Marinara Sauce

A great marinara sauce recipe is a key component to have in your arsenal of recipes.  It goes well with so many different things- in pasta, on chicken, on fish, as a dipping sauce, on pizzas....my husband even likes it on a hot salami sandwich.  This sauce takes awhile to make, but that's why I like to make it in big batches and freeze it.  We like to have stuff like this in the freezer to make quick and easy weeknight meals- just boil some pasta, add a green salad, and you are good to go. 

• 2 28 oz cans of whole peeled tomatoes*
• 2 28 oz cans tomato sauce
• 2 Tb olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flake
• 2 tsp dried oregano**
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 Tb sugar
• 1/2 C julienned fresh basil

* I use whole peeled tomatoes and crush them by hand- I like to have control over the consistency of the sauce, plus it helps to get my agression out.  Nothing relieves stress better than squeezing a juicy tomato in the palm of your hand.  However, if you want to crush them in the food processor or purchase already crushed tomatoes, that's fine as well.

** I use dried oregano over fresh in this recipe.  I find fresh oregano to be too strong for this sauce. 

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, sautee the olive oil, onion, and garlic for 10-15 minutes until they are tender.  Add the red pepper and sautee for an additional 3-4 minutes.

After the whole tomatoes have been crushed (either by your hands, the food processor, or the nice man at the tomato factory), add them to the pan, along with the tomato sauce, oregano, salt, pepper, and sugar and stir.  Bring to a simmer.

Once the sauce is simmering, add the fresh basil and stir.  Continue to simmer over medium low heat for 3-4 hours.