I've never made the red sauce from scratch! I'm glad to hear it was worth it, I should probably give it a try.
I 100% agree that homemade cheeze is worth it. I don't eat it very often at all because I hate commercially available cheeze in most applications, but if I put together enough energy to make some at home it's always 🔥
I love making red sauce from scratch. All you do is soak dried chilies for a while then blend it in water with onions, garlic (or leave them out) and mix it with spices (or don't) and then pass it thru a wire mesh strainer. I usually leave out the onions and garlic because of my partners allium allergy but I add allspice, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, Mexican oregano and sage.