Basic Marinara Sauce

• October 23, 2010  |
• by Kirstin Uhrenholdt

Preparing reusable ingredients in advance can save lots of time (and money) when cooking the family dinner. This weekend we spent time making tomato sauce from Laurie’s beautiful garden tomatoes. The kitchen smelled like garlic, basil and happiness. Now we have 10 quart jars waiting in the freezer for Family Dinner dishes like “Make Your Own Pasta Night,” “Grains Greens and Cheese,” and “Greek Meatballs in Fragrant Tomato Sauce.” No matter if you use canned or home grown tomatoes, we love having a well stocked freezer!

Here is the recipe for a basic marinara sauce… double or triple the recipe if you have room in your freezer.

YOU NEED

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 pounds of fresh tomatoes chopped or 2 28-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes (Glen Muir or San Marzanos are good)
A few fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon fresh or dried oregano chopped
Salt and pepper
 
Combine the olive oil, onions  and garlic in a medium pot. Heat up gently until the onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant. Stir in the remaining ingredients and heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes and taste for seasonings.  If you want the sauce a little smoother throw it into a blender. 

Now you have a simple tomato sauce for a quick dinner… and a bit for your freezer as well.