Here is the enchilada sauce recipe that I used: Texas Red Enchilada Sauce found at Recipzaar 2 TB butter or margarine 2 TB flour 5 t. red chili powder - plain ground red chile, not a blend with garlic, oregano, etc. 1 1/2 t. ground cumin 2 t. garlic powder 6 oz. tomato paste 2 1/4 cups water salt and pepper note: instead of the tomato paste and water, I used about 3 cups of crushed tomatoes because I was making pizza sauce at the same time and had opened a huge can of crushed tomatoes Melt butter/margarine in a sauce pan. Make a roux by browning flour in melted butter. Add spices and paste; stir until well blended into roux. Add water gradually, stirring constantly. Heat until boiling. Simmer and stir until desired thickness is achieved. Taste often and adjust spices as needed. Use immediately for a pan of enchiladas or cool, package, label and freeze. I seasoned the ground beef with a bulk taco seasoning that I ordered from Pendery's in Texas(?). I wanted to try a bulk taco seasoning blend that did not have any preservatives and stuff in it so I ordered some from Pendery's. I simply cooked up some ground beef, added in the taco seasoning to taste, spooned off extra fat, then cooled and packaged the taco beef in small portions for me. I can use the taco beef for tacos, Mexican pizza, quesadillas or enchiladas. Here is a link that might be useful: Pendery's World of Chiles and Spices

I don't like either. (shrug) If I'm going to have anything that resembles pizza, I want slices of fresh tomato, none of that sauce. If I have pasta, I want hot pasta tossed with chunks of fresh tomato and herbs and good fresh parmesan shaved on top. Oh, and the pasta needs to be something besides white, I prefer whole wheat or herbed homemade pasta. I did make a passable basil pasta, so I might do that again. I'm not really wild about ground meat either, the texture puts me off, so that takes care of the meatball issue. I do eat them, occasionally, but like meatloaf or cheeseburgers, I'm really apathetic about them. My girls love the Rocco's Mama's Meatballs that got posted here a couple of years ago, I make hundreds of those every fall when the beef is slaughtered and they go into the freezer, "fast food" on crazy busy days. Of course, most of them go into Amanda's freezer, LOL. They don't get either sauce, both my girls like Prego, as do the grandkids. Go figure, they don't like the homemade stuff at all, heathens, I think it's the corn syrup that they actually like... Annie

I would go back and re-visit granddaddy's first response. 'copycat' means recipes on-line through a search....people creating a homemade recipe from a favorite store purchased frozen processed food item. If you know the exact name of your favorite, Like Kasha lemongrass chicken with snow peas...(not sure the exact name, but the only frozen dinner i have had), .... *working out of town years ago in a hotel with only a microwave. Someone out there has a homemade version. I make one but i've never written a recipe, i wing it. A very simple 'TV' dinner at home. In a small saucepan with lid, add 1 tbsp oil, i use coconut, on med-low heat, place two skinless chicken breast, in a pan that fits them tight but in a single layer...top with very small diced...one celery rib, one carrot, one medium onion, two roma tomatoes chopped, half a sweet potato or one small reg potato and a minced/chopped garlic clove. Lower the heat to a simmer, your lowest setting. (all stoves are different) you want this to simmer/steam, not sizzle and brown. Once simmering, add 1/4 cup water, white wine or stock. Let simmer/steam for 1/2 hour. No need to stir, let it be. After the 1/2 hour remove the chicken breast to an oven sheet pan/cookie sheet. Top with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or sesame oil/soy sauce blend. Just a tbsp will do. Pepper and any herbs or herb blend you like. Place in your pre-heated 350 oven. At the same time turn up your 'sauce' veggies to med heat and reduce a bit if it needs it. Until the potatoes are soft. I take half of this and put in the blender with a tbsp of non-fat greek yogurt...instant sauce. And back into the sauce pan, stir. Turn heat back down to low, Take out your chicken breasts from the oven...at this point they should be tender cooked after in the oven 15 min. Slice as you like it and back in the sauce. This is where you can customize your meal. Lay on top sliced asparagus, snow peas, chopped spinach, just about any veggie to stream for 5-10 min. The veggie topping choice will be crisp and fresh. I like to put heartier veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, baby artichokes, etc. on the sheet pan in the oven with the chicken to give it the extra needed cooking time. *note, i prefer a stick blender in the saucepan instead of a blender, easier cleaning... *we prefer skinless bone-in chicken thighs over breast. Bone-in skinless breast would be better, adding its own stock to the cooking process. *fresh herbs like cilantro or parsley, added at the end, a fresh squeeze of lemon or lime, 1/4 cup of low-fat coconut milk instead of yogurt... Lots of personalizing, using what you have or what is fresh in your market and seasonal. This makes 4-6 servings depending on the size of your chicken. Can be portioned and frozen. I have 9 chicken thighs marinating in ginger, soy, toasted sesame oil i prepped last night...these are huge. We will have leftovers for a chicken salad. I'll do a greek style with olives capers, chopped apple, grapes, celery, cashews, a bit of feta...lots of lemon. etc. over a bed of fresh, not cooked spinach. (need to use up) I only salt at the end. If it even needs salt. Sometimes a bit of sriracha and richer spice blend in the oven topper sauce. Tonights meal may be on the grill as the weather is lovely. I'll still start a similar 'sauce' but it will be more of a bbq style...and probably over a mixed grain, not pasta. Skewer a row of asparagus on the grill...three avocados are very ripe, hmmm.

PWM, just remember the adjectives: A half hour sauce should be "fresh", "bright", "clean". A five hour sauce should be "rich", "complex", "deep". Re making your own tomato base, a lot depends on where you live, and how good the tomatoes really are, whether homegrown or bought. If you have great tomatoes, and are planning to use them for pasta sauce, it's most common to process and can or freeze them at their peak. The recipes are the same whether you use commercial or home made. My idea of pasta with fresh tomatoes, however, is along the lines of what Ruthanna posted, rather than making puree for days for just one pot of sauce. By the time it's cooked down, I don't find enough difference between homemade and the good kind of bought to make a big enough difference for a long simmered, complex sauce which cooks the "freshness" right out of it. I did that when I had no way to can or freeze, and plenty of extra hours for mindless cooking, but it's not efficient. :) Much better to use the fresh tomatoes as fresh, unless you're preserving your garden's produce or live in a place where excellent tomatoes aren't common.