Awesome Sauce

Over the years, I've made dozens of variations of pasta sauce. Some have certainly been better than others, but I can't say that I've ever disliked any of them. The beauty of pasta sauce is that the possibilities are infinite and that no two batches are ever going to turn out exactly the same.

On occasion, I like to switch it up and make more than a basic tomato sauce. Roasted red pepper sauce is always a favorite, but I've never made a version quite like this! I'm undecided if it was the addition of the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, the splash of balsamic, or the handful of fresh basil that made this sauce ... but whatever it was, it was delicious! Your evidence: Bill stood over the stove eating this sauce out of the pan with a spoon. A spoon! He didn't even want to use bread as a utensil ... which just goes to show how good this sauce is all on its own.

Pasta with Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Ingredients:
1, 28-oz. can plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sugar (I added more ... probably closer to 2 or 2 1/2 teaspoons)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
12 oz. cooked pasta of your choice

Directions:
Pour canned tomatoes and their juices into a large bowl and crush them with your hands.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and red pepper flakes. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove sauce from heat, stir in vinegar and basil, cover, and set aside for 10 minutes to allow flavors to come together.

Toss with cooked pasta (and possibly a little reserved cooking liquid) and serve.