Basic Marinara Sauce

Basic Marinara Sauce

If you want the best authentic Marinara Sauce for your pasta then this is the recipe for you.

Brought to America three generations ago, this is the only Marinara Sauce my family has made. None of that canned or jar sauce from the grocery store for them.

You just can’t fail when made with tomatoes grown in your own garden and a blend of spices from the best Italian cooks straight from Italy.

The aroma of the sauce simmering all day in your kitchen just makes your desire for dinner even stronger.

These are the INGREDIENTS You will need

• 2 onion peeled and diced (about 2 cups diced)
• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 5-6 Cloves cloves of garlic, minced (about 2 Tbsp)
• 2 tbs dried herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, etc)* mixed, total
• 1/2 Cup Red wine alcohol bakes off
• 12 cups peeled and seeded fresh ripe tomatoes
• Salt and pepper to taste

These are the INSTRUCTIONS For preparation:

• In a large soup pot, heat up the olive oil. Add the onions and cook slowly, on medium heat until they start to caramelize. They should be evenly brown and soft. Cooking them this way brings out the natural sweetness in the onions. Add the garlic and dried herbs and cook for 5 minutes.
• Deglaze the pan with the 1/2 cup of red wine and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and their juice and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook on low, stirring occasionally for at least 2 hours, or longer depending on the water content of the tomatoes. The sauce should be thick with much of the water evaporated to concentrate the flavor (sometimes I let it cook 4-5 hours over a very low flame). Add salt and pepper to taste.

NOTES

Dried herbs hold their flavor much longer than fresh herbs.

When slow cooking you want to use fresh herbs, add them at then end of the cooking process, just before serving.

Use which ever of those herbs you prefer for a total of 2 Tablespoons.

This is really a base pasta sauce recipe, meant to adapt to whatever you want it to be.

Like meat in your sauce? Add a tough cut and let it cook down to make a Bolognese.

Want to keep it vegetarian? Enjoy the recipe as it is or add some diced up vegetables.

Like Pasta alla Norma? Add red chili flakes and diced eggplant to the sauce. Mushrooms or meatballs, it’s all up to you.

This Marinara Sauce does freeze well, so you can enjoy the taste of freshly made sauce a few months from now, once the weather turns cold.

When I have the extra time, I make this marinara in a batches. There are only a few ingredients. I always have them stocked in the pantry.

Lately though I have taken to just using jar sauce and adding all my own spices. It is quicker than simmering on the stove all day.

But I can really tell the difference. There is something about letting all the flavors simmer and breakdown in to the tomato base.

That is why they say “pasta is always better the second day.” It is true.

Do you have a family recipe for pasta you would like to share? Please let me in the comments. Pasta is one thing I keep experimenting with but have never been able to master. Mangia!

Fun Facts:

A bit of background on Marinara Sauce. Even more interesting from a historical perspective.

“Marinara sauce originated with sailors in Naples in the 16th century, after the Spaniards introduced the tomato to their neighboring countries. The word marinara is derived from marinaro, which is Italian for “of the sea.” Because of this, many people mistakenly believe marinara sauce includes some type of fish or seafood.
However, marinara sauce loosely translates as “the sauce of the sailors,” because it was a meatless sauce extensively used on sailing ships before modern refrigeration techniques were invented. The lack of meat and the sheer simplicity of making tasty marinara sauce were particularly appealing to the cooks on board sailing ships, because the high acid content of the tomatoes and the absence of any type of meat fat resulted in a sauce which would not easily spoil.”