Basic Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 lbs (about 18) plum tomatoes, chopped or 2 (28 oz.) cans Italian plm tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp finely chopped oregano, or 1 tsp dried
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

Makes 12 Servings

1. Heat the oil in a nonstick Dutch oven over medium heat; add the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden and softened, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, salt, ground pepper, and crushed red pepper (if using); bring to a boil.Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the flavors are blended and the sauce is slightly thickened, about 25 minutes.

WW POINTS VALUE: 1pt (1/2 cup per serving)

Note: This recipe appears in the New WW Complete Cookbook. I enjoyed making the South Beach Tomato Sauce because the aromas of the ingredients are SO wonderful. I've always wanted to make my own tomato sauce and this recipe looked very promising. The smell of olive oil, garlic and onions makes you feel like you're in Italy. This was a much tastier sauce than the South Beach Tomato Sauce and it was mich thicker. But I do recommend you puree the tomatoes before making the sauce otherwise you'll have a very watery sauce. You can also substitute Vegetgable juice for the dry red wine if you don't want any alcohol in it. Plus the vegetable juice give the sauce a more nutricious flavor to it. This sauce can be used in pizzas, pasta dishes and to sauce meats and fish of all kinds.