Tomato Sauce

This is a recipe that I really made up myself, using tips from different sites and my husband.  My husband is the one who really taught me how to make tomato sauce, but I thought it was good, but not quite what I wanted.  I really wanted a sauce that would  taste good with anything that required tomato sauce so I would not need to remember or write down 4 or 5 different recipes.  This sauce recipe is good for spaghetti, lasagna, pizza... really everything I have put it on was good!

Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
2 cans tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
1 can of water
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 Tablespoon oregano
2 Tablespoons basil
1 bay leaf
3 1/2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 chopped onion
1 Tablespoon butter
1 lb favorite meat for sauce

Directions

1. Caramelize the onions in the butter.
2. Brown the meat.
3. Combine all ingredients in a large pot.  Let simmer.  
4. Add to any dish that needs tomato sauce.

Notes
I let it simmer all day, stirring every hour or so.  If you do not have that long, cut the amount of water and simmer for at least an hour.  You could assemble all the ingredients the day before, cook for a small amount of time and store it in the refrigerator until you need it.  Just heat it up. Letting it sit in the refrigerator will help all the flavors blend just like cooking all day.

If I am using venison or any other lean meat, I will not drain the fat.  I think a little of the fat gives a good flavor to the sauce.  You can drain it if you want.  It is not necessary.

Have venison?  It works great in this recipe!

Don't want meat?  No problem, just leave it out!

Made too much?  Freeze it!  Use freezer safe containers or just a freezer safe bag for storing.

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Is homemade worth it?

2 cans tomato sauce = $1.40
1 can tomato paste = $.59
1 Tablespoon garlic powder = $.141
1 teaspoon paprika = $.014
1 Tablespoon oregano = $.26
2 Tablespoons basil = $.16
1 bay leaf = $.022
3 1/2 Tablespoons brown sugar = $.094
1/2 chopped onion = $.40
1 Tablespoon butter = $.0625

I bought a fresh onion for this which cost $.80.

Please note that I left off the meat from this list, since you would have to add it to a jarred sauce anyway.

One recipe of my homemade sauce = $3.13.

Please keep in mind that this sauce makes more than what is in a typical jar.  My recipe makes 1 1/2 jars of sauce without the meat, so one jar of my sauce = $2.07. 

Depending on the sauce you like, you can buy your sauce cheaper than making it on your own.  Ragu cost $1.79 at my local store, so it would be cheaper to just buy that.

Keep in mind that if you grow some of the herbs yourself, you can make a much cheaper sauce.  If you grew your own basil and oregano, that would knock off $.42 cents off the total cost.  Buying onions in season would help too as well as growing your own tomatoes.  I have not ventured this far yet!!

Summery

Homemade Sauce = $2.07
Ragu Spaghetti Sauce = $1.79

Dishes that use tomato sauce:

Homemade Pizza

Spaghetti

                                                                                                       

Pizza Rolls

Baked Spaghetti

                                                                                                        

Hot Pockets

Pizza Lasagna