Tomato Sauce Recipe

This simple, fresh tomato sauce recipe is perfect for pasta, pizza and lasagna. The secret ingredient? Carrots, which give the tomato sauce a fresh flavor and add a nice sweetness. Once the tomato sauce is pureed, you'll never see the carrots, but you will definitely taste the difference.

The tomato sauce recipe calls for two 28-oz. cans of whole tomatoes, but you could substitute crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes or tomato puree.

For some variations on this basic Tomato Pasta Sauce, try these:

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil for a minute over medium heat.
Add the onions and carrots, and saute for a bit until the onions are translucent but not brown.
Add the tomatoes and the garlic. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 to 45 minutes, uncovered, until the sauce is slightly reduced. If you like, you can use a wooden spoon to break up the whole tomatoes while the sauce simmers.
Remove from heat and pass through a food mill, or puree in a food processor until smooth, working in batches if necessary.
Season to taste with Kosher salt and sugar.Makes about 1? qts tomato sauce