How to Cook Spaghetti Sauce With Fresh Herbs

Fresh Italian ingredients in the kitchen.
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You can make a delicious spaghetti sauce with dried herbs, but cooking with fresh herbs gives the sauce a flavor as fresh as the herbs you add. One highly tasteful and fragrant herb commonly added to spaghetti sauce is sweet basil. Oregano is another herb with a powerful flavor and smell. Parsley, though not fragrant, is a delicious herb no spaghetti sauce should be without. Although you may be tempted to add fresh herbs to the spaghetti sauce when you add the tomatoes, for ultimate flavor, wait until the sauce is almost done before adding the herbs.

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Step 1

Wash your hands with hand soap and dry them well.

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Step 2

Rinse the fresh parsley, basil and oregano under cold water to remove any dirt and debris.

Step 3

Gently blot the herbs dry with paper towels and set them aside.

Step 4

Put the canned tomatoes in the blender and grind them for 30 seconds. Set the tomatoes aside.

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Step 5

Chop the onion and garlic on the cutting board with a sharp knife. Set the chopped onion and garlic aside.

Step 6

Add the extra virgin olive oil to the saucepan and heat it over a medium flame.

Step 7

Add the onion and garlic to the pan and sauté them until the onion and garlic start to turn a light golden color. Do not let the garlic or onions burn.

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Step 8

Stir the onion and garlic with your wooden spoon, and then add the blended tomatoes and tomato puree.

Step 9

Add the black pepper and salt, if salt is desired.

Step 10

Simmer the sauce over a low flame for approximately 40 minutes. Stir the sauce often with your wooden spoon.

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Step 11

Pull the leaves off of the parsley, basil and oregano and discard the stems. Mince the leaves.

Step 12

Add the fresh minced herbs after the sauce has cooked for 40 minutes. Stir the sauce with the wooden spoon to evenly distribute the herbs.

Step 13

Continue to cook the sauce for another five minutes, and then remove the pot from the stove.

Things You'll Need

  • 2 tsp. fresh minced parsley

  • 1 tsp. fresh minced basil

  • 1 tsp. fresh minced oregano leaves

  • Paper towels

  • 28 oz. can whole tomatoes

  • Blender

  • Cutting board

  • Small sharp knife

  • 1/2 large onion, finely chopped

  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

  • 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

  • Large saucepan

  • Wooden spoon

  • 14 oz. tomato puree

  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper

  • Salt to taste, optional

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