This is a tomato sauce I make all the time and freeze in small containers.

Simple Tomato Sauce
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Serves:
6 cups

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1 stalk celery, chopped
* 1 carrot, chopped
* Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
* 4 to 6 basil leaves
* 2 dried bay leaves
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

Directions

In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and simmer covered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.

Add half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.

If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

One of my favorite soups:

Cream of Tomato Soup Winter Style

1 16oz. can whole tomatoes
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped celery including leaves
2 TB butter
1/2 t. dried basil
1/2 t. dried oregano
1 t. salt
2 TB tomato paste
1 TB brown sugar
2 TB butter
3 TB flour
2 c. beef broth
1 c. milk

In a sauce pan over medium heat, simmer tomatoes, onion, and celery in the first 2 TB butter with the basil, oregano, salt, tomato paste, and brown sugar, uncovered for 10 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender or cool a little and blend in a blender or food processor.

In another pan, melt second 2 TB butter, stir in flour, cook 1 minutes. Sitr in broth to make a smooth, thick sauce, Beat in milk. Add the tomato mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve at once. Makes 6 servings.

Source: A Feast of Soups

Thanks Teresa. You seem to always come through with answers for me. I did make the sauce and like it a lot. Now ...stupid question. The soup recipe calls for a 16 oz. can of tomatoes and 2 Tbs. of tomato paste. How much of the 6-in-1 would I substitute. Since the paste is so concentrated, would I use the entire 28 ounces? I know....how dense can an old woman be, but I may as well be honest. It's the substitute amounts that confuse me.

Thanks, girl.

jude

I would use 2 cups of the tomatoes and perhaps skip the paste as these tomatoes are canned in puree already. Just my opinion. If you prefer a stronger tomato taste after making it one time w/o the paste, then you can try it again to see if you like it better with the paste added.

Teresa