Photo: Marinara Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup minced onion
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 4 cups fresh tomato puree
- 1 large fresh basil stem with leaves removed
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, preferably gray salt
- Pinch baking soda or sugar, if needed
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large non-reactive pot over moderate heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the parsley and garlic and cook briefly to release their fragrance. Add the tomatoes, basil and salt. Simmer briskly until reduced to a sauce like consistency, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. The timing will depend on the ripeness and meatiness of your tomatoes and the size of your pot. If the sauce thickens too much before the flavors have developed, add a little water and continue cooking.
Taste and adjust the seasoning. If the sauce tastes too acidic, add the baking soda and cook for 5 more minutes. If it needs a touch of sweetness, add the sugar and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove the basil stem before serving.
Review This Recipe
You must be signed in to review this recipe.
or Register to Review
Newest Ratings and Reviews
Read all 10 reviews
By foodiegirl78
Florida
on September 11, 2011
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
Hands down the most amazing marinara sauce I have ever made. I used Cento San Marzano Tomatoes, which I put in the food processor for about 30 seconds and then followed the rest of the recipe precisely. My two year old was literally licking his plate. This will remain a staple in my house, indefinitely! I did not feel the need to add any sugar or baking soda at all. The acidity was not too much for me.
By traumahound2
on September 01, 2011
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
Up to the point that I followed his suggestion to use Baking Soda to reduce acid this was the best marinara sauce I had ever made. One small teaspoon ruined the entire thing. I had to throw it out! Don't use baking soda!! (Have you ever read what it is normally used for; and that's going into food?
By jim_13137295
San Francisco, 43
on September 09, 2010
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
I've made this in the past with great success but with a couple twists, it gets even easier. i used San Marzano tomatoes which don't have cores so you just slice and cook. AND instead of making a puree in advance, I just cooked the tomatoes in chunks and used a food mill afterwards to achieve the same smoothness you would get if you did his recipe as is. It's WAY easier to use the food mill AFTER the tomatoes are cooked than beforehand as the tomatoes just give in to the food mill after they are cooked. My wife likes her sauce more chunky so for some of the sauce, we used a hand blender instead of the food mill to get a chunkier feel. The skins of the San Marzanos are thin enough that this method works great as well.
Read all 10 reviews