Marinara Sauce

Fresh home made pasta deserves to be complemented with an equally great sauce. There are many seasoning variations with basic pasta sauces. That’s the beauty of Italian cooking. You experiment and decide for yourself.

Ingredients

2 28-oz cans crushed tomatoes, or whole plum tomatoes that you crush by hand.
1 28-oz can tomato sauce
3 Tablespoons tomato pasta.
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil – Enough to coat the bottom of the pan
1 medium onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 Tablespoons chopped Italian Parsley.
¼ cup finely chopped fresh Sweet Basil or 2 Tablespoons dried Basil.
(Italian Seasoning is alternative for Sweet Basil)
1/2 medium carrot, finely shredded, or 1 Tablespoon of Sugar
1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes. (Optional)
1 Bay Leaf. Remove before serving.
1 cup semi-sweet white wine. (Alternative to carrots or sugar)

Directions

Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until softened, but not browned. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, parsley, your choice of seasonings, carrots, bay leaf and wine if you prefer to use it. Bring to a boil and then quickly lower to a gentle simmer. Stir occasionally for about 30 minutes. Cooking the sauce over a high temperature will cause the sauce to turn bitter.

You may substitute whole, peeled fresh Roma tomatoes when they are in season. Watch out for high sodium content in the lesser quality brands of canned tomatoes. If you can get them, San Marsano canned tomatoes from Italy are as good as you will get.

As soon as the mixture begins to simmer, you may then add cooked meatballs, pork, beef, sausage, or whatever meat you prefer. They enhance the flavor of the sauce.

The finished sauce can either be served right away, refrigerated for about a week, or frozen for no longer than 3 months. Store in an air tight container.

back to Recipes