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Welcome to week 5 of Cooking 101 Basics. This week we are tackling marinara sauce. It’s such an easy spaghetti recipe that you will wonder why you’ve been buying jarred sauce all these years. Plus, if you keep reading, I have a giveaway for you from this week’s sponsor!
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Grab your aprons and let’s get cooking!
WEEK #5 – MARINARA SAUCE
I love homemade marinara sauce. It really is so simple. I’ve made sauce from whole tomatoes before and it is amazing, but this recipe uses canned tomatoes. Canned tomatoes are delicious and are packed at peak freshness so you really can’t go wrong with them. There is nothing worse in this world that thinking your beautiful tomato is ripe then adding it to a sauce or salsa only to discover it wasn’t.
If you have the time a resources, feel free to make this in a huge batch and then freeze it for easy dinners any night of the week. I usually just make a single or double batch because it really is that easy. It doesn’t take much more time than it takes to boil the water and then cook the pasta.
{Last week: Brownies Next Week: Hamburgers}
Homemade Marinara Sauce (Cooking 101 Basics - Week #5 )
Nothing beats the taste of homemade marinara sauce, and it doesn't require all day to cook to be delicious! This easy basic sauce comes together in a snap!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 tsps minced garlic (I use Gourmet Gardens Garlic )*
- 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped (I use Gourmet Gardens Oregano)*
- 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped (I used Gourmet Gardens Basil)
- 1 whole bay leaf
- ½ tsp sugar
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Over medium heat, heat oil in a large pot until hot. Add onion and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes until the onions begin to appear translucent. Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes; stir to mingle the flavors.
- Add in the herbs and bay leaves. Sprinkle in sugar, salt and pepper. Lower the heat and continue to simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered. Stir occasionally.
Notes
- If you are vegan or dairy free, omit Gourmet Gardens and opt for the same amounts of minced fresh garlic and freshly chopped herbs.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 7 Serving Size: 1/2 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 81Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 254mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 2g
MY SPONSOR
Please welcome the sponsor this week…Gourmet Gardens! They make fresh herbs & spices easy for everyday use. I keep mine in the freezer and use as needed…no need to keep buying fresh herbs that die after a couple days in the fridge. These last a couple months in the fridge or up to six in the freezer!
Thanks for the giveaway…we make homemade marinara sauce all the time !
I have because I love fresh sauce 🙂
I make my own tomato sauce all the time now, and I like to leave it chunkier than most jarred kinds of marinara. I usually make some variant of Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce recipe (with onion and butter)!
Yes I do because of allergies it is easier
No I haven’t yet but I just got a recipe for homemade cheese balls so I am thinking I will have to make it to go with
I have and I love the freshness of tomatoes, basil, garlic and oregano.
No, I never made marinara at home…I am excited to try it 🙂
No i have not but would love to try
make my own
I have not but I want too especially now that I have a garden with lots of fresh tomatoes!
I’ve never made marinara sauce, but would love to give it a try.
no i thought it would be to hard ..ok i was wrong
I have not tried it but I may this summer. I want to try it with fresh, homegrown tomatoes.
i never made it looks because i do not know how
Yes – I make nearly everything from scratch
I have not because it always seemed to be too time consuming
I have never made marinara sauce. YES, I will be now. THANK YOU!!
You know I am going to try this..with the addition of mushrooms!
I haven’t ever made my own marinara sauce.
I would try it out, sure. We normally just buy is in the jar, just saves time.
I have made marinara, and think next time, I might try this recipe
I have never tried to make my own marinara sauce, but your recipe looks easy and delicious!
I have never made my own marinara sauce, but have always wanted to. Thanks for the easy recipe. I’m going to make this doe my family.
I left you my Spicy Spaghetti Sauce that I use for every pasta dish – including lasagna. It is a family tradition. It was posted on the Yahoo Shine Dinner Club one day and we got about 3500 hits in one afternoon. (That’s a lot for us) and we thought we had been hacked. We still laugh about that. But it is a tasty sauce. Made from scratch.
Wishes for tasty dishes,
Linda @ Tumbleweed Contessa
I always make homemade marinara! The first time I made it I left the heat on the burner too high and it boiled everywhere. 🙂
I always make homemade marinara because it tastes so much better!
I make this every summer. I love how fresh it tastes.
rsgrandinetti@yahoo(DOT)com
Yes I have and it was delicious!
I’ve never made marinara sauce. I will have to try this with some fresh tomatoes from my garden.
I do make my own but I love your recipe. I blend in sundried toms for sweetness and throw in a few capers for fun.
A long time ago I did and it was fabulous. I haven’t made it in over 18 years, so it’s high time I try again.
Oh yes… In the summer when I have fresh tomatoes!
We made some a long time ago and the first of it was yummy but we didn’t have the recipe correct or something cause the rest of it spoiled. I wouldn’t mind trying again if we got our hands on a batch of tomatoes again. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, I have when I got my hands on a bunch of yummy tomatoes and herbs from bountiful basket.
I have always wanted to try to make it but never have. I have made spaghetti sauce though.