This easy chunky tomato sauce is perfect for a weeknight, when you want something tasty, but don’t have a lot of time to cook. Diced and crushed tomatoes make up the base of this sauce. The addition of red wine and just a few more ingredients enhances the tomato and creates a balanced pasta sauce that is done in just a few minutes. My easy chunky tomato sauce never disappoints. It has so much rich flavor that your family will think that you cooked it for hours. But you and I will know the truth.
A dish that stood the test of time
This is one of my old standby dishes. I like to serve this over linguine but it works well with almost any heartier pasta shape. It is a great side dish or you can make it the entrée and really keep things simple. Throw some steaks or chicken breasts on the grill and make up some chunky tomato sauce over pasta to go with it. Or just serve a salad and make this the main course. Leftovers are not a problem, but if you do have any, they are just as good the next day.
This was a pasta dish that we ate a lot of when the boys were young and in little league or in school sports. My boys played a lot of baseball and of course, they were rarely on the same team. So, we were always running between games. That meant that I needed something that I could get on the table quickly and still satisfy my pickiest eater. Fast and easy was the criteria for dinner in those days.
Kick it up
All three of my boys love this dish, especially John. Now and then, I add some red pepper flakes to give the sauce an “arrabiata” or spicy kick. I adjust the level of heat depending on who is joining us for dinner. You can certainly leave the red pepper flakes out altogether if that is not your thing. I also add some red wine. The wine gives the sauce a nice rich flavor that makes this taste like you cooked it longer than you really need to. I recommend using whatever wine you will be drinking with dinner. Or if you are like me, the wine you will be drinking while you prepare dinner!
Make Easy Chunky Tomato Sauce tonight
- Put on a pot of water to boil your pasta
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet.
- Cook the diced onion, garlic and red pepper flakes in the oil until the onion is tender. Do not allow the garlic to burn or it will be bitter.
- Add both cans of crushed and diced tomato to the skillet and stir.
- Stir in the red wine, basil and oregano. Salt and Pepper to taste.
- Cook the sauce on medium low heat until the pasta is done.
- Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss.
- Serve with grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese.
Easy Chunky Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1/2 Onion diced
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp. Red Pepper flakes
- 28 oz. Crushed Tomatoes Canned
- 28 oz. Diced Tomatoes canned in juice or puree
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 3/4 tsp Basil dried
- 1/4 tsp Oregano dried
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat Olive oil in a large skillet.
- Sauté the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes in the olive oil until the onion is tender and the mixture is fragrant.
- Add the crushed and diced tomatoes, red wine, basil and oregano to skillet and stir well.
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Allow to cook for 10 – 15 minutes, about the amount of time it takes to cook the pasta.
That’s a great go to pasta lover’s meal. The wine is definitely something that entices my palette!!
And making enough for a second night is right up my alley these days!!