Fresh Tomato Sauce

Makes 6 servings POINTS® value 0 | ½ cup per serving Ingredients Nonstick cooking spray 1 medium onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 12 medium plum or Roma tomatoes, finely chopped, juice reserved 2 Tbsp chopped basil leaves 1 Tbsp chopped oregano leaves 1 Tbsp stemmed thyme 1 tsp honey 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes Instructions Spray a large saucepan with nonstick spray and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and all their juice; stir well and continue cooking until they begin to simmer. Stir in the basil, oregano, thyme, honey, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 15 minutes. Serving Size: 1/2 cup. Seven Things To Do with Fresh Tomato Sauce* Baked Italian Chicken Pour sauce over skinless bone-in chicken thighs in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven until bubbling and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into one of the thighs without touching bone registers 180ºF, about 35 minutes. Baked Potatoes Slice open a freshly baked potato and spoon on sauce as a topping. Dip/Salsa Pour half the sauce into a blender; blend until just smooth. Use as a dip for vegetables or toasted pita rounds. Stir 1 chopped, seeded jalapeno chili into the chunky sauce, if desired. Fish Pour the sauce into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish; heat in a preheated 350ºF oven for 10 minutes. Lay fish fillets on top of sauce; bake until the fish flakes when gently scraped with a fork, about 10 minutes. Mussels Marinara Stir 3 pounds of cleaned and de-bearded mussels into the sauce after it's thickened. Cover and simmer until the mussels have opened, about 4 minutes. Discard any mussels that don't open. Pizza Blend all the sauce in the blender until smooth; spread onto a purchased whole wheat pizza crust. Top with vegetables and a little low-fat mozzarella or goat cheese; bake as directed on the crust's package. Shrimp and Rice Casserole Stir 3 cups cooked brown rice and 1 1/2 pounds cleaned and deveined medium shrimp (about 30 per pound) into the sauce. Pour into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the top with 2 ounces grated low-fat Cheddar. Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven until bubbling, about 35 minutes. *Be sure to calculate additional POINTS® values accordingly