Recipe for Homemade Spaghetti Sauce?

I have a ton of fresh tomatoes from my garden and would like to made some spaghetti sauce to freeze. I've looked online and there are hundreds of recipes and they are all so different. Does anyone have a tried and true recipe that they love? Thanks!

Spaghetti with Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

● 1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
● 1/2 cup milk or water
● 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
● 3 garlic cloves, 2 smashed, 1 chopped
● 2 28 oz crushed tomatoes
● 1 lb. lean ground sirloin
● 2 tbsp. flat-leaf parsley, chopped
● 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
● 1 egg
● 4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into 20 cubes
● 1 lb. spaghetti

Directions:

In medium bowl, soak the bread crumbs in the milk.

In a large, wide saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the smashed garlic and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, season to taste with salt and let the sauce simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Add the beef, chopped garlic, parsley, parmesan cheese, egg, and 1 tsp of salt to the soaked bread crumbs and stir with a fork, until combined. Place about 2 tbsp of the mixture in your hand and press a mozzarella cube into the center. Shape the meat around the cheese, forming a ball. Repeat with remaining meat and mozzarella.

Stir the sauce and raise the heat to medium-low. Carefully place the meatballs in the sauce, submerging them completly. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and cook without stirring for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti, cook until al dente, about 8 minutes, and drain. Toss the spaghetti with the tomato sauce and meatballs, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.

Recipe from Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine

Pasta with Artichoke and Leek Sauce

This was pretty good, here is the recipe. It was surprisingly good, however, if you aren't into spicy foods, cut out the red pepper flakes (I broke out into a sweat).

4 garlic cloves thickly sliced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 398 ml (12 oz??) can artichoke hearts- thinly sliced , reserve some for garnish
1 cup sliced leeks, white part only (4-6 leeks, depending)
3Tbs chopped fresh parsley
1 juice box of apple juice - originally this called for white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 can of evaporated skim milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

4 cups dry penne
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

Directions:
1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, artichokes, leeks, and parsley and cook until the garlic begins to brown.
3. Pour in the apple juice and cook till the liquid is reduced by half. Add the chicken broth, return the mixture to a boil.
4. Puree the artichoke mixture in a food processor or blender, return to the pot and add the evaporated skim milk and parmesan cheese.
5. Cook the pasta till tender, drain, and pour the pureed sauce over the pasta and cook over low heat for 3 minutes.
6/ Serve with sliced artichokes and parmesan cheese for garnish.

Lasagna

My friend Shanna & I are going to start doing cooking sessions where we do everything from scratch. Here was the result of our first ever cooking session. We made homemade Lasagna that was to die for! Here is the recipe.

*Warning- it is a little time consuming. From start to finish it took about three hours. We were not constantly doing stuff the whole three hours though so that is a perk*

1 pound ground beef

1 chopped onion

2 (6oz) cans tomato paste

1 egg

1 (14.5oz) can crushed tomatoes

2 cups water

1 tablespoon oregano
2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon sugar

12 oz cottage cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

9-12 lasagna noodles

1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded

Steps

1. Brown onion and ground beef. Drain. Mix with tomato past and crushed tomatoes, water, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt, pepper and sugar. Cook on medium until boiling. Simmer 1 hour.

2. Blend cottage cheese, parmesan cheese and egg until smooth.

3. Boil pasta in lightly salted water for 8-10 minutes. Drain.

4. Preheat oven to 350*

5. Spread 1 cup sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Cover sauce with a layer of noodles and 1/3 of remaining sauce. Top with 1/2 mozzarella. Place another layer of noodles and sauce over the mozzarella. Top with cottage cheese mixture. Top with remaining noodles and sauce.

6. Bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle remaining remaining mozzarella on top and bake 15 more minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Penne Chicken

Here is what you will need. Amounts depend on your family size just make it so that it looks right.

Penne pasta

1 jar Alfredo sauce

Roma tomatoes

Broccoli

Peas and carrots

Sliced cooked chicken

Cook pasta. In another pan sauté broccoli and peas and carrots, add the sauce, add diced tomatoes and mix with pasta. Add chicken. Enjoy.

My sister-in-law came up with this dish-it's a spin off of a meal she serves at Johnny Carino's. Of course you can make your own sauce if you prefer but this is an easy, quick dish.

Tuscan Sausage and Bean Soup

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups dry Great Northern beans
1-3/4 cups beef broth
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
12 ounces fresh Italian sausage links, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 medium yellow summer squash or zucchini, sliced (2 cups)
1 14-1/2-ounce can Italian-style tomatoes, cut up
1/3 cup dry red wine or water
1/2 of a 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions
1. Rinse beans. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven combine beans and 4 cups cold water. Boil, uncovered, for 10 minutes; drain.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet cook Italian sausage until brown. Drain well on paper towels. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart crockery cooker combine the drained beans, 4 cups fresh water, beef broth, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, cooked and drained Italian sausage, squash or zucchini, undrained tomatoes, and red wine or water. Cook, covered, on low heat setting for 11 to 12 hours or until beans are tender.

3. Just before serving, stir spinach into soup. If desired, sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese. Makes 4 or 5 servings.

The recipe says to use a Dutch oven, but I just use my crock pot, and cook this soup overnight sometimes longer than the 11-12 hours (I just turn down the heat from Hi to Low when it has reached the 11-12 hours).

I love to make fresh bread with this soup, but a loaf a French bread would be great with it.

Recipe from MSN lifestyle

Chicken Parmigiana

This is one of my favorite meals that I just made the other night. It's quick and easy but still oh so yummy and looks a lot more impressive than it really is.

What you need:

1. frozen, breaded chicken breasts
2. spaghetti sauce
3. mozzarella cheese (grated or deli squares)
4. basil or parsley (optional)

Directions:

Cook the chicken breasts according to the directions on bag/box. Once they are cooked, take them out of the oven but leave them on the pan. Spoon spaghetti sauce on top of each breast then top with mozzarella cheese. Put back in the oven and cook until cheese is melted. Garnish with chopped basil or parsley.

Good with:

I usually add a salad and garlic bread to the mix. Voila! Dinner in about 20 minutes.