The ingredients in homemade spaghetti sauce that contain the most sodium are canned tomato sauce and canned tomato paste. It's a little more time-consuming to make spaghetti sauce with fresh tomatoes, but you will be rewarded with a healthy sauce with low sodium that tastes just as good as or better than sauce made with canned tomato products. You can also reduce the salt in your sauce by substituting a little sugar for some of the salt, intensifying the tomato flavor. Add fresh or dried herbs, such as oregano and basil, as well as red wine or red wine vinegar for substantial flavor without additional salt.
Step 1
Heat the olive oil in the stock pot over medium heat.
Step 2
Add the onions and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent, tender and caramelized. This slow cooking gives the onions a deeper flavor. When the onions are done, add the garlic and stir for a minute to soften but not brown it.
Step 3
Add the red wine and cook over medium heat, stirring often, to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Add the herbs, salt, sugar and the tomatoes.
Step 4
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Step 5
Immediately reduce the heat to low and cook the sauce for one to two hours, or until the sauce has reduced a little and the flavors have intensified.
Step 6
Taste the sauce after an hour of cooking and adjust the seasonings as needed. You can add a little more sugar, herbs or a spoonful of wine vinegar, depending on whether the sauce needs to be sweeter, more savory or sharper.
Tips and Warnings
- Your use of seasonings can vary. For instance, you can add 1/4 tsp. fennel seed when you add the other herbs, add 1/2 cup diced bell pepper to the onions when you add the garlic. Add 1/4 tsp. or more crushed dried red peppers for a spicier sauce.
- Stir frequently to avoid burning the sauce on the bottom of the pan. Cook over low heat, just enough to keep the sauce simmering.
Things You'll Need
- 8 qt. stock pot
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
- Large mixing spoon
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 2 tsp. dried oregano or 1 tbsp. fresh oregano
- 2 tsp. dried thyme or 1 tbsp. fresh thyme
- 2 tsp. dried basil or 1 tbsp. fresh basil, shredded
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 12 cups peeled and seeded fresh ripe tomatoes
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