The first cooking class I ever took, featured Italian food. This was where I first attempted to make my own marinara sauce. (My marinara experience up to this point had consisted of me unscrewing a lid and dumping the contents of a jar on top of my noodles.) I tried to recreate it when I got home later that week and wound up with more of a salsa than a marinara sauce.
Over the years, I’ve altered and tweaked some things and think I have it down pat. I’ve found that less is more when you’re making a tomato sauce—and by this I obviously mean less ingredients, not necessarily less sauce. Because… let’s face it—I usually put a few of the noodles into an entire pot of sauce and call it spaghetti. The noodles are more of an afterthought, which is why I need a really tasty sauce.
This recipe is nice because it’s easy to make, while at the same time being extremely flavorful. Best part is—there’s only eight ingredients involved…
On second thought, the best part isn’t the amount of ingredients–it’s that one of the ingredients is wine! Who doesn’t love cooking with wine? I have a magnet on my fridge that expresses my thoughts on this topic best.
I used to use any ol’ canned tomatoes because… Well, I’m frugal (frugal makes me feel better than “cheap” okay!), and San Marzanos are a little bit more expensive than your average can of tomatoes. Well, one time the grocery store didn’t have my ShopRite brand, so I had to pay the extra dollar for San Marzanos. (And you better believe that I was cursing the whole way through the check out line.) I was very thankful I did though. These tomatoes were a life changer. They are canned in tomato puree instead of water like other tomatoes are. This not only adds flavor, but it gives the sauce a better consistency. Also, it cut my cooking time in half!
Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: ~30 minutes | Total Time: 35 min
Yields: ~5 cups
Ingredients:
2 28 oz cans San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
3 tbsp red wine
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 leaves basil, torn
4 tbsp tomato paste
4 tsp sugar
1. Drizzle olive oil into heated pan. Add diced onions and garlic, cooking over medium heat. Sauté until soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Do not let onions brown, stir frequently.
2. Squish tomatoes in hands and drop in pot one by one.
3. Add two leaves of basil, tomato paste, sugar, and wine. Cook, uncovered over low-medium heat until the majority of the liquid has evaporated and sauce thickens (~30 minutes).
4. Crush half of the sauce until texture smooths and top with remaining basil.
The Cook’s 2 cents
· Onions are done when you can easily cut them with a wooden spoon.
· By squishing tomatoes, it not only gives you a perfect texture for the sauce—but it also is quite cathartic! Be careful though, if you don’t hold the tomatoes close to the bottom of the pan, you’ll have a lot of cleaning to do later!
· I use a ricer to crush the tomato sauce after it’s done cooking, but you could also use a food mill or potato masher. It’s really just so it’s not as chunky. I only put half of the sauce through the ricer though because I do like a little texture!
· When simmering the sauce, cook so that it comes to a very low boil. Enough that you have some bubbling, but not enough that it splatters all over the stove.
· If it’s decided that you are going to take the cheaper route and not pay the extra dollar for San Marzano tomatoes, there are a few adjustments that you’ll need to make. (It’s okay, it took me a while to come around too!) Because they are canned in tomato puree, it makes them a little more tart. If using other tomatoes, you can cut the sugar in half. Also, because other tomatoes are canned in water, you will need to add to the cooking time (~another half hour) so the water is absorbed.
Nutrition Facts:
Serving size: 1 cup Servings per recipe: 5 Calories: 127Fat: 3g Sodium: 61mg Carbs: 20g Fiber: 6g Sugars: 15g Protein:4g
Ricer used to crush the sauce prior to serving.
