For the big party last weekend I made the meat sauce… but I also made a vegetarian sauce for those that don’t eat so much meat. As today is Tami’s birthday, and she requested the recipe, here it is!

• olive oil
• 1 med. sweet onion
• 5 cloves garlic – minced
• 6 roma tomatoes
• 2 cans diced tomatoes with basil OR garlic and onion
• 1 large can crushed tomatoes
• 1 large-ish zucchini
• 4 mushrooms
• 8 carrots
• fresh basil & oregano – to taste

Put some water on to boil in a small saucepan. Set up a small bowl to one side of it with ice water in it.

Drizzle olive oil in a large saucepan. Finely dice the onion and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until the onions begin to caramelize.

When the water begins to boil, add the tomatoes, one at a time. Blanche them until the skin begins to crack. Move them from the boiling water to the ice water, and transfer them into another bowl or your cutting board. The skins should peel right off.

Dice the tomatoes and add them to the onions and garlic. Let them cook down for about 3 minutes and then add the 2 cans of diced tomatoes and the crushed tomatoes.

Peel and chop the carrots and add them to the pot. Quarter the zucchini and add it to the sauce as well. Chop the mushrooms and add them in.

Roll the oregano and basil up like a cigar and slice the roll thinly. Add these to the pot.

I usually crash some black pepper in as well, and a pinch of salt.

Serve over pasta al dente!

**if you leave out the crushed tomatoes, this will almost work as a ratatouille dish, or serve it on top of sliced baguettes for a new spin on bruschetta!