Creamy Cheese and Tomato Sauce
Here’s a cheese and tomato sauce recipe that I just made and is currently simmering on my stove-top as I type.
I was looking to cook something that the kids might actually eat as well as my wife. This eliminates a vast amount of Indian and ethnic recipes as well as anything to do with meat (wife is a lifelong vegetarian) and not to mention any hot spicy food! So on with slightly more traditional food…
I figured I’d try out an Italian sauce but so many of them are boring or involve meat or foods my children will balk at. So a regular marinara could be easy enough to do but not challenging or fun enough.
I had a few tomatoes growing outside in our garden that I plucked, though several were cracking due to the irregular water schedules they’ve had to endure during this insane drought plaguing Virginia. So bummer, but there was enough to make it mostly fresh along with onions that I’ve cured over the past few weeks from an earlier harvest.
I decided to go for a two or three cheese tomato sauce and make it creamy-ish so it’s even more lush.
Recipe is below. Romance on noodles to follow!
1 green pepper thinly diced
2 regular onions thinly diced equally out about a cup
2 tbl spoons of minced garlic
2 tbl spoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 bay leaves
fresh basil, oregano or dried if no fresh is on hand.
1/2 stick of unsalted butter (margarine be damned, ghee if you’re health conscious)
1 lb of tomatoes diced and cored (I used a combo of fresh plus 2 cans of diced tomatoes since my reserves are tapped out)
1 cup of shredded Parmesan and Romano cheeses
1 cup of white cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Step 1.) In large pot cook green pepper, garlic, and onions in olive oil on medium-high heat
Step 2.) Once onions begin to be translucent, add butter and bay leaves
Step 3.) Add tomatoes and basil/oregano, mashing up and stirring to break apart in pot, cover, and turn heat down to low
Step 4.) After one hour, add first cup of cheese, stir often for next hour
Step 5.) Add last cup of cheese, stir often and let simmer for 2 to 3 hours on low heat. Add salt and pepper throughout.
Hint:
If it becomes too thick, then slowly add water by the tablespoon to your liking. Keep in mind that tomatoes during a long simmer will cook down as their juice evaporate.
Categorised as: Life
