Marinara Sauce

Make it a classic Italian pasta night with this homemade marinara sauce. There are differences of opinion on where 'marinara' sauce got its name. Mare means the sea, so the name may originally have referred to the fact that sailors could easily make this sauce with ingredients they had on hand - tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil. No need for vegans to worry though - marinara sauce contains no seafood.

The effort in this version goes into peeling and chopping all those tomatoes, but after that the sauce just needs to simmer mostly hands-free. For a step-by-step guide on peeling tomatoes, see my post for Summer Tomato-and-Carrot Soup.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 6 cups coarsely chopped and peeled tomato
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 8 cups hot cooked spaghetti

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

2. Add the tomato, salt, and black pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in the basil and parsley, and cook for a final minute.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the spaghetti (start with 1 pound uncooked pasta to yield 8 cups).  Serve about 1 cup sauce over 1 and 1/3 cups pasta on each of 6 plates or bowls. 

Nutrition Info:
6 servings (1 and 1/3 cups pasta, 1 cup sauce), Calories 384

Tasting Notes:
Exactly as fresh and light as I hoped - not at all heavy or salty like canned sauces can be. I'd use a touch less black pepper and a touch more fresh basil, and then the balance here would be perfect. The portion above yields just a light coating of sauce over each serving of pasta, so use a ratio of less pasta and more sauce if you prefer.

Rating:
3