Quick & Easy Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce
Did I tell you the great news yet? My husband’s team officially finished in first place for the season! I’m so pround of Marc and really excited for them – and for me because that means they have a bye the first week and won’t have to go on the road at all for the first round of playoffs!
This is the marinara sauce that I use when I make him his favorite pre-game meal – chicken parmesan with lots and lots of pasta. I haven’t used store-bought marinara sauce for years. I’ve been making my own from scratch since I first moved in with Marc. Not that I have anything against the store bought stuff, but I grew up eating my mom’s homemade gravy (yes… that is what we call tomato sauce) so nothing ever really tastes right to me from the store. It’s really not that hard to make and it’s a lot cheaper. Plus you can make as much as you want and freeze the rest so you’ll never need the store-bought stuff again.
This is the basic recipe I use for all my tomato-based pasta dishes – lasagna, spaghetti & meatballs, chicken parmesan, and even meat sauce. I promise I’ll share all of those recipes eventually.
The trick to so easily multiplying the recipe is my secret formula. For every can of tomatoes, I use:
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Once I take the tops of the cans, I add the seasonings right in. Then I saute the minced garlic in the olive oil over medium heat. Once the garlic has started to smell delicious, I dump the cans (with the seasonings already measured) into the pot. Then I simmer the sauce until its hot or until I’m ready to use it.
* If you’re also making meatballs, throw them in the pot as soon as they’re done and simmer the pot as long as you possibly can before eating. It’ll add an extra dimension of flavor to the marinara sauce, making it just that much better.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 15-oz cans crushed tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, saute the minced garlic in olive oil until fragrant.
- Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until heated through.
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January 25, 2013 This entry was posted in 30 Minutes or Less, Mains, Pasta, Sauces and tagged italian, marinara, pasta, sauce, spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce. Bookmark the permalink.
I am sooo keeping this tomatoe sauce recipe! Thanks for sharing! I love your site and all the goodness.
Thanks Kelly!