- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion (such as Vidalia), chopped
- 12 cups peeled, quartered tomatoes (about 12-15 medium-large tomatoes)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 ¼ tsp fresh gound pepper
- ½ tsp dried basil
- 2 6-oz cans tomato paste
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
In a Dutch oven or other large pot, heat oil until just beginning to shimmer. Saute onion in oil until just beginning to brown and caramelize. Add the tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves, salt, oregano, pepper, and basil. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Add tomato paste and brown sugar. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. (Make sure you watch the sauce during this hour. It’ll thicken up and start to splatter. You may need to turn the heat down on it. Also, make sure you stir frequently enough after adding the brown sugar to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of your pot.) Discard bay leaves.
Serve with pasta and lots of cheese. Or, use in lasagna or other pasta dishes. Or, freeze for later use. Regardless, enjoy!
Tip for peeling tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water just to a boil. In a large bowl, make an ice bath of approximately equal parts water and ice. Cut out the stem on the tomato and make an X-shaped cut on the blossom (opposite) end. Using a slotted spoon, dunk the tomato in the boiling water for a few seconds. Remove the tomato with the spoon and dunk it into the ice water for a few more seconds. Remove the tomato and peel the skin off. You may have to experiment with how long the tomatoes are in the boiling water, but don’t leave them in for too long or they will begin to cook.
