Italian Sausage Tomato Sauce Recipe

This Italian Sausage Tomato Sauce is loaded with tomatoes and spices. It's great over zucchini noodles, pasta, mashed potatoes, and even on its own.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword dinner, gluten-free, low-carb, paleo, spring, summer

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 1 40

Servings people

Calories 256kcal

Author Olivia Ribas

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
1 cup white onions chopped
1 cup red bell peppers chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 dried bay leaf
⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
salt and black pepper
2 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes with juice
¾ cup water
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon pesto
4 medium fresh Italian sausage

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat.
Add the onions, and cook 4-5 minutes until they are soft and golden.
Add the bell peppers, garlic, bay leaf, crushed red pepper, dried parsley, salt, and black pepper.
Cook everything for about 3 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, and set aside.
Add the 2 cans of whole tomatoes including the juice. With a hand blender, crush the tomatoes. Be careful not to blend the tomatoes too much. You should leave a few chunks of tomatoes in the sauce.
Add the brown sugar and water. Cook for more 3 minutes.
Return the bay leaf to the pan.
Add the pesto, and cover the pan. Once it boils, lower the heat to maintain a low simmer.
Don't forget to stir occasionally.
Meanwhile in a skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Add the Italian sausages, and sauté until they become brown on the outside but still raw inside.
Cut the Italian sausages into three pieces each, and add to the tomato sauce. Cook on low heat for about 1½ hours. You can also cook the sauce for longer (3-4 hours) if you have the time.
Before serving, remove the bay leaf. Serve it over spaghetti or zucchini noodles.

Notes

You can get spicy Italian sausage to make the sauce spicier.
Feel free to add light, regular, or dark brown sugar.
Adjust the amount of sugar to your liking.
To store: Store the tomato sauce in an airtight container for 4 days in the fridge.
To reheat: Reheat the sauce in the microwave or stovetop until hot.
To freeze: Once cooled, you can freeze the tomato sauce for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe bag.

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