Monday's Meal

I love to cook. I admit it. At our house we love pasta. Any good cook should know how to make a basic white sauce and a basic red sauce. They are so versatile and you can use them to make any number of dishes, don't be afraid to experiment. I thought I'd share some recipes for both a white and red sauce. The white sauce as you can see is very simple, but you can add cheese to it, or lemon and garlic and you have the start of a delicious meal...go wild! For the red sauce you can make a smooth or chunky style sauce. You can spice it up by adding more or less of your favorite herb. Add shallots or capers to the sauce or serve it over you favorite pasta. The possibilities are unlimited.

Basic White Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk


Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir until the butter and flour are well combined. Pour in milk, stirring constantly to thicken to desired consistency.


Basic Red Sauce

2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 minced garlic clove
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup white wine


If you like a smoother sauce you can blend the following ingredients in a blender or food processor until well blended and smooth; diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chopped parsley, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. If you like a chunkier style sauce just mix them all together well in a dutch oven and set aside until ready to add your other ingredients
In a skillet over medium heat saute the finely chopped onion in olive oil until they become translucent, about 2-3 mins. Add the onions and white whine to blended tomato sauce and cover, simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.