Lori's Linguine (Recipe)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped green sweet pepper

1/2 cup chopped carrot

1/2 cup snipped parsley

1 small clove garlic, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 16-ounce can whole Italian tomatoes, cut up

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/8 teaspoon oregano

8 ounces packaged linguine or other pasta

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Steps

1. In a large saucepan, cook and stir the onion, celery, green sweet pepper, carrot, parsley and garlic in the olive oil until the onion is tender.  Add the undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and oregano.  Reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 60 minutes or until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.

2. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Drain.

3. Spoon the sauce over the cooked pasta, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Tips:

To save time, double the recipe for the sauce and freeze half for use at a later date.

If you prefer a meat sauce, brown a pound of lean ground beef, pork, turkey or Italian sausage.  Add the meat to the sauce just before simmering.

To snip parsley, place it in a deep container, such as a 1-cup measure, and snip it with kitchen shears.

You may substitute 1 pound homemade pasta or fresh refrigerated pasta for 8 ounces of the packaged product.

Change the look of this pasta dish by changing the shape of the pasta.