I’m going to be going to grad school in a few months, and that means I need to learn how to cook! I have been looking for easy, quick, and affordable recipes that I can make, and having my mom teach me some of her recipes. This quick, homemade tomato sauce recipe is super easy, meant for beginners, and tastes delicious!

1. Start by adding 1/4 cup of olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes into a pan and cook until it gets fragrant and yummy on medium heat.
2. Add 28oz of tomatoes. Cook them until they start smelling good, not like raw tomatoes! Also add in some kind of dried herb (oregano, basil, your choice).
3. Meanwhile, boil pasta! If you need help with this…boil and heavily salt water, once it boils, put in your pasta, and once it reboils, use a timer for the middle time on the box. You can use whatever shape you want!
4. If the sauce needs more flavor, feel free to add balsamic vinegar or wine!
5. Then, add grated parm and romano cheese into the sauce! Stir in, and then ladle in some of the hot pasta water to thin out the sauce again.
6. Finally, add 1-2 tbsp of butter into the sauce and mix it in. This adds such a delicious richness to the sauce!

This sauce is a great base for more ingredients, like capers, chicken, or sausage!