There are actually 2 ideas here, each can be done alone, of course, but I wanted to share how I used a bit of Mom's garden surplus.

First up… Fresh from the garden tomato sauce!

This is the first time I've made my own homemade sauce from tomatoes, and I couldn't have been happier with the results.

Plus it was EASY! I mean really, really a cinch.

Here's what I did…

Ingredients

~30 garden ripe plum tomatoes
2 onions chopped
9 cloves of garlic (3 minced, 6 whole)
~60 basil leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt (to taste)
1-2 teaspoon of garlic powder (to taste)
1-2 teaspoon italian seasoning (to taste)

Instructions

Wash the tomatoes and remove any stems.

Just look at these babies! Mom did a good job! 🙂

Heat the oil in a larger sauce pan and sauté the onion and garlic.

While the onion is cooking, puree the tomatoes, basil leaves, and garlic cloves in the blender. You may have to do two batches depending on how large your blender is.

The puree will look pink. That's ok, it will darken while cooking.

Add the puree to the pot with the onions and bring to a boil while stirring. Once boiled, lower to a simmer and cook all day. I'd say at least 4-5 hours.

Stir occasionally, and after a few hours taste test and add the dry spices.

Serve over your favorite pasta or….

Idea 2: Shaved Zucchini

I used the monstrous sized zucchini but any size will work.

Using a potato peeler shave the zucchini making strips.

I liked leaving a small strip of skin.

Now you can prepare these one of two ways. Bring a pot of water to a boil and flash cook for about 30 seconds or sauté with a bit of olive oil or non-stick spray.

I did it over medium-high heat, tossing continuously. If you like them softer you can add a splash of water as well.

Pile the cooked zucchini on a plate..

and top with you homemade sauce!

Super tasty and light! I don't have time to calculate Nutritional Info (I'm off to BlogHer) but it's ALL vegetables. I don't worry about dishes like this when it comes to calorie counting.

📖 Recipe