Yesterday I defrosted a bag mom gave me that she believed to be spaghetti sauce. We got home from some afternoon fun, threw it in a pot, and discovered it was actually chili. Ha! I truly couldn’t stop laughing and called mom so we could both chuckle at the mix up. 

I know some of you are into the whole Cincinnati chili thing, but we were in no mood for chili. Well, necessity is the father of invention and this super simple sauce was PERFECT. And fast, which was what we needed with three hangry little people. No pot, no chopping. Heck, I even just left it on high in the Vitamix and let the blender heat it.

NOTE: I believe the fresh parm MADE the meal. Gosh it’s just so good. It’s like little snowflakes that melt when they hit the noodles.

Also, I fully intend to tinker with this recipe a bit and make a soup for the fall! I have got a LOT of cans of Costco Organic Tomato Sauce that I need to use….

YOU WILL NEED:

• 2 cans tomato sauce
• 2 Dorot garlic cubes (or approx 2 cloves fresh or minced)
• approx 20 basil leaves
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• approx 1/2 c half & half (can sub heavy cream if needed and adjust to your preferred consistency and taste)
• 1/4 c vegetable broth (totally optional; could use chicken broth, water, or extra half&half)
• fresh parmesan and a microplane for garnish

TO MAKE:

1. Put the 2 cans of tomato sauce, garlic cubes, basil leaves, S&P into a blender and blend on high
2. Add in the half and half and adjust for your desired creaminess; add the vegetable broth (or water) to your desired consistency or leave it our for a thicker sauce
3. Leave in the vitamix on HIGH for 3-5 minutes and the sauce will heat up. Then, simply pour it over your pasta of choice!

We used a 1 pound box of classic spaghetti noodles and served with a side of roasted green beans. DELICIOUS! 

**A NOTE ON FREEZING: you could make this sauce just as it is and freeze it for later. Some people do not like to freeze soups that contain cream as they can have a slightly gritty consistency once reheated. If you want to steer clear of this, I would blend everything except the cream and then make a note to add it when you defrost the soup. 

Creamy Tomato-Basil Pasta Sauce (in the Vitamix)

Recipe by Kate

Ingredients

• 2 cans tomato sauce

• 2 Dorot garlic cubes (or approx 2 cloves fresh or minced)

• approx 20 basil leaves

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• approx 1/2 c half & half (can sub heavy cream if needed and adjust to your preferred consistency and taste)

• 1/4 c vegetable broth (totally optional; could use chicken broth, water, or extra half&half)

• fresh parmesan and a microplane for garnish

Directions

• Put the 2 cans of tomato sauce, garlic cubes, basil leaves, S&P into a blender and blend on high
• Add in the half and half and adjust for your desired creaminess; add the vegetable broth (or water) to your desired consistency or leave it our for a thicker sauce
• Leave in the vitamix on HIGH for 3-5 minutes and the sauce will heat up. Then, simply pour it over your pasta of choice!
  
  We used a 1 pound box of classic spaghetti noodles and served with a side of roasted green beans. DELICIOUS! 

Notes

• A NOTE ON FREEZING: you could make this sauce just as it is and freeze it for later. Some people do not like to freeze soups that contain cream as they can have a slightly gritty consistency once reheated. If you want to steer clear of this, I would blend everything except the cream and then make a note to add it when you defrost the soup.

Other posts you may like:

Bruschetta Pasta Simple Butternut Squash Soup Meredith’s Tortellini Salad Pesto Chickpea Pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Feta