Sweet Homemade Tomato Sauce

Don't tell my family, but several tasty spoonfuls of this sauce traveled from the blender to my tummy long before the dinner table was set.  For tonight's meal, we ate this sweet--and creamy?!--tomato sauce with chicken and rice.  Tomorrow, I'm thinking it will be delicious over ravioli or fish or meatloaf or even, if spiced up a bit, as a makeshift enchilada sauce.

Measurements are approximated, and feel free to make substitutions.  The onions and carrots really boosted the sweetness, and I believe the combination of the olive oil and blending accounted for the "creamy" quality that we found both delightful and a bit surprising.



Ingredients

• 1/4 C olive oil
• 1/3 of a large yellow onion (diced)
• Italian seasoning
• two large handfuls of baby carrots (chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 5 large, fresh tomatoes (chopped) - mine were at least the size of my fist
• Parsley (dried)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In a pot, heat olive oil over MED-HIGH until it shimmers.
2. Add the diced onions and allow them to caramelize, stirring occasionally.
3. Add a dash of Italian seasoning.
4. Add the carrots and allow them to soften.
5. Toss in the garlic.
6. Add the tomatoes and allow the sauce to simmer happily for 40 minutes or until all veggies are cooked through and soft.  The liquids will be significantly reduced, and the pot will smell really good.
7. Transfer to a blender and blend.  I used a low setting to keep the sauce a bit chunky.
8. Add parsley, salt, and pepper to taste.