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Spaghetti with meatless balls #2

I slightly modified by recipe from my original recipe for spaghetti with meatless balls to make one serving of homemade marinara for four servings with no leftover marinara.

olive oil 1/2 yellow onion, finely diced 2-3 cloves garlic, minced 1 stalk celery, finely diced 1 carrot, finely diced 1/2 green pepper, diced 3 oz. red wine 1 can crushed tomato (28 oz.) dash of red pepper flakes (optional) 1 bay leaf 1/2 tsp. oregano

In a large pot over low to medium-low heat, add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.

Add the onion and garlic and sweat for 5 minutes, until translucent, making sure not to burn either.

Add the celery and carrots and continue to cook for 5 more minutes until softened.

Add the green pepper and cook 5 more minutes.

Add the red wine and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Add the canned tomato and bay leaf and continue to cook over medium-high heat until the sauce begins to bubble. Add the red pepper flakes.

Lower the heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Level 1 on my induction hot plate.

Add 1/2 tsp. oregano.

Add the frozen meatless balls. I like the Gardein classic meatless meatballs. The package has 4 servings. Simmer for 20 more minutes.

Remove bay leaf. Add salt and pepper.

Diced tomatoes makes a really chunky sauce. I used that originally but crushed works better.

I vacuum sealed and froze all four servings. It's easier to reheat in the sous vide.

I put the frozen vacuum sealed bag in the sous vide for 40 minutes at 140°F. I then transfer to a sauté pan over low heat. That step is optional, but sometimes the sauce gets a little watery after freezing, and this provides an opportunity to fix that. Also, I liked to toss the cooked pasta with the sauce before plating, so it's nice and evenly coated. Since I need a vessel to do that, I might as well just do it in the sauté pan rather than a separate bowl.

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