Quick Red Sauce with Spinach and Fresh Basil

I work full time and don’t usually get home until 6pm or later, but I really love making dinner for me and the hubs-to-be. I have really been enjoying trying new recipes and improving my cooking skills. Something I try to focus on is not wasting food and utilizing whatever ingredients I have in my kitchen.

Recently I threw together a quick sauce with gluten-free pasta {right now I’m using Barilla}. It was really easy and I liked switching up my sauce by using diced tomatoes instead of a smooth puree. I generally by Tuttorosso tomatoes because that is what my mom and Grandma use. I am trying to get better with measuring my ingredients, so I can more easily share my recipes, but I’m not there yet. These measurements are approximate. I always add carrots to my red sauce because they help to reduce the acidity. Usually, I will very finely chop my carrots in a food processor and cook them in the sauce. This time I used whole carrots and removed them before serving. I found this sauce to be more acidic than usual, but it only let it simmer for about 30 minutes or less. I think I will try to whole carrot method again, but when I have time to cook my sauce longer. This meal was so easy to put together – a great option for weeknights or when you’re short on time.

Ingredients
3/4 lb gluten-free (or regular) pasta of your choice
1 Large can of diced tomatoes
3 oz. tomato paste
1/4 medium yellow onion
3 baby carrots
1 large clove of garlic
4 cups of fresh spinach (the more the better)
Dried basil
Dried oregano
Fresh basil
Salt & Pepper

Directions
Finely chop then satuee onions and garlic over medium/low heat until onions are soft and translucent. Next, add salt and pepper cooking for another 1-2 minutes. Once your kitchen smells delicious add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, carrots, dried herbs and let simmer for 30-60 minutes. While sauce is simmering bring salted water to a boil and cook pasta as directed on the box.

When pasta is cooked and you are ready to eat remove the carrots from the sauce and turn off heat. Give the spinach a rough chop and add it it to the sauce. I think it’s important to add the spinach at the end and with the heat off because it wilts down so quickly. Next, toss in the cooked pasta and sprinkle with fresh basil.