Making spaghetti sauce remains one of the biggest culinary mysteries among non-Italians, as does the use of Ragu or Prego to those who can’t fathom putting anything on their pasta that resembles ketchup.

I fall somewhere in between the two, having never peeled and sieved tomatoes to make my sauce, while at the same time mustering up limited tolerance for the jarred stuff.

From an economical standpoint the real deal costs half the price to make. It’s incredibly easy to prepare when using canned tomato products — and yields only 40 calories per one-third cup, as opposed to about 100 calories found in sugar-laced manufactured brands. And in terms of flavor, you’ll end up with a meal that tastes straight out of a rustic Italian kitchen rather than a Betty Crocker cookbook.

The easiest recipe requires nothing more than a blender or food processor along with a few essential herbs, which undoubtedly lose their potency in mass-produced sauces. And who needs ground beef when you want to whip up a tasty, fat-free dinner in less than seven minutes?

Simply combine a 16-ounce can of plum tomatoes with a few cloves of garlic (or several dashes of garlic powder), plus a teaspoon of dried oregano, a few sprigs of fresh basil and a tablespoon of olive oil. Blend for either 30 seconds for a chunky sauce, or one minute for a silkier consistency. Then pour directly over a pound of hot, cooked pasta.

Sauces made from those miniature cans of tomato paste are also worth trying because they cling much better to the pasta and carry less of an acidic flavor. Here again, the magic formula is plain and simple: mix equal parts of paste to water, add a couple of bay leaves (plus the above-mentioned herbs), stir over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, and you’ve arrived at the gateway of Italian cooking. If you need to expand the volume, add one or two cans of tomato purée during the last five minutes of cooking.

The introduction of meat into tomato sauce stems mainly from Bologna, Italy, where beef, veal or pork is typically used for adding flavor and sustenance to the recipes. The concept has long taken root in the U.S., with the most common being the addition of meatballs or loose ground beef.

For optimal flavor results, sauté the meat in a skillet with a few fennel seeds until 90 percent cooked. Drain most of the fat before adding the meat to the sauce, and then cook an additional 20 minutes on low heat. Even better, toss into the sauce a few thick slices of pepperoni and cook for about 30 minutes until tender. The spices and oils from the pepperoni add a zesty flavor that you won’t necessarily obtain from regular beef.

Among the biggest faux pas when making Italian sauce is the use of stewed tomatoes, which is the basis for goulash or Swiss steak. And for those who tinker with tradition by using incongruous additives such as cilantro, ham, celery or paprika, it will cost you major demerits in the eyes of Italians and veteran foodies who know better.

The methods for making basic tomato sauce, however, can be altered slightly to achieve extra richness and take on more of an orange-red color that never fails to captivate the senses. Below is a recipe that gives you both.

1 16-ounce can of tomato purée

1 6-ounce can of tomato paste

3?4 cup of water

1?4 cup of milk (whole or low fat)

1?4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons of dry Vermouth

2 tablespoons of dried oregano

1?2 teaspoon each of dried rosemary and red pepper flakes

1?4 teaspoon of dried fennel seeds

Dash of salt and black pepper

Run all ingredients (except the milk) in a food processor or blender for 40 seconds. Then add the milk and process for another one to two minutes until smooth. Adjust to desired thickness with more milk or water, if necessary. Heat in a saucepan over low to medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve over pasta, tortellini or ravioli.