Quick Chunky Vegetable Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:
28 oz canned fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
15 oz canned diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 small to medium carrots, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 jarred whole pimiento, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon basil, finely chopped*
1 tablespoon oregano, finely chopped*

Directions:
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onions, carrots and celery. Saute over low heat until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and pimiento. Saute until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and herbs and cook, stirring occasionally, on low until it thickens-about 10 minutes.


*I actually used these packaged frozen herbs because I didn't want to buy a whole bunch just for this recipe and they worked very well.

My thoughts:

While it is warming up, we are still months away from fresh tomato season. I had a hankering for a classic tomato sauce but knowing I had to use canned tomatoes I added a little more vegetables to the sauce than I normally use- sort of a riff on pasta primavera-to brighten the sauce up a bit. The carrots and pimiento adds some natural sweetness that counteracts any slight bitterness you might detect in canned tomatoes.