Basic Marinara Sauce

I really must get a better picture of this sauce next time. The battery on my camera was quickly dying and I had two hungry kids tugging at me as soon as I got this off the stove.

Anyway, don't let the less than stellar picture fool you...this is a great basic marinara sauce. It is so versatile and I use it on all sorts of things; to top pasta, on pizza, as a dipping sauce, etc.

This recipe makes about 6.5 cups of sauce, which is a lot but it freezes beautifully. Just make sure to cool the sauce in the refrigerator first. Then once cool, transfer to heavy duty freezer bags and label. You could also easily half this recipe if you like.

One last tip: Be careful of the splattering sauce! Leave a lid on the pot but slightly ajar to allow steam to escape. Otherwise you'll end up with blobs of sauce all over the counter!



INGREDIENTS
2 28 oz. cans (good quatliy) crushed tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 Tbsp dried basil
1/2 Tbsp dried oregano
2 medium bay leaves
1-2 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

STEP 1: Cook onion and garlic in a large pot with 3 Tbsp of olive oil until very soft and slightly golden brown. I wanted to make a sweeter sauce which is why I let the onions and garlic caramelize a bit. If you don't like sweet sauces, proceed to the next step before they get any color on them.

STEP 2: Add the rest of the ingredients (crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, bay leaves, sugar and balsamic vinegar) to the pot. Simmer on medium/low for 45 minutes to an hour with lid partially on to prevent splattering.

STEP 3: Taste the sauce after a half hour or so and adjust spices and seasoning to your liking.

Source: Adapted from Budget Bytes