Looking for the perfect sauce to top your homemade pizzas with? Look no further than this delicious recipe for a classic Italian New York-style pizza sauce. While Neapolitan-style pizza dictates the use of simply pureed, uncooked tomatoes, New York and other pizza styles utilize a cooked sauce of tomatoes and spices and — gasp — sugar. And, the best part is, this recipe makes more than enough so you can refrigerate or freeze the leftover sauce for another day! No need to go in search of a pizza joint when you can make a New York-style pizza at home any time you want, starting with this faithful and perfectly balanced pizza sauce recipe.

• 1 (14 1/2ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice (I recommend Centi canned tomatoes)

• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

• 2 TBSN extra virgin olive oil

• 1 TBSN unsalted butter 

• 2 TBSN chopped fresh basil (or 2 t. dried)

• 2 TBSN  dried oregano

• 2 teaspoons basil 

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 

• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1 small yellow onion, peeled and quartered 

Medium mixing bowl, mixing spoon, measuring spoons, measuring cups Prep: 10 minutes prep Cook: 60 minutes  Ready: 70 minutes  Serves: 2 1/2 cups

Before you handle any food, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.Clean your kitchen work area and pull back your hair or wear a cap.You want to avoid contaminating your meal with harmful bacteria that could cause food illness.

1. In a food processor, pulse the diced tomatoes with juice, onion quarters, butter, tomato paste, olive oil, basil, oregano, sugar, red pepper flakes, garlic, and salt.

2. Blend ingredients until it forms into a puree. 

3. Cook sauce in a large saucepan over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. 

4. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to lowest setting, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour. 

5. Taste and add more salt, if needed.

TIP: The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon but thin enough to spread easily on the pizza.

6. Use immediately or store in a air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.

7. Let cool and store unused portion in a container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or pour into zip-top bags and freeze. 

TIP: After mixing the sauce ingredients, it does help to let the sauce sit for a while in the refrigerator to let the flavors marrry. 

8. Bring sauce to room temperature before adding to pizza dough.

• Calories 189

• Total Fat 10g 

• Saturated Fat 4g 

• Cholesterol 15mg 

• Sodium 164mg 

• Total Carbohydrate 24g 

• Dietary Fiber 4g 

• Protein 4g

• Calcium 103mg 

Tomato sauce is a great way to add more vegetables into your diet; helping you eat the recommended 2.5 cups each day. Eating enough vegetables helps lower your risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, obesity and Type 2 diabetes because of the fiber, vitamins and minerals they contain. Getting plenty of fiber in your diet helps you fill up with fewer calories and keeps you from getting constipated, as well as lowering your risk for heart disease.

Eating tomato sauce is also a great way to up your vitamin intake. Niacin is important for making hormones and improving your circulation, and vitamin A helps with immune function and vision. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant and helps with immune function, and vitamin K helps your blood clot and strengthens your bones. Marinara pasta sauce also contains lycopene, an antioxidant which may lower your cancer risk, and plant chemicals that help keep your eyes healthy.

You get essential minerals as well as larger amounts of potassium. f you use store-bought tomato sauce it can be high in sodium. You can make your pasta sauce healthier by chopping up extra vegetables in a variety of colors and adding them to your sauce; color indicates which beneficial compounds are in different vegetables. Try adding red peppers, grated carrots, chopped spinach and mushrooms for a good mix of nutrients.

 Chianti, a dry red wine made primarily from the sangiovese grape.

Chianti produces a medium-bodied ruby-red wine with an aroma of wild berries and flavors

of black cherry and raspberry that blend well with the acidic quality of red sauce.