Summertime Spaghetti

If you’ve ever been in a cooking rut, you might have made spaghetti as a easy, no-brainer meal, but this recipe adds something a little extra to make it special, HOMEMADE SAUCE. After receiving  my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) bag yesterday, I began thinking about the possibilities of what I could make with it. I had green peppers, tomatoes, peaches, cucumbers and several ears of corn. I had found a recipe in a Taste of Home magazine for Summertime Spaghetti Sauce and thought it sounded delicious. I made a few small changes and substitutions mostly because I was home with my one-year old and didn’t want to bother running to the store for the ingredients I needed. You can find the original recipe here and below is my version.

• 3 brats, casing removed and sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 1 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped*
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (I didn’t use this because I was planning to feed this to my 1 year-old, but would have otherwise)
• 1 can tomato sauce*
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp basil, dried (could add fresh at the end, if you have it)
• 1 tsp oregano, dried
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper
• Hot cooked whole wheat spaghetti
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Brown brats (or any other meat of your choice, Italian sausage would be great too) over medium heat. Drain and set aside. Heat oil in same skillet; add onions, garlic and green pepper. Cook and stir until tender.

2. Add the tomatoes, jalapenos, tomato sauce, brown sugar, spices, salt and pepper. Return meat to pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 12-15 minutes or until meat is completely cooked and sauce is thickened.

3. Serve with hot pasta and top with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

*The original recipe called for 3 cups of tomatoes (about 8 medium), but I was home alone with my daughter running around and decided I could only get three done. Thus, I added a can of tomato sauce to make it stretch a little farther. I just used a potato peeler to do mine because I didn’t want another dish to wash, but you can also blanch them to get the skins off quickly. Here’s a quick guide on How to Skin a Tomato, by Alice Henneman, MS, RD.

I will try to post some other creations that I make from this bag, but first I’m craving some corn on the cob with butter and salt and some sliced tomatoes! Please share what you’ve been making from your garden or farmer’s market finds!