Veggie Spaghetti Sauce

(Adapted from Leone’s Italian Cookbook, 1967)

This chunky tomato sauce is a “basic black dress” recipe. Try it with a substantial pasta like rigatoni with a generous grating of pecorino romano or feta crumbles for a Tuesday night dinner. Or double the recipe here and use the sauce for a more involved dish like lasagna or manicotti.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

15 sprigs fresh Italian flat parsley, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

1 medium-sized green bell pepper, diced

1 large can (28 oz) of crushed tomatoes

Process:

In a deep saucepan, sauté onion in the olive oil over medium high heat until translucent. Add parsley, garlic, salt and pepper and cook for two minutes. Next, add the green pepper. Stir and watch for about five minutes until the peppers are no longer crisp. Add crushed tomatoes, reduce heat and let sauce simmer for about half an hour, stirring occasionally.

Theme and Variations:

• A great summertime variation is to use a small can of crushed tomatoes (14.5 oz) and two coarsely chopped fresh tomatoes.

• For a cool summer appetizer, serve at room temperature over steamed and chilled green beans.

• Make bruchetta-like cocktail snacks by spooning the sauce on French bread toast rounds or hearty crackers.

• Spread on a store-bought pizza crust and top with feta, black olives, steamed spinach and slices of yellow bell pepper. Bake according to the directions on the crust package.