A versatile and super easy pasta sauce made from garden fresh tomatoes, pictured here with a three cheese tortellini and garnished with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.

Fresh Tomato Pasta Sauce

We're already heading halfway into the month of July, so I guess we're getting pretty close to that final lap of summer, for which many of us will be grateful! I don't know about y'all, but I'm sure praying for a cooler fall and winter this year than last because it's been hotter than the hinges of Hades pretty much everywhere this summer.

Unfortunately though, that also means that we'll be not long before saying goodbye to our favorite summer produce too, so get 'em in while ya can! {Southern Sidebar: Don't you just love how some of us southerners can butcher up the English language with a sentence like that? The grammar police must really love those of us who write on sites like this. Relax. We just like to write how we talk is all.}

Personally, I think The Cajun will be happy for that, since we've had a lot of vegetable-centric dishes showing up around here that his veggie opposed self won't eat. Just yesterday, I tried, once again, to convince him to try just a bite of fried green tomato - which, coincidentally he brought home for me his very own self - but he just wouldn't go for it. I'll keep trying, but it's his loss and more for me! By the way, I have a great recipe coming up where those will make a guest of honor appearance, and decked out with a brand new breading too, so stay tuned for that.

This recipe uses regular ole red tomatoes though, and if you love them as much as me, I think you'll really enjoy this very versatile sauce. It pairs well with pretty much any pasta, and will stand just as well all on it's own, as it will paired up with a protein.

I fix it most often with either shrimp or crab usually with a thin vermicelli or angel hair pasta, but today I decided to go meatless and pair the sauce with a three cheese tortellini finished with some freshly grated Parmesan. This simple fresh sauce over pasta makes it a great meatless main dish meal, or as a side dish to go with just about anything. Even though the standard sides are mashed potatoes and creamed green peas, I love to make this sauce with angel hair pasta as a side with my salmon patties. It may not be traditional, but it sure is tasty with those!

Here's how to make this beautiful pasta sauce made from garden fresh tomatoes. 

I've mentioned a few times this season how much I love my newest gadget - this soft skin peeler. I'm just tickled pink about it y'all!! One of y'all actually talked me into this purchase last year and I'm so glad you did.

I mean, c'mon look how beautifully these tomatoes peeled and there's none of that boiling mess. When you just need a few tomatoes for a sauce, this is just the easiest way to peel them. Works fantastic with those peaches too. Check your local kitchen or department store or pick one up from my store next time you have a few kitchen things to buy - it's my favorite kitchen tool right now!

Once you've peeled the tomatoes, chop them up but be sure to retain the juices. I just use my kitchen shears and do them right in the bowl.

Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the green onion and  garlic.

And the tomatoes.

And cook until soft.

Stir in the salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and sugar.

Add the white wine if you're using. You can also substitute chicken stock or broth if you like. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add the basil and parsley to the sauce and gently toss; taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Viola! Fresh tomato pasta sauce. Isn't it gorgeous? Now you just have to decide if you want to add in any cooked protein and what pasta to use.

I decided to go meatless and chose tortellini this time. I'm using a 9-ounce package of Buitoni 3-cheese tortellini. It's a little more costly than the generic tortellini, which of course I also buy, but honestly it's one of those things that is worth the extra cost to me, especially if it's going to be part of a central main dish like this one.

Spoon the fresh tomato sauce over the top.

Gently toss.

Grate some fresh Parmesan cheese over the top.

Garnish with a little parsley and dig in!

If you think this sounds yummy, I'd sure ♥ it if you'd click to pin it, tweet it, stumble it, or share it on Facebook to help spread the word - thanks!

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Recipe: Fresh Tomato Pasta Sauce

©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

Prep time: 10 min |Cook time: 15 min |

Yield: About 4 servings

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
• 4 cups of peeled and chopped fresh tomatoes, juices retained
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama), or to taste
• 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 teaspoon of fresh, chopped basil
• 1/2 tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Instructions

Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the green onion, garlic, and chopped tomatoes to the skillet; sauté until tomatoes begin to soften slightly. Stir in the salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning, sugar and wine; simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the basil and parsley to the pasta and gently toss; taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Add your choice of cooked pasta to the sauce, stir to mix thoroughly and turn out into a pasta bowl. Garnish each serving with parsley and grate fresh Parmesan cheese over the top, if desired. Serve immediately with fresh hot bread and a side salad.

Cook's Notes: Sauce is pictured with a 9-ounce package of Buitoni 3-cheese tortellini. When making this as a main dish, especially with a protein, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, using as needed after mixing the sauce with your pasta, if the pasta needs additional liquid. If you're planning to serve this sauce with seafood and pasta, add 1/2 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning and finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

To substitute dried herbs for fresh, you'll need about 1/4 teaspoon of basil and 1 teaspoon of parsley. Substitute a 28-ounce can plus a 15-ounce can of whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped, when fresh tomatoes are out of season. This is a light, fresh tomato pasta sauce recipe that is not sauce-heavy. If you prefer a heavier sauce to pasta ratio, you'll need to double the tomatoes or add tomato sauce.

Source: http://deepsouthdish.com

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