My First Pass at Homemade Marinara

Up until now, my version of marinara was Ragu, doctored up with some spices. I finally realized that after almost two years of blogging that I should probably learn an easy, but delicious go-to recipe. I've done a Rachel Ray veggie-packed sauce in the past, but it's a little too labor intensive for a quick week night meal.

After a little research, I learned that there are hundreds of marinara recipes so I consulted a friend who has received rave reviews for her sauce. I took some liberties and make some tweaks to make this recipe my own. Then end result: AMAZING!!!

I served this sauce over Trader Joe's Basil and Garlic Linguine, along side spinach stuffed chicken with side salad (dressing recipe below.)


Recipe:
2 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp of sugar
4 to 6 fresh basil leaves, torn
1 sprig of rosemary, finely chopped
1 tbsp of truffle oil (optional)

Directions:
1) Heat large sauce pan and add evoo. Once heated, saute onion, until translucent. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about one minute.
2) Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
3) Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy!


A new pizza restaurant that opened in my neighborhood recently, had the BEST lemon-oil salad dressing so I did my best to replicate. I combined 1/2 cup evoo with the juice of 1/2 lemon, a little bit of pepper and a sprinkle of parsley then topped it with some fresh parm. I loved it!