4-Ingredient Weeknight Sauce

Sometimes on a Sunday, I like to make a beautiful sauce with some braciole, short ribs perhaps, maybe some sausage. It's definitely got red wine and simmers for at least 3 hours while the whole house fills with the delicious aroma.

Sometimes on a Thursday, I like to throw a bunch of ingredients into a pot while I put Wild Kratts on the tv, wash the parts of my Medela Freestyle and the kids' Lunch Bots then play a quick family game of Zingo.

I'll save the Sunday sauce for another day.  Today, it's all about the 4-Ingredient Weeknight Sauce.

Ingredients
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes with basil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 red onion, peeled
salt and pepper (I consider these freebies!)
hunk of parmesan (for grating on top)

Instructions
In a medium size pot over medium heat, add 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter and 1/2 a peeled red onion.  Bring to a slow boil, then reduce to a simmer.  I use a potato masher to break up the tomatoes or you can use the back of your wooden spoon. Simmer sauce for 30-45 minutes.

Remove onion half (or leave it if you'd like!) and toss sauce with hot, cooked pasta OR pour onto bowl of pasta.  If you or your family don't like chunky sauces, you can put the sauce into a food processor/blender or use an immersion blender to make the sauce smooth and silky. I use a microplane grater to add fresh parmesan cheese to the top. If you like a little kick, add some red pepper flakes too!

Source:  slightly adapted from Marcella Hazan via NY Times