Do It Yourself: Marinara Sauce

By mamacasma

Store-bought marinara sauce can be pricey, especially when you buy the good stuff (made from whole tomatoes instead of tomato puree). Our homemade sauce comes together in minutes and relies on ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. Plus, at only 47 cents a serving (versus up to $1.50 per serving for bottled sauce), you may want to double the recipe and freeze the extra for a future pasta supper.

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon) olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed with press
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 can (28-ounce) whole tomatoes in juice
• Salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup (loosely packed) fresh basil, chopped

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 30mins

Preparation

Step 1

1. In 4-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and cook until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in garlic and tomato paste; cook 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; heat to boiling over high heat, breaking up tomatoes with back of spoon.
3. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Stir in basil. If not using right away, transfer to a container with tight-fitting lid and refrigerate up to 3 days or cool 30 minutes and freeze up to 3 months. Makes enough to coat 1 pound cooked pasta.