Herbed Tomato Spaghetti Sauce

This meatless spaghetti sauce is built on eight cups of fresh chopped tomatoes, not canned, which gives it a brighter, more garden-fresh character than jarred-tomato versions. Red onion, red bell pepper, garlic, and carrots sauté first to build a sweet, aromatic base, then mushrooms go in briefly before the tomatoes, bay leaf, crushed aniseed, and red wine simmer down for over an hour.

The aniseed is the spice that makes this sauce distinctive. Crushed and simmered with the tomatoes, it adds a subtle licorice warmth that most home cooks skip but Italian grandmothers know about. It’s the ingredient that makes people ask “what’s in this sauce?" without being able to place it.

Four fresh herbs (oregano, basil, Italian parsley, and lemon balm) go in during the last 15 to 20 minutes. Adding them at the end preserves their fresh, green flavor instead of cooking it out over the full simmer. Lemon balm is the unusual addition, contributing a gentle citrus-mint note that brightens the whole sauce.

Kitchen Tips

• Use fresh tomatoes, seeded and chopped. The sauce depends on their fresh flavor
• Crush the aniseed before adding. Whole seeds won’t release enough flavor during the simmer
• Add the fresh herbs only in the last 15 to 20 minutes. Earlier addition cooks out their volatile oils
• Remove the bay leaf before serving

Variations

• Add Italian sausage or ground beef for a meat sauce version
• Use a can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes in winter when fresh aren’t in season
• Stir in a tablespoon of tomato paste for a thicker, more concentrated sauce