For my second post in the Canadian Tire Kitchen Crew Missions this Fall, I stuck to a tomato theme. For the first time in years, we have a lot of tomatoes growing in our backyard and I am having to get creative to come up with ways to use them. Let me remind you that Mission 1 was as follows:
“It’s back to school time again! And you know what that means – packing your little one a lunch and preparing snacks for an army of friends after school. Besides wanting to be nutritious and delicious, you also don’t want to slave away for hours in the kitchen. Your mission this week is to develop easy eats for back to school! That means a total prop time of 20 minutes or less – no cheating!”
I had to laugh when I received this mission since the only “little one” I am packing a lunch for is Neil (and occasionally myself). But we DO try to plan ahead on the weekend to make sure we have enough food organised for whatever nights we’re home as well as leftovers for lunches. After last week’s soup, my mind wandered to pasta sauce. Pasta is always one of my “go-to” meals on busy weeknights and I am sure you know that it’s all too easy to reach for a jarred sauce when time is short. Last year, Neil canned a bunch of tomatoes for use in sauces and cooking but we’re running low and I wanted to see whether the Cuisinart Blend and Cook Soup and Beverage Blender would manage a batch of basic tomato sauce that I could use for pasta or pizza sauce or in any number of other soup and stew recipes. The sauce I came up with is simple but fresh and tasty – and lends itself to all sorts of interpretation. With something like 5 minutes’ prep time and about 40 minutes cooking time (where you can walk away and leave the blender do its thing), you couldn’t ask for much easier. And with only one pot to wash up, it’s even better!
A little prep, and 45 minutes later….
Ingredients – for about 500 mls sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon lemon zest
a handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped
Method
Turn on the “Cook” function to High and add the olive oil. Set the timer to 2 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the tomatoes, garlic and onion. Set the timer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, blitz a couple of times to desired consistency with the “Blend” function then reduce the heat to “low” and add tomato paste, lemon zest and basil. Cook for 10 more minutes with the lid off so the sauce will thicken slightly.
The result is a light tomato sauce with a hint of lemon – bright and fresh on its own. Or perfect to add to a meat sauce. Or use as a sauce base for pizza. The possibilities really are endless! Again, there won’t be as much depth of flavour as a sauce whose tomatoes have been slow roasted in the oven and cooked over a low heat for a couple of hours but for a healthy dinner in under an hour that doesn’t come out of a jar, I think it’s a pretty good substitute.
Disclaimer: I was provided with compensation as well as a Cuisinart Blend and Cook Soup and Beverage Blender in exchange for writing two posts about the product. All opinions are 100% my own. The Kitchen Crew series highlights my stories, recipes and tips with promotional consideration made possibly by Canadian Tire. If you want to uncover your kitchen’s true potential, stay tuned to the Kitchen Crew for my weekly missions.
* Did you enter my wine giveaway yet? Contest closes Wednesday September 14th at 6pm EST. I will announce the winner on Thursday September 15th. Bonne chance!
That blend and cook blender looks so neat. I have never seen anything like that before. That would definitely be handy for a quick weekday meal. The sauce looks great!
Totally handy for a weekday!
Simple and delicious!!! Perfect for a weeknight meal…especially with your delightful new gadget!
Yes it’s perfect for busy weeknights!
That’s a great way to make tomato sauce. I’m impressed. I’ll have to show this one to my wife.
Thanks! Enjoy!
There is quite possibly nothing better than fresh tomato sauce! Great post!
Agree! Its uses are endless too!
I’m so jealous that you have one of these special blenders! What a great way to make some fresh and yummy sauce!
Yes and so easy to clean!
ooh, looks yum!! The addition of lemon zest v. interesting, too – must try that!! Thank u! XX
It just brightens it up a little!
This Blend and Cook Blender from Cusinart may just be the little sister to their Crock Pots. Love that you can turn out a healthy and hot pasta sauce in such little time.
I do too Paula! No excuses to use jarred sauces anymore!
I love this idea! These would make great gifts! Beautiful pictures too!
Thanks so much and yes, great hostess gifts!
Lucky you, to have so many tomatoes! My crop this year has been pretty dismal, especially because those pesky squirrels keep snatching tomatoes off my plants before they’ve even had a chance to ripen. *sniff*
Using the Blend and Cook Blender to make tomato sauce sounds genius – so low-maintenance, especially in terms of the cleanup. Definitely a step up from my old-fashioned food mill! 🙂
So much cleaner than the food mill!
I always love to put a little lemon zest in my tomato sauces too. So simple, and it really brightens it up. Perfect in the summer, and also in the dead of winter when you’re begging for some sunlight! 🙂
Totally – am looking ahead to the dark days of winter!
ooh…like the element of lemon here!
Yes the lemon works really well!
You had me at “easy.” Looks like I need to get my hands on one of those Blend’n’Cooks!
It’s so interesting how it works! Great timesaver!
love this easy sauce!! it’s my pop’s favorite kind, too! 🙂
Simple is sometimes best!
How lucky are you with all the tomatoes!!!!!!! I am envious. I picked some of my first tomatoes of the season and the were the size of large peas!!!! Great recipe.
It’s our first year being lucky with tomatoes.
Mardi, this looks so packed with all the fresh flavours of summer. So easy but with great ingredients like that, it’s on another level. I’d love to even freeze it so that on dull, depressing winter days it can brighten up our evenings! A keeper.
Yes I love having treasures like that in the pantry or freezer to brighten up the winter!
Mmmm….sounds like a great way to use up the bumper crop of tomatoes I keep seeing at the farmer’s markets 🙂
Definitely, trying this!
Perfect for using up the end of the summer crop!
Such a wonderful idea! Thanks for the tip!! 🙂
You are welcome!
I wasn’t even aware such cooking device exists until now. Thanks for the tip and the quick sauce recipe, and I’ll keep my eyes open should this Cuisinart blender becomes available in my local stores.
It’s quite ingenious!
i can do this when I get my thermomixer……:)
Oh lucky you!
What a neat blender and recipe idea – great for those super busy nights when all you’re craving is a home cooked meal. I will definitely be filing this recipe.
Yes it’s great to know that home cooked doesn’t have to take ages!
What a perfect idea for a rainy weekend to cook and batch up some homemade tomato sauce?! Lovely!
Perfect for this rain we’ve had here!
I have never seen the Cuisinart blend and cook soup before. I am impressed. That sounds like such a great, quick way to prepare the sauce you did. Thanks for talking about it.
Yes it’s a great quick alternative to jarred sauces.
I want this blender! I haven’t seen nor heard of it before your post but this is going on my list!
It’s quite special, for sure!
Love the simplicity of this recipe! Perfect for anyone who’s just starting to cook. 🙂
Isn’t it just? 🙂