Tomato-Carrot Sauce

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 4 cups
  • Total: 1 hr 20 min
  • Active: 1 hr 5 min
This hearty, satisfying sauce is perfect for vegetarian pasta dishes or lasagna.
Advertisement

Ingredients

1/3 cup olive oil

4 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

Kosher salt

1 large carrot, shredded on the large holes of a box grater

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Two 28-ounce cans plum tomatoes, crushed by hand

2 bay leaves

1 large sprig thyme

1 large sprig basil; plus 1/4 cup leaves, coarsely chopped

Directions

  1. Put the olive oil and garlic in a medium pot, turn the heat to low and cook the garlic, stirring occasionally at first and more often as it colors, until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-low, add the onions and a large pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and the red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
  2. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, basil sprig and 1 teaspoon salt, raise the heat to medium and bring the sauce to a lively simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, until quite thick (if you draw a spoon through the sauce, you'll see the bottom of the pot for a few seconds before the sauce fills back in), about 30 minutes. As the sauce thickens, turn the heat down a bit so that the bottom doesn't scorch. Stir in the chopped basil. (The sauce can be cooled to room temperature, then refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Let's Get Cooking!

Sign up for the Recipe of the Day newsletter to receive editor-picked recipes,tips and videos delivered to your inbox daily. Privacy Policy

Thanks for subscribing to the Recipe of the Day newsletter. Check out all our other great newsletters from Easy Recipes, Healthy Eating Ideas and Chef Recipe Videos.

We're sorry, there was an error signing you up. Please try again later.

Advertisement