Simple Tomato Sauce

I was torn between just relaxing tonight and picking up sushi and cooking (after spending 3 hours at airports, 3 hours on planes, and 1 hour stuck in traffic leaving the airport).  Fortunately for me, I wanted leftovers for work, so I decided to finally make a simple tomato sauce recipe that seemed too simple to be worth all the raving.  (I also may have felt a bit guilty about what I've been eating lately and wanted to control the ingredients ... yesterday included deep fried peach pie, tater tot fondue, and a guacamole burger ... mmm).  I think I built this sauce up too much in my head, but it was still delicious and definitely worth a try!

Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onions (from Smitten Kitchen) (Adapted from Marcela Hazan’s Essentials of Italian Cooking)

Ingredients

28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes from a can
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt to taste

1. Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.
2. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free of the tomatoes.
3. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste and keep warm while you prepare your pasta.
4. Serve with spaghetti (or whole wheat penne), with or without grated cheese.