1 can (28-oz) Pastene ground peeled tomatoes "Chunky Style" (or equivalent)
2-3 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 large Vidalia onion
Dice garlic. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. (Olive oil should just cover the bottom of the pan) Add garlic and heat until garlic dances in the bottom and just begins to brown. Do not overcook the garlic!
Add can of tomatoes to garlic and oil. Fill empty can of tomatoes halfway with water and add to sauce. Add salt, pepper, and basil to sauce. Peel the onion and cut in half. Put halves into the sauce. Cover. Turn heat to high and bring sauce to a boil. Stir frequently from the bottom to prevent sauce from burning.
Once sauce begins to boil, turn the temperature down and let sauce simmer uncovered. Use a splatter screen to prevent messiness. Stir every 10-15 minutes from the bottom to prevent sticking and burning. Sauce can simmer for 15 minutes or indefinitely. We let ours go for about half an hour to 45 minutes because it smells good. The longer you simmer the less sauce/more concentrated it will be. If you let it go for a while and it boils down, add some water and bring back to a boil.
TIPS: Pastene tomatoes make the easiest/best sauce. You can use other brands, but taste it near the end of the simmer time. If it tastes off, add a tiny bit of sugar, stir and taste. Most other brands will require some sugar, but wait until the end, taste and decide. Don't over sugar!
Also, learned the hard way, pull sauce off the heat before you stir. Trust me.
