Attack, as in flavor attack! I still get excited when I try something new that should have known about or figured out all along. Case in point: tomato sauce comes in a jar or can, right? Guess again, Dad. It’s so easy and fast to make tomato sauce that is better than any canned sauce. I kicked myself all the way back to the farmers market for more tomatoes. Or, you can get them from a friend who’s been overwhelmed by their homegrown tomatoes—again—even thought this happens every year!

Picked up several pounds of homegrown Romas from a friend at work yesterday and made our own fresh tomato sauce and salsa (ole!). I’m warning you…you ‘ll never go back to the bottle after enjoying the killer flavor of fresh tomato sauce.

* Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (movie, 1978)

Talk about return-on-investment! This recipe pays huge dividends on your time. (You can tell Dad is pre-occupied with his retirement plan these days.)

1. Buy or pick, or get from your buddy’s garden – 4 lbs of tomatoes. Do you have a favorite variety? I’m not smart enough about tomoatos to have one…yet.
2. Wash off and let dry. Remove stems and cores, but chop everything else into about a 1/2 inch dice.
3. Dice one large or two not-large onions.
4. In a suitable pot, saute onion in 2-3 T evoo or veg oil and S&P, just ’till softened, 4-5 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes, cover, cook for 20 minutes on low-med heat (just bubbling).
6. Check it out – the miracle of cooking. Your tomatoes have broken down into a chunky sauce. You’re on your own as to thickness. You can always add back water later.

Your sauce will freeze well. I usually store in 2-cup batches. Use the sauce instead of canned with pasta, or on cooked meat, or with rice and beans (really great) for a no-meat entree or brown-bag lunch at work, or, well, how do you use it?