Tomato Sauce with Onion and Smart Balance

Thought of the Day…Anybody who believes that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach flunked geography. ~Robert Byrne

When I found this recipe I was surprised at the simplicity. It became an immediate family favorite. It takes maybe 3 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook. It smells awesome and tastes even better.

The original recipe calls for butter, but to reduce the saturated fat I substituted Smart Balance. (Rafael, I *know* I shouldn’t substitute for butter, but wanted to make it healthier.) The first time I made it I used butter. Both ways are super good!

Cast of Characters

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28 ounces Canned Whole Tomatoes (Roma/Plum are best) – YES I cheated and used “diced” – I was out of the whole ones.)

Smart Balance

Medium Yellow Onion (this is a large onion as I was doubling the recipe)

Parmesan Cheese (not pictured, but you probably figured that out on your own)

1. Heat a heavy (cast iron is perfect), medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add all of the ingredients and bring to a simmer. (Didn’t I make a cute happy face for your viewing pleasure? LOL!! I crack myself up sometimes!)

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3. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, or until fat float separate from the tomatoes. Stir occasionally to break up tomato. As it cooks, you’ll notice the onion starts to swell.

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The smell at this point is wonderful!

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As I continued to stir it, the onion started to call apart.

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4. Remove the onion. If you desire to eat the onion with the sauce, cut each half into fourths and return to sauce. Otherwise, discard onion.

(I didn’t take a photo of this, but suspect you get the idea.)

5. Pour over cooked pasta. As you can see, I left the onion in.

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6. Add freshly grated Parmesan cheese and enjoy (roughly 1/2 ounce).

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Printable recipe can be found here. (If link fails it is because the recipe post is still pending approval)

Tomato Sauce with Onion and Smart Balance

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Serving Size: 4

Summary:

Adapted from Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. The original recipe calls for butter, but to reduce the saturated fat I substituted Smart Balance. Additionally, the original recipe calls for discarding the onion before serving. We prefer to have the onion included.

Ingredients:

28 ounces Canned whole tomatoes, Chopped or diced, with their juices. (Roma/Plum are best)

5 tablespoons Smart Balance

1 Medium yellow onion, peeled and halved

2 ounces Parmesan Cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Heat a heavy (cast iron is perfect), medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add all of the ingredients and bring to a simmer.

3. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, or until fat float separate from the tomatoes. Stir occasionally to break up tomato.

4. Remove the onion. If you desire to eat the onion with the sauce, cut each half into fourths and return to sauce. Otherwise, discard onion.

5. Pour over cooked pasta.

6. Add freshly grated Parmesan cheese and enjoy (roughly 1/2 ounce each).

Notes:

5 T = 1/3 Cup – 1 teaspoon

  1. NUTRITION FACTS (per MacGourmet) Servings: 4
  2. Amount Per Serving
  3. Calories: 209
  4. Total Fat: 14.99g
  5. Saturated Fat: 5.92g (if you use butter, this is 11.63g)
  6. Monounsaturated Fat: 5.77g (if you use butter, this is 5.01g)
  7. Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.30g (if you use butter, this is 0.74g)
  8. Trans Fat: NA
  9. Cholesterol: 10mg (if you use butter, this is 48mg)
  10. Sodium: 637mg (if you use butter, this is 526mg)
  11. Total Carbs: 10.99g
  12. Dietary Fiber: 2.45g
  13. Sugars: 5.89g
  14. Protein: 7.22g