Red Wine Tomato Pasta

I have neglected to include my favorite go-to meal. I got it from a Better Homes and Gardens magazine probably 7 years ago or so, and I make it all the time. It's made of ingredients I always have on hand, so if I decide I don't feel like thinking too hard about dinner, here it is. It happens to be one of the only things I can stomach when I am having kidney-related loss of appetite. It's also a hell of a hangover cure. Or so I hear. ;-)

Red Wine Tomato Pasta

pasta

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 cloves minced garlic (out of the jar is fine)

two cans NSA petite diced tomatoes

1/4 cup dry red wine (I use Sutter Home Merlot in the tiny bottles)

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

1-2 tsp sugar

pinch black pepper

mozzarella cheese

Start a pot of water heating, then start the sauce. Saute the garlic in the oil until golden. Add everything else (except cheese and cheese, obviously). Add pasta to the water once it starts boiling. Simmer sauce until the noodles are done. Top with mozzarella cheese. If you don't have fresh mozzarella, you can use canned parmesan. Or both. Your call. 

Notes: This is high potassium, but other than that it's pretty kidney friendly. Low protein, low sodium, low cholesterol, etc.  

The measurements above are very approximate. Taste the sauce as you go and decide what it needs. Every once in a while I get a really sour batch of tomatoes, so it needs more sugar. I keep tasting spoons behind the stove for this purpose. (This is the Bussells Family Scotty Dog Spoon Holder. It's a recent tradition. My aunt, grandma, mom, and I all have one, scavenged from various antique stores. I think my great aunt. I'm the only current granddaughter, but there are fiancees and and serious girlfriends that will get included in this as is seen fit.) 

If you have children or husbands who don't eat any fruit or veggie they can identify, you can use an immersion blender to puree the sauce after cooking. 

Pansies. 

Now for dessert!