Easy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Quinoa
This quick quinoa spaghetti sauce is made with either fresh or canned tomatoes and is meatless, simple, and super adaptable. Since it makes the equivalent of one 28-ounce jar of spaghetti sauce, it's also our go-to spaghetti sauce base for LOTS of different recipes.
Ingredients
- 3 ½ to 4 cups (about 28 to 32 ounces) pureed tomatoes see note
- 1 large clove garlic minced
- ½ tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 3/4 teaspoon dried
- ½ tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 3/4 teaspoon dried
- ½ tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup uncooked rinsed red or white quinoa
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
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In a blender, place the tomatoes, minced garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, brown sugar, salt, and black pepper and blend until smooth.
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Place blended sauce into a large saucepan and add the tomato sauce, tomato paste and quinoa. Heat to a simmer over medium heat.
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Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until quinoa is cooked. You can tell when the quinoa is cooked because it displays a little white thread that curls around it.
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Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve over hot pasta or use in a recipe that requires a 28-oz. jar of spaghetti sauce.
Recipe Notes
1. I love using fresh garden tomatoes in this recipe when I have them. About 4 ½ to 5 cups of freshly diced tomatoes will yield about 3 ½ to 4 cups of pureed tomatoes. When I don't have fresh, I use canned tomatoes. Either two 13-ounce cans, a 28-ounce can, or a quart of home-canned crushed or diced tomatoes in this recipe all work great.
2. I've made this recipe ahead of time, It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week and up to a month (or more) when frozen.