This is my version of marinara, an Italian tomato sauce recipe I’ve been making forever. It works equally well with pasta, lasagna, eggplant parmigiana, and pizza recipes.
Yield: 4-5 cups sauce
Time: 30 minutes
Tools
- large, heavy saucepan with lid
- wooden spoon
Ingredients
- ¼ c olive oil
- 1 medium white or yellow onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes or tomato sauce
- 1-2 T sugar (optional)*
- 1 T Italian herb mix (generally oregano, sage, thyme, basil, rosemary, and parsley)
- 1 T salt
- 1 t black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
Directions
Heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onion for about 5 minutes. When it starts becoming translucent, add the garlic and sauté another 5 minutes.
Increase heat to high and add the tomatoes/tomato sauce and optional sugar.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and add herbs, salt, and pepper.
Cover and let simmer for at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.**
Note: be very careful when you lift the lid – boiling sauce may splash your hands.
Taste and adjust seasonings. If the sauce is too thick, you can add some water.
Discard the bay leaf and serve.
Notes
* Sugar can be a bit tricky. I find that canned tomatoes are often a bit sour, so I try to add just enough sugar to counteract the sourness without actually making the sauce sweet. This can be difficult because the sugar gets stronger as the sauce cooks. When in doubt, start with just a teaspoon of sugar, cook for a while, taste, and add a bit more if needed.
** If you have time, let it simmer for an hour or more – the sauce will just keep getting better: thicker, richer, and (if using sugar) sweeter.
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