Lisa’s Sicilian Tomato Sauce is one of my inventions that goes back to the days when my children were little and we were on the beach in Sicily. Everyone was hungry and wanted pasta for lunch. So we ran back up to the house and, using what I had in the kitchen, Lisa’s Sicilian Tomato Sauce was born!

Make it this summer in your backyard to create your own Summer in Sicily. Buon Appetito e Tutti a Tavola!

~Lisa

This recipe is in Lisa’s cookbook This is Sunday Dinner– you can find it in Menu 34! And you can watch Lisa make the recipe on the Lisa’s Italian Kitchen YouTube channel here.

Lisa’s Sicilian Tomato Sauce Ingredients:

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup white onion, chopped

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup green pepper, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped

2 tablespoons capers, not packed in salt and drained

2 (26-ounce) cans imported crushed San Marzano tomatoes

1 cup good-quality, imported red wine from Sicily (such as Nero d’Avola)

1 cup green olives, sliced in half

1 cup black olives, sliced in half

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons Sicilia sea salt, fine

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Lisa’s Sicilian Tomato Sauce Directions:

Pour the olive oil into a large 6-to-8 quart pasta pot. Sauté the onion, garlic, red pepper, green pepper, carrots and celery for 10 minutes or until soft. Add the capers to the mixture, smashing them slightly with the back of a fork or a wooden spoon. Add the crushed tomatoes and stir them into the mixture for a minute. Add the wine, and let the sauce simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Add the green olives, the black olives, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Let the sauce simmer for 10 more minutes over low to medium heat.

To serve with the pasta: Cook 2 pounds rigatoni, according to the instructions on the package. Drain, toss with Lisa’s Sicilian Tomato Sauce, and place in a large pasta bowl. Top with a generous amount of grated ricotta salata cheese and serve.