Getting Saucy During National Sauce Month

There have been many things to celebrate this month, such as daylight savings time giving us more daylight and the spring equinox (slowly) bringing us warmer temperatures. We also get to celebrate National Sauce Month! This is a time to explore new sauces and flavors, plus a time to make some healthier choices when dressing your favorite dishes.

I personally love trying new sauces all the time. Sauce can be used to add new flavors and textures to dishes you are already enjoy. However, it is important to be very mindful when choosing sauces.

To start, premade canned or jarred sauces are often high in sodium. Make a healthier choice by looking for low sodium options. Sodium is not the only thing to look out for. Cream and cheese-based sauces are usually high in calories and saturated fat. It is recommended that you eat less of these.

What’s the best option? Get in the kitchen and make your own sauces! I’m going to share some favorite home-made sauce recipes from my assistant Samantha, that may have a few surprising ingredients. It is great to make your own sauce because you can experiment with new flavor combinations plus you can control the amount of sodium, cream, and cheese being used.

First up is a simple marinara sauce that is a staple in Samantha’s kitchen. I love to pour this over a home-made veggie pizza.

Samantha starts by heating olive oil and minced garlic in a saucepan until the garlic becomes fragrant and starts to brown. Then she adds a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes without added salt. She likes to season the sauce with a dash of salt, sugar, ground black pepper, and a handful of basil. Add crushed red pepper flakes for even more flavor. She lets the sauce simmer for as long as she can, but it can be ready in just 10 minutes!

Next is her favorite spinach-pesto sauce. This sauce is incredibly easy to make and it is so tasty over pasta, grilled chicken or salmon, and she just loves to stuff mushroom caps with it.

This is a very green sauce! In a blender or food processor, combine about 2 cups of spinach, and sometimes kale, a handful of fresh basil leaves, a handful of pine nuts, 3-4 cloves of garlic, and about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Blend this until it is smoothly combined. Samantha also likes to throw in a dash of salt and pepper and about 1/3 a cup of grated parmesan cheese. If your pesto is too thin, add a little more olive oil. If it is too thick, add some water to loosen it up. That’s it! I told you it is a quick recipe. If you prefer warm sauce, simply transfer the sauce into a saucepan and warm over low heat for a few minutes.

Your turn to take action: Have you tried making your own sauce at home? Share your favorite recipes or give one of these a try!