Simple Marinara

This sauce is simple, but not quick. It has to simmer for an hour. It's versatile as well. You can use it as the base for anything from a tomato-cream sauce, to vodka, and puttanesca! You can even leave out the Italian Seasoning and have a simple, and delicious, tomato sauce to use in your own recipes! You're only limited by your creativity! If you you want a thick sweet tomato taste San Marzano Tomatoes are well worth the price! Stock up when they're on sale, I do! You'll have to increase the simmer time to about 1-1/2 hours. It's well worth the wait!!



1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large (or 2 small) stalk of celery, chopped
1 large (or 2 small) carrots, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1-8oz can tomato sauce
2-28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes (plain, not Italian style)
2 bay leaves (3 if their small)
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
pinch of nutmeg.
Salt and pepper to taste.
1 tbsp of butter, optional

Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic, stirring frequently, if not constantly so the garlic doesn't burn, until soft and translucent. Add your celery and carrots, salt and pepper and saute until the vegetables are soft and pliable. About 5 minutes. Add bay leaves, basil, Italian Seasoning, tomato sauce, and crushed tomatoes. Stir to incorporate. Lower the heat to medium-low, place and lid on the pot and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. If you want a thicker sauce, leave off the lid. Grate a pinch of nutmeg into the sauce, stir to incorporate. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Remove the bay leaves. If the sauce is too acidic, melt in a tbsp of butter at the end.

Makes 2 quarts of sauce that will keep up to a week in the refrigerator, or you can freeze if for up to 6 months.

Some variations: If your kids do not like chunky veggie marinara, like my youngest, use an immersion blender to puree (or a blender, or food processor). Just don't forget to remove the bay leaves first!

Add a 1/2 cup of heavy cream, tempering to avoiding curdling the cream, a 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, and a pound of browned ground beef (I did in the picture above).