Maple Syrup Tomato Sauce

Good morning, readers! Here we are at Thursday, or as I like to refer to it "Friday, Jr." I hope your weekend is filled with fun and exciting plans, good weather and lots of relaxation!

Last night my co-worker/work bestie Amy came over to our apartment to watch the Christmas classic, Elf. Now, if you've never seen this wonderfully charming family film, first off: have you been living under a rock for the last 15 years? And secondly, shame on you!

Being that I'm a huge advocate of theme dinners, I wanted to make something special for this get-together. If you're a fan of the movie, you'll definitely remember the unforgettable scene in which Will Ferrell's character drenches a plate of spaghetti in maple syrup. Well, I didn't want to be that drastic so I tried to think of a way to incorporate maple syrup into the spaghetti and then it came to me like a lightbulb! Replace the sugar usually added to tomato sauce with syrup! And thus the following recipe was born.

Maple Syrup Tomato Sauce

 

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 C yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz canned no-sodium added tomato sauce
3 Tbsp tomato paste
14 oz canned diced tomatoes
1/2 - 1 C vegetable stock or 1 vegetable bullion cube and 1/2-1 C water
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp real maple syrup
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 Tsp red pepper flakes

In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté onion in oil until translucent. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant.

Pour in the tomato sauce, tomato paste and diced tomatoes (liquid and all) and stir to combine.

Depending on how thin you like your spaghetti sauce, add in 1/2 C to 1 C of vegetable stock. I personally like my sauce to be on the thick side so I use less liquid, but this it totally personal preference! If you're using a bullion cube, toss in the cube whole and add water to thin. Stir frequently to disperse.

Season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Now add in 2 Tbsp of maple syrup to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. If you prefer your sauce a little sweeter, add in more syrup! However taste check constantly! You don't want your spaghetti to end up tasting like Will Ferrell's, unless you're into that.

Drop the heat to low and simmer the sauce for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use immediately or store in a mason jar in your refrigerator for up to a week.

This sauce is flavorful, chunky and delicious. The maple syrup gives the sauce a rich and decadent flavor that regular sugar just can't compare to, truth be told I may start making my tomato sauce with maple syrup from now on.

Chunky Maple Syrup Tomato Sauce with Meatless Meatballs, Garlic Toast and a nice Chianti!

I paired my delicious sauce with some plain ole' spaghetti noodles and meatless meatballs that I cooked in the sauce while I was reheating it on the stove. I also made some garlic toast using wheat sandwich bread, butter and a variety of seasonings.

We enjoyed our dinner with a bottle of Chianti and then sat down to watch the cinematic genius that is Elf.

Stay tuned for some more exciting things ahead, readers!