November 16th, 2012 
With Thanksgiving upon us, great menu ideas that do not involve a turkey are still needed. If you have guests coming for dinner next week, you will need to feed them for more than one Thanksgiving meal.
This is simple and filling without over stuffing, which will definitely not be needed. Take a simple pomodoro sauce, which is a lot like the marinara sauce only it’s thicker. Take basic ingredients like tomatoes, olive oil and garlic for your sauce foundation. Setting this sauce apart is a little twist a came upon by visiting my local vinegar retailer. This particular store offers vinegar in a broad range of interesting and delectable flavors. A splash added to this basic tomato sauce brings a new pep to an old classic. Of course, you may opt to not try the vinegar and still have a delicious pomodoro sauce.
(Photo Credit: Ashley Pierson)
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons fresh virgin olive oil, plus extra for garnish later
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 3 (28-ounce) cans chopped tomatoes; imported Italian tomatoes like San Marzano tomatoes are highly recommended. Put them in a food processor or a blender until they’re the consistency you like, anywhere from roughly chopped, for a chunkier sauce, to finely pureed, for a creamier sauce.
- 1 teaspoon Champagne Vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt or sea salt
Directions
Begin by heating the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Sautee the diced onions if you’re using them, until they’re soft but not browned. Add the garlic (in slices or paste) and sauté carefully and briefly, don’t let it turn brown; if you’re using red pepper flakes, you can add that pinch now too. Add the tomatoes and vinegar. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
While the sauce simmers, Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Halve squah lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place squash halves on a lightly oiled cooking sheet. Bake 35 minutes or until shell is easily pierced. Remove squash from oven. Scrape crosswise to pull strands from shell. Serve squash like pasta and top with sauce. Ready for dinner!
