Super Quick and Easy Tomato Based Pasta Sauce

 Folks-

This is a very versatile base recipe. I've been using it for maybe 18 months now, and I don't think I've ever made it the same way twice. I don't remember exactly where I learned it, but I think it was a YouTube video. I'll include things I've tried that worked well in notes at the end, but believe me, it's super easy and versatile, and it's quick enough that you can start it when you set the water for the pasta on the stovetop to boil!

Here it is!

Base ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

About 1/3 of a medium onion, diced finely 

2-5 cloves of garlic, minced

A dash of a good salt

10-18 oz small fresh tomatoes, like grape, cherry, or constellation 

A ladle or two of your pasta water

Heat the olive oil in the bottom of a pan and sautee the diced onion with the salt just until it starts to turn glassy, then stir in the minced garlic and tomatoes. Cover and allow the tomatoes to steam until the skins just start to wrinkle a bit in spots, then mash them thoroughly with a potato masher or wooden spoon. Allow to simmer uncovered and stirring frequently until a rubber spatula pushed through it leaves a trail to the bottom of the pan, then add pasta water and continue to simmer until you again get a trail from your spatula. Turn off the heat and serve!

Additions that have worked: Tonight it was 1 tbsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup sliced Kalamata olives, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1/4 cup chopped Italian Parsley. I added everything except the Parsley right after mashing the tomatoes, and I added half of the parsley right about the same time I added the pasta water, then the rest I put on top of the sauce in the serving bowl. In the past I've used zucchini slices, best added after the tomatoes have been mashed, carrot slivers added with the onions, diced celery, diced yellow squash, and other fresh veggies. I've also successfully used Creole Seasoning, crushed red peppers, Herbs de Province, garden fresh Thyme, Basil, Sage, and Lavender, and other seasonings. I suspect a good barbecue seasoning might work in certain cases.

8-2-2026: Garden fresh tomatoes are best in this recipe, but if you don't have those, you can throw in a tablespoon of brown sugar to offset the acid from the tomatoes. Don't limit yourself to one kind of basalmic vinegar. Any kind will do. White, red, pink, raspberry pineapple, have all tested well.

6-14-2025: Tonight I added fresh diced asparagus after mashing the tomatoes, and only added french herbs de province and balsamic vinegar, covered the sauce and used it to steam the asparagus. After the asparagus was al-dente, I uncovered it and allowed to thicken as usual. This worked better than the zucchini or yellow squash.

Things that didn't: I don't recommend adding meat directly to this recipe. It just doesn't work for some reason. Meats tend to soak up the liquid and dominate the flavor in a negative way. I've tried crumbled hamburger, crumbled sausage, shredded chicken, and meatballs. If you want meat on your pasta, keep it separate until serving, then place it on top of the pasta and sauce on the plate. Same for cheeses.

Note: (8-2-26) If you want a sauce that is more like what you're used to from a jar or American restaurant, start with a bigger tomato like a Roma or San Marzano, or large salad tomatoes. Before everything else,cut a little cross just barely into the skin at the point opposite the stem, blanch in boiling water for about 15-20 seconds and plunge them into an ice bath. Peel them, cut them into cherry-tomato sized chunks, and continue with the recipe. Instead of hitting them with a potato masher, use an immersion blender to puree them, and continue with the recipe.

Same-day Sourdough Foccacia

Folks-

I've been planning to make an overnight sourdough Foccacia recently, but haven't had the time to spare. Today I adapted a regular Foccacia recipe from Allrecipes to include sourdough starter discard to add flavor, and the family loved it!

I decorated the top using fresh Italian Parsley, Kalamata Olive slices, sliced grape tomatoes, and sliced garlic cloves to make flowers and a sprig of garlic wheat in the middle, which got a lot of attention from the family. I used the Parsley stems as the stems of the flowers, and chopped the unused leaves to make grass for them to root in.

The original recipe called for Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese to cover it. I chose Parmesan and Romano for the lower half, and sprinkled Nutritional Yeast on the upper half so my lactose intolerant middle child could enjoy it, and she really did (especially the garlic wheat sprig)!

