what to do with red sauce?
 

Okay, so I make a kick ass red gravy, so I've been told.

I throw in a few cans of organic crushed tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, some peeled ripe tomatoes, on top of some sauteed onion, whatever peppers I can find, minced garlic, roasted garlic, a little pinch of spenda at the very end to cut the acid and tons of herbs and spices. Usually toss in a little parm at the end as a binder if it is too liquidy. It cooks most of the afternoon.

I love to brown some 95% lean ground hereford and half a hot italian sausage from Fresh Market and toss with 1/2 c of macaronis with the sauce after it simmers with the meat for 30 minutes or so. Or baked spaghetti, poured over veggies, used in lasagna, etc.

But I'm bored with that. I could just eat bread dipped in it, but then I'd be enormous. So, I'm asking as squeeb does, What Do You Do With Red Sauce?

I don't have any suggestions but that does sound really good.

Pasta (of course)
Rice
Vegetables (either over or on the side)
Roasted/Grilled/Baked chicken/other poultry/steak/pork

That would actually make a nice topping on some yellow or purple potatoes. Boill, grill or bake some really nice potatoes and top them with your sauce. Or work it into some lean ground beef for a flavorful meat loaf. Or drizzle it over a less expensive cut of steak.

I used to do a sort of cacciatore style chicken with actual fryer parts in a covered frying pan. After you sear the chicken in some garlic, pepper and olive oil, let it simmer in your sauce.

...how about wheat pasta? Personally, i think it tastes like cardboard but my sister uses it and she's a size 3. The rule of thumb though is to eat anything you want...in the right portion size. What about brushetta? Yummy.

add some red wine to your sauce for extra unctoiusness...

now that you have the sauce, make osso buco or chicken caccitore. really take any meat, brown it, throw that awesome sauce all over it, and braise in the oven or on the stovetop for a few hours.

take some manicotti and boil them till they are almost aldente. Make a stuffing for them out of Ricotta cheese, a little parmesan, and some parsely. Stuff the manicotti and put into a baking dish. Cover with your amazing red sauce, a little more parm or if you really want it to be cheesey use Mozz and bake for 30mins at about 350-400F. Not very healthy but delicious, also you could stuff it with sweet potato or squash , parm, parsley, nutmeg, maybe some cinnamon. Lots of stuff you could do!

Braise short ribs in it. Or chicken thighs if you're avoiding red meat. Sear the ribs first in a heavy heavy spice mix and cover them with sauce. Cover the tray and put them in a low oven for three hours or so. Serve with polenta.

Well, you can also make a pretty sweet black bean soup with ingredients fairly similar to that. I do something similar (with black beans, of course)...then put it in the food processor and use it as the base of a pretty delicious bean burrito/enchilada. Add cheddar cheese on the top and a little spicy sauce of your choice...maybe some spinach or lettuce and bell pepper?

Some of my favorites:
Chicken parmesan either fried, baked or sauteed chicken and cheese. One of my favorite ways to have chicken.

Gnocchi in red sauce, you can get them frozen in the supermarket that aren't half bad.

One of my favorite things to do when I make it is to take french bread, cut it digaonally, then toast lightly. Put some red sauce on it, along with some cheese, throw it in the oven till cheese is melted. Little snacks and good for you. Plus I *love* bread.

Lasagna will ROCK with fresh made red sauce.

Squeeeb is right, add some red wine right as everything starts to cook. Not alot, a few splashes for a home kitchen sized pot will do fine. It will bring out the flavor of the tomatoes and garlic and add alot of goodness to your sauce.

How bout lightly breaded and pan fried Eggplant. My wife makas a rattatoille (sic) that is really good, but taking some of your sauce and topping it sounds as good as keebler cookies (outrageously good wherever they come from)

Ciopinno is really good. doesnt require much red sauce but u'll want to make it over and over. assuming you can get good seafood.