Have you ever just thrown something together and it turned out great? I think I’m about 50/50 when it comes to experiment success. Sometimes I get ideas and begin throwing things in the skillet and the result in inedible. Other times, the cards seem to be stacked right and I end up with a great meal I can’t wait to make again.
Or in this case, a sauce.
We decided to close out 2010 with a homemade meal, and my husband and I tried making pasta for the first time. I put that part in parenthesis because a handmade pasta post will come later once I gather some good photos. I do have to say that it was so wonderful, I’d be willing to put in the effort on any busy week night to make pasta again.
But this post is about the sauce.
I love rich and hearty red sauces. The kind of sauce that is so good even a meat lover would forget that it is vegetarian.
This sauce is it. It was perfect for the pasta we made and I’m ready to try it with a different version like ravioli or lasagna.
Hearty Tomato, Kale and Mushroom Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium tomatoes, peeled (I used thawed, frozen ones from the garden)
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 button mushrooms, chopped
2 cups kale, finely chopped
¼ cup water
1 tsp mascavo or brown sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp crushed red pepper
Heat the oil in the skillet, add the garlic. If using a thawed, frozen tomatoes place them in the skillet and break up with your spoon. Otherwise, roughly chop the tomato and place in the skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat.
Add the kale, stir to coat with any oil and the other ingredients. Add the water, place a lid on the skillet. Simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. The tomato should break down completely and the kale should be tender.
Remove lid and stir in the sugar, balsamic vinegar, basil, oregano, salt, black pepper and red pepper. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more and serve over pasta. Makes 2 servings.
Sounds wonderful…I think it will happen at my house soon! Thanks!
wow this looks so tasty great recipe
I love it when i can just throw a bunch of ingredients together and they come out in a terrific dish. This sauce sounds excellent, wonderful flavors and very healthy too!
I love kale and mushrooms! And this sauce looks fantastic… I will definitely have to give it a try. Great job! Oh, and the pasta? From what I can see, it looks great!
What a great way to use kale…I get a lot from my CSA during the summer and have a ton frozen right now. I may have to try this! Do you think it would work sans mushrooms? (My family is not a big fan of them.)
And your noodles look fantastic for the first time–I want to try to make my own pasta soon too!
I can eat kale however you want to throw it at me. I’ve tossed it in pasta sauce before and I like how it brings a heartiness to the sauce while still keeping it’s green color.
Nice job with the sauce and pasta! Love the bread in the back 🙂
Perfect timing…I was looking for a new sauce recipe to try next week..I think this is the one.
Oh yeah, bookmarking this one. I think it would be a favorite at our house.
Great looking sauce and congrats on the homemade and from scratch meal. Yay for making pasta! We have done it a few times now and I think it gets easier each time. We were just saying that we need to make some more sometime soon.
This is my first time visiting your blog. I love what you are doing here.
This recipe looks like something I would adore 🙂
Hi Carol – Hope you like it!
Rebecca – Thanks!
5 Star – It turned out to be a great combo!
Ellen – Thanks! I can’t wait to do a pasta post. It was so tasty. I just need to make it daylight so I can get some good photos of the process.
Mindy – Oh yeah, it would be fine with out them. I just put them in because we had some I needed to use up. I’m interested to know how kale freezes. Did you cook it at all first?
Andrea – I’m getting to that point too. I love it in everything.
Food Hunter – Glad I could help. Hope you enjoy it!
kat – Great! HOpe you like it!
Melinda – I’m looking forward to trying it again. It really does help to have two people. Not difficult just need extra hands. 🙂
branny – Thanks so much for stopping by. I appreciate you comment.
I love making home made pasta and that sauce does indeed look amazing. Homemade pasta tastes nothing like the dried kind, not that that’s bad just different. Your dish has me hungry.
I made this and loved it. Substituted spinach and cremini mushrooms. you can see my post http://www.foodhuntersguide.com/2011/01/tomato-spinach-mushroom-pasta-sauce.html
Food Hunter – Thanks so much for commenting! Glad you liked it!
Just found this recipe and made it for dinner tonight. It. Was. Awesome. We skipped the chicken for #meatlessmonday and know it will become a staple for my family!
— LTV Mom