Ten Minute Marinara

So I have two little pasta addicts in the house. If it is pasta they will eat it. Now I love pasta as well and it’s become my go to meal when I am cooking for the kids and I. No need to get too fancy when pleasing these little palettes, but a fresh marinara sauce is so quick and easy to whip up. It takes about the same amount of time it takes to boil the pasta! I used to think that making a fresh marinara sauce must be an arduous task or else why would people buy a canned one at the store. Needless to say after coming up with this fast, delicious and fresh recipe I am converted to homemade. When Lauren and Mike were down a few weeks ago we whipped up this recipe and used it to make homemade pizzas. It is so tasty I literally couldn’t help but eat a little right out the bowl!

Ten Minute Marinara

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tbsp white sugar

4-5 fresh basil leaves (use about 1/2 tsp dried if you don’t have fresh around)

In a medium sauce pan on medium heat add the olive oil, then minced garlic and stir and cook until fragrant, about 30 second to a minute. Drain the most watery part of the canned tomatoes off and then add the tomatoes to the saucepan. Add in the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and sugar. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Chop the basil leaves and add to the sauce and cook for an additional 1-4 minutes. By then it should seem a lot less watery and smell fantastic. I used a immersion blender to quickly get the sauce down to the not quite smooth texture I prefer, but you can use your regular blender and do a minimal blend to get the large chunks mixed down. Serve over pasta, on pizza, on some crusty bread or use in a recipe. Store in your fridge for up to three days.

Jess