By Janet Domke, RN BSN
What is a summer garden without tomatoes? We plant a garden every year, and each year we change it up a little. But one vegetable remains a constant – the tomato. We always have two varieties growing – a cherry or grape tomato and a Roma or beefsteak tomato. Having a summer garden is a great family project from planting, watering, feeding the plants to harvesting the fruit and vegetables. Even coming up with recipes for the bountiful harvest can be fun.
Tomatoes are one of our favorites. We pop them in salads, make tomato sandwiches, add them to cold pasta salads, or just add a little sprinkle of salt and eat it right off the vine.
Tomatoes can be beneficial for your overall health and wellness. They are a good source of vitamins and minerals. Vitamin C, vitamin K, folate and potassium can be found in tomatoes. They are also low in carbs. Studies have shown that tomato and tomato products may reduce your risk of heart disease, and some cancers. Tomatoes are also beneficial for skin health. It’s hard to beat the taste of fresh homegrown tomatoes.
Here is one of our favorite recipes for a “quick” tomato sauce. We are a family on the go, as are many of you. We love an easy, fast dinner, especially during the week and this is perfect. Enoy the fruits of your labor.
Cherry tomato sauce
Quick & easy cherry tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes, garlic, red onion, olive oil, oregano & basil.
Prep Time: 5 mins; Cook Time: 20 minutes mins; Total Time: 25 minutes mins
Servings: 8 ¼ cups. Calories: 44
Ingredients
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes, washed, and stems removed
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or chopped
- ¼ red onion, diced
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil (or ½ tablespoon chopped fresh basil)
- pinch freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Add onion and garlic to the olive oil and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in cherry tomatoes and place the lid on the saucepan. Continue to cook.
- When the tomatoes start to burst (after about 10 minutes), stir in the salt, basil, and oregano. Put the lid back on the saucepan and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Burst cherry tomatoes using the end of a fork or back of a spoon. Once all the cherry tomatoes have burst, carefully use an emersion blender to blend up about half of the tomato mixture (skins and seeds).
- Serve and enjoy!
Recipe courtesy of CarrotsandCookies.com
Quick and Easy Cherry Tomato Sauce for Pasta | Carrots & Cookies (carrotsandcookies.com)
Janet Domke, RN BSN is the Operations Manager for Mather Hospital’s Bariatric Center of Excellence. A registered nurse since 2005, she received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Stony Brook University and has completed courses in holistic nursing. She joined Mather’s Bariatric team in 2014 and is pursuing her certification in bariatric nursing.