Spaghetti Sauce

[tani]

So, I dislike tomatoes. However, I still eat ketchup and I'm fine with sauce as long as it doesn't contain chunks of tomatoes. Unfortunately, I've been having a hard time finding any sauces that don't have those huge chunks. Too much picking at my food tends to make me lose my appetite.

Earlier today, my boyfriend suggested that there might be a way to make my own sauce so that it won't be chunky. I know that making sauce from fresh tomatoes is a bit of a process, and I'm not really that interested in a lot of hassle. But is there some way to take things like tomato paste or tomato puree or something that is similar in consistency and make it into a credible sauce? I tried googling some recipes, but everything I saw wanted me to put crushed tomatoes in, and that's really not what I want at all.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. :)

Comments

[rydra_wong]

Are you specifically looking for a tomato sauce, or would you also be interested in suggestions for tomato-free pasta sauces?

[carrie_ironhorse]

I would be interested if you have some good ones!

[rydra_wong]

Pesto! You can buy good-quality pesto in jars, which works well if you don't fancy making your own or your cooking actually does stop at the "boiling water" stage.

(I don't have a recipe for it that I'm happy with yet, but there are lots if you Google.)

I can't eat tomatoes, so I invented a tomato-free "bolognaise": saute onions and garlic in olive oil, add some (tomato-free) harissa paste, maybe add some chopped aubergine (eggplant) if I fancy it, then (when the aubergine's cooked) add beef or venison mince and stir until it's cooked through.

[carrie_ironhorse]

I do like pesto... my mom grows basil and it's very productive, so maybe I'll make my own. Or maybe not. Depends on how lazy I get. :) Thanks for the suggestions!

[tani]

I've never tried pesto before, but it sounds like I will have to give it a shot.

Your bolognaise also sounds really good. I will have to try that as well. Thanks!

[rydra_wong]

Pesto is wonderful -- basil, parmesan, pine nuts and olive oil, basically (there are variations). If you like those things, you should like it. *g*

A good quality pesto in a jar is a very useful thing to have on hand; it's great on pasta, but you can also smear a bit on chicken or fish before grilling it, which is very nice.