Marinara sauce is a classic recipe and is a recipe that everyone should know how to make. Here is my variation of a marinara sauce.
My oh my.
I was ahead of the game, up until just a couple days ago. I was getting posts out earlier, working on future posts, recipe testing and getting myself out there (i.e., advertising myself. It’s very time consuming.)
That was, until a couple days ago.
I don’t know when it happened. Maybe it was when I was at the grocery store, or possibly when I had to get some other essentials elsewhere. But, more likely than not, it was from going to church or the 4-year-old’s birthday party I attended afterward.
Whatever way it happened, someone got me violently ill. I won’t get into the gory details, but I had a nasty stomach flu. Normally, before my blog life, getting sick isn’t the biggest issue. I get sick and life goes on.
But do you know how hard it is to be a food blogger without the use of your stomach?! I’ve been on the blandest diet ever so that my stomach doesn’t scream at me. I’ll still probably be on some variation of the BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) diet to quell my angry stomach for the next few days. Oh, and plenty of that chicken stock. It’s really good for you when you’re sick. (source)
Thankfully, before I got sick, I was working on a recipe that takes me back to my childhood and teen years: marinara sauce.
A little history about my marinara sauce
There were many times I remember coming home from high school and before I could even open the door, I could smell the sautéed onions and garlic. I knew what mum was cooking for dinner just by the smells wafting out of the kitchen. The smell of sautéed onions and garlic is still one of my favorite kitchen smells to this day.
Since I was brought up on homemade marinara sauce, I always know when the sauce comes from a jar or when it’s homemade. I knew I was going to have to learn how to cook marinara sauce the way my mum did, or I would one day suffer the fate of the jar every time I wanted pasta with sauce!
And though my sauce does not taste exactly like my mother’s, it is quite similar. I use some of her tactics, such as using vegetable stock. I also implementing my own, such as using the vegetable stock paste instead of the liquid form. I use it for flavor and for thickening.
I hope you enjoy this marinara sauce as much as I do! Marinara sauce is really easy to make and is one of those recipes that should be known by heart. You won’t regret it!
What was one of your favorite meals growing up? Let me know in the comments below!
Cheers dears!
Gem
UPDATE: Soo… I kind of forgot to add oil to my recipe… yeah. That’s there now. Also, I specified that the sage needs to be dried, ground sage. Okay, that is all. Thanks for your patience!
Easy Marinara Sauce
Goods you need
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1/8 tsp. dried ground sage
- 1/4 tsp. dried rosemary
- 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. dried parsley
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
- 4 tsp. vegetable or chicken stock concentrate
- 1 tsp. basil
Let's get to it!
In a mortar and pestle (or spice grinder) take all the herbs except for the basil and grind slightly to release flavors. Set aside.
In a medium stockpot, pour in the oil and place on a medium heat. Once the oil is heated, place the onions and garlic in the pot and sauté until onions are translucent, or about 2 to 3 minutes.
Once onions are ready, pour in the diced and crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock concentrate, salt, pepper, and all the herbs except for the basil. Reduce to low heat. Stir occasionally, making sure that nothing burns on the bottom. Allow sauce to reduce, about 20-30 minutes.
Once sauce is reduced and the flavor of the herbs are present, pour in basil, grinding it between your palms as you put it in. Allow to cook for another 5 minutes. Serve immediately over pasta or as a dipping sauce.
