Marinara Sauce

I can't tell you how many different things I use marinara sauce for. We use it when making homemade pizza, manicotti, on top of meatloaf, as a dipping sauce for fried calamari or on with mussles marinara and of course just your basic pasta pomodoro. This marinara sauce is my mothers recipe-- it is no frills and turns out great each time you make it. I usually make a big batch and freeze any leftovers in small ziplock bags so I can defrost it when I need it in the future. You can adjust this recipe depending on how much you need but 3 cans of tomatoes will give you about 5 cups of marinara sauce.

For starters, you'll need 3 cans of whole peeled tomatoes. If you can get the San Marzanos thats even better but this is what I had on hand so this is what I'm going with.

Lightly cover the bottom of a saute pan with oil and add 3 cloves of sliced garlic. (We use 1 clove per can of tomatoes)

 Let the garlic saute until fragrant. Just make sure you don't get caught up in how amazing your house smells and let the garlic burn-- there is no cure for burnt garlic except starting over.

 After the garlic has been sauteing for a few minutes, add the tomatoes

When all the tomatoes are added, turn up the heat and bring to a boil

 When the tomatoes have been cooking for about 5 minutes, use a potato masher or the back of a fork and start to mash the tomatoes. I've tried using crushed tomatoes and it just isn't the same-- the sauce comes out too thick and the flavor is off so although this is a little extra work its definitely worth it! Just make sure to put your apron on because smashing the tomatoes can get messy!

Continue to cook the sauce over a medium-high heat at a constant boil, stir the sauce frequently making sure the bottom doesn't burn. (Depending on what I am using the sauce for, at this point I add some chopped fresh basil and chopped fresh parsley)

Cook about 20 minutes until the sauce has reduced by 1 inch. Season with salt to taste and use as desired!


Marinara Sauce
Yield 5 cups

3 (28-ounce cans) whole peeled tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil (optional)
Salt, to taste

1. Lightly coat the bottom of a pan with olive oil. Add garlic and saute over medium heat until fragrant.
2. Add the tomatoes, cook about 5-10 minutes until they soften slightly. 
3. Add fresh herbs if using.
4. Continue to cook at a steady boil, stirring frequently so the bottom doesn't burn for about 20 minutes or until reduced by 1 inch.