The Best Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

I know, I know… everyone claims their recipe is “the best”. 

But is this spaghetti sauce recipe the best? I’m sure no one will ever know. But what I can say, with firm conviction, is that it is darn delicious. And easy to make, at that. I actually make this recipe fairly often, and last night, it made another appearance in the Crunchy Mountain Kitchen.  You all know The Nugget, and my many stories about his extreme food aversions. Well, before he got super picky, he actually used to enjoy some foods. Ravioli being one of them. But when we switched from the processed food, he wasn’t digging my homemade pasta. Who am I kidding? I wasn’t digging it either. That’s definitely something on my list of things to work on. Thus, my search began for a “semi-processed” version… sigh. 

So the other day, I found some pre-made cheese raviolis that mostly fit into our dietary needs, and threw together an easy baked ravioli. Don’t worry, I’ll happily share that recipe with you all in the near future! 😉 When it was time to eat, I had all my fingers and toes crossed, that he would actually try it. Maybe if I hyped it up about how exciting it was that we were having ravioli, and ate a bite enthusiastically…?  No such luck. That boy wasn’t budging. Hi mouth was shut as tight as a locked vault, and he had already made his mind up that he didn’t like it. Sigh…again.  But I knew that if he would just open his mouth and try one teeny bite, he would remember his love of ravioli. So I did what all the books tell you not to do. 

I held him down and forced a small amount into his mouth.

Sorry, not sorry. Until you’ve been a parent to the World’s Pickiest Child, you don’t have the right to judge me. I literally had nothing to lose. He would either eat it, or spit it out and go to bed without dinner…again. Well, this mama was at her wits end, and I was desperate. 

The verdict?

Y’all, he ATE it. And not only that…he willingly ate 100% of the ravioli that was on his plate! Now, does this mean he will eat it again next week, if I try to make it? Absolutely not. He’s consistently inconsistent. I never know what he will eat from day to day. It’s super stressful. And super fun. (insert eye roll) But I’m praying we get out of that phase soon.  This recipe is great for ravioli, spaghetti, lasagna…really, any Italian recipe that calls for pasta. Yum. 

Instructions

1. In a sauté pan over medium heat, add olive oil and cook garlic for about 5 minutes.
2. Add in tomato sauce and tomato paste and stir.
3. Add in remaining spices, stir to combine – reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for about 30 minutes.
4. Done.