By the Gracious Vegan

This recipe started with Isa Moscowitz’s recipe for spaghetti sauce in her Isa Does It cookbook. But I’ve tweaked enough aspects of it that it needs its own identity. You can use water instead of red wine if you don’t like the taste of red wine.
Makes about 4 cups (1 quart)
Heat a large saucepan or small Dutch oven on medium-low heat. Add ¼ cup of red wine (or water) and wine-sauté the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, until soft.
¼ cup red wine
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Add the brown sugar and additional wine. Cook about 1 more minute.
1 Tablespoon light brown sugar (optional)
Additional ¼ cup red wine
Mix in the spices and tomatoes and stir. Cook for about 15 minutes with the pot covered (but with the lid ajar to let steam escape).
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon salt
Crushed red pepper flakes (about ¼ teaspoon or more if you like it hot)
Freshly ground black pepper
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
Timing: About 30 minutes
Nutrition: The wine and sugar are the only processed ingredients
Total for the batch: 440 calories, 2g fat, 0g sat. fat, 85g carbs, 1058mg sodium, 17mg fiber, 14g protein
Gluten-free
Photo by Foodista on Flickr