Homemade Marinara Sauce

I’m so excited to share this quick and easy recipe with you! I never thought pasta sauce would be something I’d make at home myself rather buying from the grocery. I assumed it was difficult and time consuming, but I’m happy to admit I was very wrong. This delicious marinara takes little prep and only contains a few ingredients. It’s my go-to sauce for spaghetti and meatballs, chicken parm, and pizza.

We took a cooking class in Italy on our honeymoon and learned how some classic Italian dishes can be made somewhat easily in our own kitchen! The chefs made the class fun and interactive and the food was to die for. We made eggplant parmesan, margherita pizza, gnocchi with pesto sauce, and chocolate almond cake. It was hands down my favorite meal of our entire trip. The unlimited wine and prosecco is worth mentioning, too. If you ever visit the Amalfi Coast (you need to, btw) I highly recommend the class at Hotel Buca di Bacco.

The recipe I’m sharing is not an exact recipe from the class, but I do implement some methods I learned there…the most important one being to refrain from mincing garlic. It can easily burn if it’s cut into tiny pieces, and let’s face it, it’s not the most fun task. Rather than mincing the garlic, they taught us to just toss the cloves in the pan as is, after being peeled. I prefer to smash them down with the flat side of a chef’s knife before said tossing. You do you, though!

INGREDIENTS (yields 1 ½ jars of sauce)
5 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1/2 red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, smashed
40 oz. cherry tomatoes
1 oz. basil
salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in large dutch oven or sauce pan.
2. Cook onion in oil until soft (3-5 minutes). Remove and set aside.
3. Heat remaining oil in pan.
4. Add garlic and cook until golden, being careful not to burn.
5. Add tomatoes and stir until coated in oil. Simmer until easily broken apart with spatula (12-15 minutes).
6. Crush tomatoes until no longer in their skins. I use this gadget.
7. Add basil, cooked onion, and salt and pepper to tomatoes. Stir then simmer 10 minutes.
8. Blend 1-2 cups at a time with hand blender (food processor would probably work, too).
9. Serve immediately or put into jars/containers and use within the week.