Don't Buy Jarred Sauce: WAY Better Chunky Garden Ragú

Better Garden Gú

a healthy glug of olive oil
3 tablespoons diced onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup diced carrot
1/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced zucchini
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1 cup diced mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped marjoram
salt
pepper
a pinch of crushed red pepper
a big splash of white wine
a 28-ounce can of whole, peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
12 ounces dried pasta
a knob of butter
freshly grated pecorino
freshly grated parmesan

Place a large, wide skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add a glug of olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and sweat it out with a pinch of salt until it is softened. Add the vegetables, marjoram, red pepper, and season it with salt and pepper. Let them sautée for about 5 minutes to soften. Add the wine and scrape the pan. Continue cooking until the wine is evaporated. Add the tomatoes and season them with salt and pepper, stirring occasionally.

Simmer until the vegetables are tender -- about 10 minutes.

Cook the pasta, drain it, and add it to the pan with a little of the pasta water to help bring it together. Simmer together for a moment, then turn off the heat and stir in some pecorino and parmesan.

Serve it in bowls, topped with more oil and cheese.

[bartman]

Iliza genuinely coming back for seconds says more about that pasta than any quote ever could.

[lilykep]

Ironically growing up poor and living in the country meant I didn't even know industrially jarred sauce was a thing until I was basically grown. My mom and grandparents were big into growing food and canning it. That meant every summer was *not* a vacation, it was an unpaid child labor extravaganza. The upside to this was that we ate homemade everything when I was a kid. Unfortunately as I've gotten older so has everyone else. My grandparents sold their land to fund their retirement, my mom decided it was easier just to buy what she needed, and I don't have the time to do all the work necessary all by myself. It's funny how when you get older you miss things you *hated* as a child.

[recreepy]

This dish is a culinary voyage to bliss. Culinary euphoria at its peak!

[rickbourne]

Noah is NOT an elitist. He is generally elevating every day meals. Aside from that that, I wouldn't want pasta/speghetti too sweet either.

[AscendantJustice]

Technically, Noah is an elitist. But that doesn't make him wrong.

[pegm]

Very sweet. They put insane amounts of sugar in bottled/canned sauce. And given how easy great sauce is to make, I have no clue why anyone buys it.

Likely makes me "elitist" too. :)

[silkehartung]

There's a place for canned sauce and there's a place for one made from scratch.