Authentic marinara sauce recipe that is easy to make and so much better than the jarred stuff!
Note: Italians generally don’t measure; we cook by feel. These measurements are approximate. Taste your food often and adjust to what you like. Fresh herbs are always better. I don’t use oregano in this because it’s such a strong herb, but if you like it, use it.
Ingredients:
About 16 plum tomatoes, quartered
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 sm onion, chopped
¼ cup chopped Basil
¼ cup chopped Parsley
¾ cup red wine
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 T Olive Oil
salt/pepper/Italian seasoning to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put tomatoes, onion, garlic, parsley, Basil, salt & pepper in a roasting pan (I use a well-seasoned stone, but any metal roasting pan will work). Drizzle with olive oil and stir.
Roast for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Blend in batches and add to a large pot. Add wine, parmesan cheese and additional seasoning to taste and simmer on low, mostly covered (lid skewed to allow steam to escape), for about 20 minutes. Mangia!
- Vegans: Omit the grated parmesan cheese.
Tips:
1. Freezes well in Ziploc bags.
2. Remove sauce while frozen and defrost in a pan. The bag breaks apart at the seams pretty easily, and all that yummy goodness goes in the pan and doesn’t stick to the bag.
3. Great way to use up tomatoes from the garden at the end of the season, or all season long.
Faster version:
Instead of using fresh tomatoes…
1 lg. can (28 ozs) of whole peeled plumb tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste and that can filled with water
Same ingredients as above.
Directions:
Blend the whole tomatoes, tomato paste, water, wine, and if using, parmesean cheese.
In a lg. pot, sweat onions and garlic (low and slow) in a tablespoon of red wine or vegetable broth until translucent and fragrant, 3-5 min. Olive oil may also be used to saute, but adds more fat. Do not brown them, it will give the sauce a bitter flavor.
Add the blended ingredients and the fresh herbs to the pot. Simmer on low, mostly covered, for 20 – 30 minutes. Mangia!
