- 5 pounds of fresh tomatoes, peeled and seeded (to peel, cut a small “x” on the top and drop in to boiling water for 10 seconds and drop in to an ice bath. Skin will easily peel off)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 8 oz of mushrooms, finely minced
- 8 cloves of fresh garlic (or more to taste), finely minced
- 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
- 1 sprig of fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 tsp dried)
- 2 bay leaves (remove when done)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 carrot (1 tbsp should be grated and added to sauce, the rest should be added at the end of cooking and then removed)
- Pour the olive oil into a large stockpot over medium heat.
- Add diced onions, garlic, mushrooms, and grated carrots.
- Saute for 6-8 minutes or until onions are translucent and tender.
- Add tomatoes, chopped basil leaves, thyme bay leaves, and sea salt.
- Simmer on low heat for 2-3 hours or until cooked down and starting to darken.
- Add carrot piece for the last 30 minutes to absorb acidity.
- Remove sprigs of herbs and piece of carrot.
- Optional: Use a food processor to puree sauce until smooth (for a thicker sauce, skip this step).
