I eat Italian food (read: Americanized Italian) all the time. Not only is it often simple and cheap to make, but also it's so easy to prepare Italian food that is vegetarian.
A pasta and tomato sauce is a standby around here. Whether for baked rigatoni, pasta shells stuffed with manicotti, or just a big bowl of spaghetti, I end up making tomato sauce often. I don't start with fresh tomatoes; I use canned. But, canned tomatoes are one of the few vegetables that are actually really good when canned. They are tasty and consistent and also super easy to use. Now, what to flavor them with?
I love to use red wine in my tomato sauces, especially if I'm making something very hearty. Let it simmer in the tomato sauce for just a few minutes and the bite of the alcohol cooks away, and you are left with a rich undertone. This is a great way to use up that little bit of wine you have left over from your very frequent and very fancy dinner parties. (You do have very frequent and very fancy dinner parties, right?) Sweet or dry wines can work well in tomato sauce, depending on how it will be used. I know this isn't a bombshell for anyone - red wine in tomato sauce, that's old news - but it is something I do a whole heck of a lot, and it's always good.
Another favorite thing to put in tomato sauce is cream cheese. Perhaps that's a bit more revolutionary for some people than red wine. Cream cheeese? Yes, cream cheese. We all know that a tomato cream sauce is awesome. Tomato sauce, cream, what could be wrong about that? But I don't always have cream in the house. I almost always have cream cheese, and it works really well, too. Just a little goes a long way. It adds a creaminess but also a bit of a tang. I have discovered that the soft, spreadable tub cream cheese melts into a sauce a bit easier than traditional block cream cheese, but both work. Try it sometime, you won't be disappointed.
Happy eating!
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