Nutritional Guidelines (per serving) | |
---|---|
105 | Calories |
5g | Fat |
13g | Carbs |
2g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings: 8 4 Servings | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 105 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 5g | 7% |
Saturated Fat 1g | 4% |
Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
Sodium 27mg | 1% |
Total Carbohydrate 13g | 5% |
Dietary Fiber 3g | 9% |
Protein 2g | |
Calcium 58mg | 4% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
This basic marinara sauce has great flavor and a nice texture. Use this sauce with any pasta dish. It's an excellent sauce to serve over a meat or cheese ravioli or stuffed shells, or use it with a vegetable lasagna dish.
Use a food processor to chop the vegetables or chop them by hand.
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 small onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 small carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 rib celery, coarsely chopped
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil, optional
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
- 3/4 cup water
Steps to Make It
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Put the garlic, onion, carrot, and celery in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Or, finely chop the vegetables by hand.
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In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the vegetables and saute, stirring frequently, until the onions are tender and translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes.
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Add the salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper if using, basil if using, bay leaf, tomatoes, and water. Stir to blend.
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Bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low; simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove the cover and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
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If you prefer a smooth sauce, puree it in batches in the blender. Make sure you never fill the blender more than one-third to one-half full with the hot sauce mixture and hold the lid down firmly with a folded kitchen towel in hand. Steam from hot liquids can blow the lid off of a blender if it's too full.
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Use the finished marinara sauce immediately or store in the refrigerator or freezer. Bring the sauce to a simmer before serving.
Serve this marinara over your favorite spaghetti or ravioli, or use it as a sauce for vegetable lasagna or manicotti. Double the marinara sauce recipe to make a big batch and freeze the extra sauce in 2-cup or single-serve containers.
Use Caution When Blending Hot Ingredients
Steam expands quickly in a blender, and can cause ingredients to splatter everywhere or cause burns. To prevent this, fill the blender only one-third of the way up, vent the top, and cover with a folded kitchen towel while blending.
Expert Tips
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The chopped carrot helps sweeten the sauce, but if it still tastes a bit acidic, add a small amount of granulated sugar.
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A small amount — 1/2 teaspoon or so — of anchovy paste can add richness to a marinara sauce.
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If the sauce is too thick, add a small amount of vegetable broth or tomato juice.
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Use leftover marinara sauce as a dip for spinach balls or breadsticks, or drizzle some over an omelet. Spread some over a meatloaf instead of the usual ketchup or barbecue sauce.
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