Alright, so today I decided to whip up a batch of my go-to gluten-free spaghetti sauce. It’s not rocket science, but I’ve got my own way of doing things, and it always turns out pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. Been making it this way for ages, especially since going gluten-free made me look twice at every label out there.
Getting Things Rolling
First things first, I grabbed my trusty big pot. You know, the one that’s seen a thousand sauces. I started by chopping up a big yellow onion. Nothing fancy, just a good ol’ dice. Then, about three or four cloves of garlic, minced up nice and fine. I like a good bit of garlic, but you do you.
I had some ground beef in the fridge, about a pound. Tossed that into the pot over medium heat. Started breaking it up with a spoon, letting it brown. You gotta get that nice brown color, that’s where the flavor starts. Drained off most of the fat once it was cooked through. Some folks leave it, but I prefer it a bit leaner.
Building the Flavor
Once the beef was looking good, I threw in the chopped onions. Let those cook down with the beef for a few minutes, until they started to soften up and get a bit see-through. Then, in went the minced garlic. Stirred that around for about a minute – you don’t want to burn the garlic, it gets bitter real fast. The kitchen was already starting to smell like something good was happening.
Next up, the tomatoes. This is where I think my sauce gets its character. I use a big can (28 ounces, I think) of crushed tomatoes. Then I add a smaller can (around 15 ounces) of diced tomatoes, undrained. And the secret weapon? A good squeeze of tomato paste, maybe two or three tablespoons from a tube. That paste really deepens the tomato flavor.
For seasonings, I keep it classic but generous:
- Dried oregano – a good couple of teaspoons.
- Dried basil – about the same.
- A pinch of red pepper flakes, just for a tiny bit of warmth. Not enough to make it spicy, just interesting.
- One bay leaf. Don’t forget to fish this out later!
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper. I always say, season as you go, but be careful not to overdo it early on.
Stirred everything together really well. At this point, it’s starting to look like actual spaghetti sauce.
The Simmer and the Gluten-Free Check
Now, here’s an important bit for keeping it gluten-free. Some old-school recipes might use a bit of flour to thicken the sauce. We don’t do that here. The tomato paste helps, but the real trick is just letting it simmer. I bring it up to a gentle bubble, then turn the heat down low, pop a lid on but leave a little gap for steam to escape, and just let it do its thing. For at least an hour, longer if I have the time. The longer it simmers, the more the flavors meld together and the thicker it gets naturally.
I also make sure all my canned goods, especially the tomato products, are just tomatoes, maybe some salt or citric acid. No weird “broths” or “flavorings” that could hide gluten. It’s rare in plain tomatoes, but you learn to be cautious when you’re gluten-free. If I were adding wine or something, I’d double-check that too, but this sauce is simple.
I gave it a stir every 15-20 minutes or so, just to make sure nothing was sticking to the bottom of the pot. Watched it slowly transform, getting a bit darker and richer.
Finishing Touches and Serving Up
After a good long simmer, probably an hour and a half today, I did the taste test. This is crucial. Needed a little more salt, and sometimes I add a tiny pinch of sugar if the tomatoes are particularly acidic, but today it was pretty balanced. Some folks swear by a bit of sugar, others don’t. I just taste and see.
Fished out that bay leaf. You really don’t want someone biting into that. The sauce was nice and thick, clinging to the spoon. Perfect.
Boiled up some of our favorite gluten-free spaghetti. Ladled a generous amount of this homemade sauce over the top. Maybe a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese (the real stuff, check for anti-caking agents if you’re super sensitive, though most pure Parmesan is fine). And there you have it. A hearty, flavorful, and completely gluten-free spaghetti dinner. So much better than anything from a jar, and really not that much work when you get down to it. Clean-up is the only part I don’t love, but hey, worth it.