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Wicked Healthy's Spaghetti with Nana's Red Sauce

Joanne Molinaro
Excerpted from the book THE WICKED HEALTHY COOKBOOK by Chard Sarno, Derek Sarno, and David Joachim. Copyright (c) 2018 by Chad Sarno and Derek Sarno. Reprinted with permission of Grand Central Life & Style. All rights reserved.
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Servings 4

Ingredients
  

Nana's Red Sauce

  • everyday olive oil
  • 1 white onion diced small
  • 2 large cloves garlic minced
  • 1 red bell pepper diced small
  • 1 1/2 tsps fresh oregano minced
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cans (28 oz, each) San Marzano tomatoes drained
  • 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
  • 1/4 tsp organic cane sugar optional
  • basil leaves hand torn

Spaghetti

  • Nana Sarno's Red Sauce
  • sea salt
  • 1 lb spaghetti or spaghettini
  • chili flakes optional
  • fresh basil leaves chopped
  • plant based parmesan

Instructions
 

Nana's Red Sauce

  • Heat a large saucepot over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pot. Sauté the onions in the oil until they look golden around the edges, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, bell pepper, and oregano. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, then sauté until the peppers are soft, about 5 minutes.
  • Use your hands to pinch and pull out the canned tomatoes’ cores, then crush the tomatoes right into the pot. Add the tomato paste and sugar. Fill the tomato paste can 4 times with water, adding the water to the pan, and stir until incorporated. Simmer the sauce uncovered over low heat for 1 to 1½ hours, stirring now and then to prevent burning. Use an immersion blender in the pot, or an upright blender, to puree the sauce—or, for the perfect rustic texture, use a food mill.
  • Return the sauce to low heat and simmer until the flavors blend, an additional 1 to 1½ hours. Taste the sauce, and add salt, pepper, and sugar until it tastes good to you. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil.

Spaghetti

  • Be sure that Nana’s sauce is in a pot on the stove on low heat.
  • Bring at least 1 gallon water to a boil in a large pot. Season the water with 2tablespoons salt. (A large pot with plenty of water helps to keep the pasta from sticking, and the salt helps season the pasta and create a chewy yet tender al dente texture.) Add the pasta to the water, fanning it out. Give it a stir, then return the water to a boil and cook until the pasta is tender yet chewy when you bite into a piece, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir occasionally with tongs to prevent sticking. Strain in a colander. The sauce will cling to the pasta better if you don’t rinse it.
  • There are two ways to serve spaghetti: Mix the pasta into the sauce in the pan, then transfer to a pasta bowl; or put the pasta in a bowl and pour the sauce on top. Most chefs like the former because you can meld the pasta and sauce together over low heat. But my kids pour their sauce on top because they don’t like too much sauce. I’m not going to argue with them. Finish with a sprinkle of chile flakes, basil, and some Parmesan.
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