Quick, fresh, healthy.... Summer spaghetti sauce ~

I love spaghetti and meatballs.  It's just about the most comforting food I can ever think of.  And I make it during the winter and always have a batch in my freezer for those nights when I really crave some comfort food.

Now comes the summer, when the weather is hot and I don't want to stand over the stove and cook.  Nope, too hot.  So this is my version of quick, and by quick, I mean less than 30 minutes from fresh tomatoes to dinner!  It's easy and so, so delicious.  Just give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

Ingredients:

4 medium to large tomatoes, roughly chopped (ripe).  If using romas, you will need 6 or 7 tomatoes.

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup water

2 Tablespoons good olive oil

1 tsp. salt & black pepper

6 basil leaves, chopped

1 oz. freshly grated parmesan cheese

4 meatballs (I use frozen turkey meatballs from Trader Joes), optional.

Heat a skillet on medium, add olive oil.  Add garlic cloves and let cook without burning, about 1 minute.  You'll smell the garlic fragrance.  Add chopped tomatoes and let simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring gently. Add salt and pepper.  With the back of a wooden spoon, break up tomatoes a bit.  I don't worry about this, I like chunky sauce.  But, it helps to break down the tomatoes, if they aren't quite so ripe
.
Add water and let simmer on medium low for about 15-20 minutes.  Add frozen meatballs here if using them.  Cover pan for 3 minutes to cook meatballs.

Cook spaghetti as directed on package, drain.  Add to skillet with the tomatoes and toss.  Pour onto a platter, top with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.