Easy, Simple Marinara Sauce

 

Absolute units of basil leaves courtesy of my Aerogarden!

We aren't messing around today, people! This one is pretty straightforward, so we will cut to the chase. Use this recipe to make a simple pasta main, chicken parm, or even as a pizza sauce or base for homemade tomato soup. This is a simple marinara recipe suitable for consumption within 5 days-- this would not be the right recipe to can at home for long-term preservation. Stick around at the end of the recipe for my suggestions and to learn some food science behind why we love this stuff. This is Part II in my Chicken Parmesan series.

# Servings: depends on what you use this sauce for, minimum 8 servings

Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 Can of whole peeled San Marzano Tomatoes, 28 oz size
• 1 Jar of Passata (AKA strained tomatoes-- see notes at the end of this recipe for clarification. Use 2 cans of tomatoes if you're having difficulty finding these.)
• 3 cloves of fresh garlic
• Half of a medium onion, diced
• 5-6 fresh basil leaves
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano or italian seasoning
• Kosher salt
• Olive Oil

There are other possible add-ins:

• Red pepper flakes....
• Diced carrots... What?
• Parmesano-Reggiano cheese rind
• Sugar? More on that later...
• Pasta Water!? More on that later, too.

Instructions

1.Warm a saucepan or pot over medium heat. 

2.Add a healthy glug of olive oil to the pot, approximately 3tbsp.

3.Add your aromatics-- these are your garlic and/or onion. I specified three cloves of garlic, but use as much or as little as you'd like. I'm not the Flavor Police.

Be sure that your heat gets the aromas kicking, but isn't so high that it actually burns anything.....

Yikes!! Garlic tastes bitter when it browns/burns like this, and will deeply affect your final product. I had to fish it out, trash the oil, and start over.

 

4. Once the aromatics are...aromatic... and your onions become translucent, turn the heat down to medium-low and add your delicate herbs and spices: 3 or 4 of your basil leaves and a shake or two of red pepper flakes, if using.

 

This is marinara, not arrabiata sauce. Don't go crazy with the pepper flakes. These, like your garlic, can burn into an icky mess very easily. Highly advise to add and let them cook for 10-15 seconds before adding your tomatoes.

 

5. Once the basil is wilted, it's time to add your tomatoes and passata. Because we aren't about to  waste a single morsel of our fancy, expensive tomatoes, use about 1/4 c water to rinse out your cans/jar and add this tomato water to your brewing sauce. 
6. Bring this up to a simmer, and take your heat down to low. Use a wooden spoon to break up the whole tomatoes.
7. Add about 1/4 cup of olive oil and your Italian seasoning/oregano to your sauce and mix well to fully incorporate. This is also a good time to add your parm rind if you have one laying around.

I don't really measure the oil for this part. If you're weary of the suggested amount or trying to be more mindful of the amount of oil you are eating, add 2 tbsp at a time until you achieve a texture and taste that you enjoy.

8. Now is the time to taste-test. Adjust your herbs, oil, sweetness and saltiness depending on your preferences. I like to wilt the rest of my basil into the sauce at this time. (Sweetness? But you didn't tell me to add sugar! Yes, it's true. You may not need it. See my notes below!)
9. Cover your sauce so you don't make a bubbly mess, stirring occasionally. Let the sauce reduce on low heat for about 30 minutes. Assess your tomato chunks-- they should have mostly broken down. I like a rustic sauce with some tomato chunks, you can use a blender or food processor at this time to completely puree the sauce at this time if that's your preference.
10.  Add about 1/3 cup of pasta water for a silkier texture.  
11. Optional: if you have the self-control, pack it away and let the flavors meld overnight before using it for mealtime. It is perfectly fine to consume immediately, too. It may just not be as flavorful!

 

Look at those tomato chunks. It's currently 2 AM, and I really just want to reach through the screen and get a bite of this. I might have to raid my fridge now. A friend who is from Italy once told me to mix my sauce in with my pasta instead of just plopping the sauce on top of my noodles for a little extra ~authenticity~ and a slightly different flavor profile. Now it's the only way for me to eat pasta. Thanks, Valeria!

