I usually make this recipe salt-free by not adding salt and using no-salt-added tomatoes and tomato paste. For the best flavour, use canned Italian plum tomatoes. You can roast the cherry tomatoes in a 205C / 400F oven for 20 minutes (while preparing the sauce) then add them to the sauce for another layer of tomato goodness.
Feel free to add in anything you desire such as chickpeas, green beans, chopped spinach, mushrooms, roasted vegetables etc.
1 small red onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional, I don't add any)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 156ml (5.5 ounce) can tomato paste
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 cup water, divided into 1/2 cup portions
1 796 ml (28 ounce) can Italian tomatoes, diced or whole, blended
1 551ml (1 pint) container cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, sliced in thin ribbons
For a special meal, pair it with Apple Spring Mix Salad with Sweet Mustard Dressing and Chocolate Cherry Linzer Cookies for dessert.
To your health and happiness,
Beans and Rice
p.s. Thank you to everyone who took the time to watch and "like" my Canadian Lentils competition video. I did not win, but they sent me a nice "thank you for participating" package. I had fun making it. Maybe, I'll do another one soon.