Saturday, July 21, 2012

Marinara Sauce

Here is the recipe for the Homemade Marinara Sauce I created last night. We all wished that there was more cooked pasta, and my parents actually ate spoonfuls of it after we ran out of pasta.


I love that even though I am rusty from not cooking very much over the past 5 years, I have still got the touch. :)

Please take my recipe and make it your own by experimenting with seasoning combinations and different vegetables. Serve with pasta, sausage (if you're a meat eater), salad, and warm garlic bread. Enjoy!

Homemade Marinara Sauce
(serves 6)

2 cans (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz) fire roasted tomatoes
1 teaspoon olive oil *
2 teaspoons of Italian seasonings *
1 small red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 medium bell pepper, chopped
1 portabella mushroom, chopped
2 large plum tomatoes, chopped
1 small yellow squash, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
salt, to taste
water, as needed

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onions, garlic, bell pepper, and mushroom. Cook until tender. Stir in Italian seasonings. Add chopped tomatoes and cook until the pieces begin to lose their shape. Add squash and zucchini; cook until heated through. Mix in fire roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce, and desired salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for a minimum of 30 minutes or longer to bring out more of the flavors, stirring occasionally. Add small amounts of water through the cooking process to make sauce the desired consistency, adjusting for salt as needed. Enjoy!

This sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days or frozen for future use.

For any Weight Watchers: the whole pot of sauce is 8 Points Plus; 1 cup of sauce is approximately 2 Points Plus.

* One of the best places for the tastiest olive oils, Italian seasonings, pasta, and much more is The Olive & the Grape. They specialize in olive oils, vinegars and other specialty foods consistent with the healthy lifestyle of the Mediterranean. There are three locations in northeast Ohio, and they also offer online shopping.

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