Recipe Debrief

What the heck is passata?

Passata is traditional, jarred strained tomatoes. I find them to be a game changer in the overall texture and taste of my sauce. Its thickness and texture falls somewhere between tomato paste and tomato sauce. This is a traditional base for red sauces like marinara, and you are likely to find it in skinnier jars below eye level in the Italian section of the international aisle at the store. Common imported brands in the US are Cento and Mutti. If you have two 28-ounce cans of whole tomatoes on hand, don't go running to the store just for passata; use what you have on hand while keeping in mind that your final product might be more watery and you may need to simmer the sauce for longer, or add less starchy pasta water in the end to achieve your desired thickness and texture. If you happen to see these on your next grocery trip, I recommend picking up a jar to see the difference for yourself.

A note on added sugar and sweetness

One of the greatest benefits of making your own sauce from scratch is to control the amount of sugar that goes into your food. Pick up any major brand of spaghetti sauce in the US, and I can guarantee you that one of the first ingredients will be sugar. But why!? The simple answer: it makes it more palatable, they can afford to use crummier ingredients, and hide artificial tastes and quality disparities like we talked about in my last post.  

Italian San Marzano tomatoes are the star ingredient in this recipe, and they should taste a little sweeter than your standard US-produced can. I really advise you to let the sauce sit overnight to experience how much sweetness will shine through, but The 'Murican Solution to Shoving That Good-Good Into Your Pie Hole Right Now may be to add some sugar, about a 1/2 Tbsp at a time until the desired sweetness is reached. When I add sugar, I usually end up adding about 1 1/2 Tbsp of sugar. To add sweetness without adding sugar, do the traditional things and finely dice one medium carrot and add it into the pot between steps 3 and 4. Give them a few moments to soften up and then continue to recipe as usual. The key is to dice them as teensy tiny as possible so they break down into the sauce and without sacrificing any of the sauce's texture.

Other add-ins 

Adding a few red pepper flakes earlier on isn't about making your sauce spicy, instead it adds further depth to the final product. If you are very sensitive to spicy things, it is fine to leave these out. If you love spicy things, consider making an arrabiata sauce! Simply add more red pepper flakes to make the sauce spicy.

 As for the parmesano-reggiano rind, this will add a savory punch. What causes this? Glutamate! Glutamate is an amino acid that makes food taste delicious. It has a manufactured, dramatic cousin named MSG (or, monosodium glutamate), that is highly controversial. Rest assured though, since our naturally-occurring glutamate is bound to protein, it is harmless to consume. MSG, though? That's a discussion for another day. (Hint: I do cook with it, but you don't have to if it sketches you out. As I previously mentioned: I'm not the flavor police.) 

Pasta water is a good add-in because it adds body and texture to the sauce. Simply boil your noodles of choice and reserve about a cup of the water before straining the noodles, and add the water to your sauce a little at a time until it gives your final product the thickness or thinness that you desire.

Why does spaghetti sauce taste sooooo much better as leftovers?

Ah yes, the classic red-sauce-meal phenomenon. A great deal of this comes from the volatility of the oils that sweat out of your aromatics, herbs and spices. Packing the food away and coming back to it gives them some time to permeate through your tomatoes. Think of it as perfume for your food. You apply it, notice the smells immediately, get a little used to it, but when someone who comes around since you've applied the perfume, they will probably notice it sooner. Not only are volatile compounds "perfuming" your food, but your nose has gotten quite used to the garlicky, tomato-y goodness that you've spent the past hour creating. Taste and smell are intertwined, after all!

 

There you have it, a simple and easy marinara recipe to keep in your back pocket. Better for you than the jars at the store, and pretty pantry-friendly. Happy cooking, thanks for reading, and I hope you learned something new about the stuff you like to eat!