Creamy Red Sauce - Hold the Cream

I can say this is one of the better red sauces I've made, and I held out on the heavy whipping cream! Requires to be blended twice, but totally worth it. Just think of the blender doing the work for you. Serve with pasta or spaghetti squash.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1 large onion (or 1-2 small / mediums) diced
2 celery stalks
1 carrot
½ head of garlic – about 8-10 cloves
1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
A pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can of tomato sauce (or two mini cans)
1 very large can of whole peeled tomatoes. The large girthy can.
1 big handful of fresh basil leaves – about 10-14 no stems

Heat about 2 tbsp of EVOO in a very large pan on medium heat. Dice your onion in the meantime and add it to the oil. While the onion cooks, dice the celery and peel and dice the carrot. Add it to the pan. While that is cooking, start peeling the garlic then mincing. I am imagining if you are feeling very lazy and just crushing the garlic and removing the skin and placing the crushed cloves into the pan should be fine as well. Season with a dash of the red pepper flakes and about a teaspoon or so of Italian seasoning blend. Also put in some salt and pepper. Lower the heat to medium low. Pour the can(s) of tomato sauce and cover. Meanwhile, take a blender, dump the whole can of the whole peeled tomatoes into it, and blend the tomatoes until pureed and smooth. Pour the pureed tomatoes into the pan and stir. Cook until heated through. Then take the rest of the mixture and carefully spoon that back into the blender. Blend until smooth. The pureed cooked veggies really thicken the sauce and incorporate the rest of the flavors. Pour back into the pan when it’s smooth and place on medium low heat. Chop the basil leaves and wilt them into the tomato sauce. Then season with salt and pepper to taste.