One of the ways to do Once a Month Cooking without getting bored of the three dishes in your freezer is to make a base sauce and put IT in the freezer. It can then be used to make several different meals. A good meat substitute sauce is a must. From it, you can make dozens of recipes, some of which I’ll be posting over the next few days. But let’s start with the sauce.

Basic soy meat substitute sauce

2 lbs. soy ground meat substitute (there are several different frozen types of these in the refrigerated or frozen food section— choose your favorite one)
2 T. olive oil
4 medium onions chopped
5 celery ribs, thinly sliced
3 cans (28 oz. each) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (6 oz. each) tomato paste
9 oz. jarred sliced mushrooms (or you can slice and saute one package of fresh mushrooms or leave this out altogether if you don’t care for mushrooms)
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 T. salt
2 t. dried oregano
2 t. dried basil
1 t. pepper
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes

In a large pot over medium heat, cook meat substitute, onions, celery and garlic in olive oil until vegetables are tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 1 – 1 1/2 hours, stirring periodically. Cool. Transfer to freezer bags or containers, about 2 cups in each. Label with recipe name and date. May be frozen up to 3 months. This will yield about 14 cups, or 7 servings.

Check back for recipes that use the sauce.