see individual cloves, begin to pull them apart. They separate easily without the paper around them. Move the individual bulbs to a sturdy cutting board. One at a time, position them so that they are arched like a rainbow. Using a large knife with a wide blade, smash down on each bulb individually. Use the flat of the blade. One quick smash will break the peel away from the clove. Be sure the blade is angled away from your fingers, toward the cutting board. After smashing each clove, pull away the peels and dispose of them. Mince the garlic. This entire process may take 3-4 minutes. It takes more time than scooping garlic from a jar, but the result is well worth it.

SERVING OPTIONS

To serve this sauce, I make a box of gluten free noodles and then mix the sauce with the noodles. I like to use bowties with this sauce. Honestly, I will eat this hot or cold. It’s good both ways.

I generally serve this sauce without cheese. It’s good enough to stand on its own. If you’d like to add a layer of baked parmesan, you can do this: Undercook the noodles by just two minutes or so. Mix them with the sauce and place it all into a 13×9 baking dish. Layer shredded parmesan across the top of the pasta and sauce. In a 350 degree oven, bake the pasta uncovered until the cheese is melted and brown.

In short, make this recipe your own. Enjoy it anyway you like!

If you like this recipe, check out my recipe for Beef Bolognese Sauce. This is what I prefer in colder months as it provides that warm and cozy feeling.