Name: Tomato-Sausage Sauce
Yield: Makes about 5 cups
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons olive oil; 4 spicy Italian sausages, pierced several times with toothpick; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 4 large garlic cloves, minced; 1 1/2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes with added puree; 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley; 2 small bay leaves; 2 teaspoons dried basil; 2 teaspoons dried oregano

"When my son was young," writes Mary Gareffa of East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, "he used to tease me for standing over the pot of sauce, stirring and simmering it slowly, but that's the way my father showed me. A sauce is like a baby; you have to be gentle with it. And I know I must be doing something right, because my grandson, Jason, called me just last week to get the recipe."

This quick and easy version of Mary's heirloom recipe is ready in under an hour.

Recipe notes

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