Here's my variation of the Allrecipes Foccacia recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups + 2 tbsp all purpose flour (304g)

1 tbsp active dry yeast

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dry oregano leaves

1 tsp dry thyme

1/2 tsp dry basil

A pinch black pepper 

3/4 cup water

3 tbsp olive oil

100 grams sourdough starter discard 

Cheeses to cover if wanted, or nutritional yeast 

Tomatoes/sliced garlic/Kalamata Olive slices/fresh parsley for decorating

Combine dry ingredients. Add water, olive oil, and sourdough starter discard, then mix until dough comes together. Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Turn into an oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel to rise in a warm room until doubled, 20 minutes to an hour. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit. Turn the dough onto a greased cooking sheet and press the dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Brush top with olive oil, then cover with cheese or nutritional yeast, then decorate. Bake for 12-20 minutes until the edges are just showing color.

Note: You can make this without the sourdough starter discard by using 2 3/4 cup flour and 1 cup water instead. No other changes are necessary to the recipe.

Dad's Garlic Bread Seasoning

Folks-

This is an easy one, but I don't want to lose it, and I especially want to save it for the kids. Just mix these together and sprinkle on buttered French or sourdough bread and heat it up to make a good garlic bread. You can also make top notch croutons by cutting slightly stale bread into chunks, brushing them with olive oil or melted butter and then toasting them.

Just go to town with it!

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon parsley flakes 

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper.

Garlic Butter

 Time for another quick recipe, this one adapted from AllRecipes.

I recently decided to fix grilled burgers for dinner (I know, in summer?!? What am I thinking? The shame!) and I decided to try something decidedly different. I smeared the buns with garlic butter and grilled them in the last 5-10 minutes on the same grill I used to fix the burgers. I left the meat unseasoned, because it probably would have been too much.

But, damn, those were good! Very possibly the best I have ever made.

For the garlic butter, I used a recipe I found at All Recipes and I (wait for it!) modified it. Here's my version.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup softened butter (1 cube)

1-1/2 Tsp minced garlic

3 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese (shelf stable powder works, but fresh is better)

1-1/2 Tsp garlic salt

1/2 Tsp Italian seasoning or French Herb de Provence

1/4 Tsp ground black pepper

1/4 Tsp ground paprika

Just mix it all together. Easily doubled.

For garlic bread, cut a loaf of French bread lengthwise and smear with the butter, and toast open face up under a broiler. Or smear on hamburger buns or sandwich rolls and grill or griddle over medium heat for a wonderful addition to your hamburger or salmon patty sandwich!

Edly Fried Chicken

Folks- it took me a few tries, but I think I got this recipe worked out pretty well. Zhenie loves it, so I recommend giving it a try!
I use a kitchen deep fryer to cook it. Here's the recipe:

Edly Fried chicken
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 Tbsp Italian seasonings
1 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Paprika
1 Tsp Sage
1/2 Tsp Chili Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Pepper
2 Eggs, scrambled
Chicken parts

Mix together dry ingredients. coat chicken parts in egg, then dredge through the dry ingredient mixture and fry in 350 degree oil for 20 minutes or until core temperature reaches 170 degrees.

Tyler's Ultimate Barbecue Sauce

Folks-
The best barbecue sauce I have ever had was one I made from a recipe I got on Food Network once. That's a TV network I seldom watch, because it makes me want to cook like mad, and that can be an issue. I ran across Tyler's Ultimate one day, and thought the barbecue sauce recipe looked good enough to have me sit in front of the TV with a notepad and the remote for about an hour, reverse engineering the recipe from what he was doing on the TV (since when does a "dash" equal a small bucket of something?)

Since I first worked this recipe out a couple of years ago, I've found alternate ingredients for some of those in his recipe. I'm including both his basic recipe, as well as the alternates in the ingredient listing below. Enjoy!

Tyler's Ultimate Barbecue Sauce (with alternate ingredients tested by Ed)

2 Strips of smoked bacon or 1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke
Large sprig of fresh Thyme or 1 tablespoon dry
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 Large Onion or 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
2-3 Cloves Garlic- Crushed and skinned or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 Cups Ketchup
1/4 Cup Fruit Preserves (Peach, Apricot, or Raspberry have tested well)
1/4 Cup Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Cumin
2 Tablespoons Red Wine or Basalmic Vinegar
1/4 Cup Molasses
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
Ground pepper to taste

Wrap bacon around fresh thyme and simmer in olive oil. Add other ingredients and simmer 20 minutes.