Making Groceries: Marinara

I have four glorious marinara recipes for this week’s edition of Making Groceries.  I hope you try them all.  Pasta is a staple in most households, and if you don’t make your own sauce, boy are you missing out.  It’s very simple and very delicious.

You’ll notice that none of these sauces use fresh tomatoes.  If you own a pressure canner and have a garden full of tomatoes, you can certainly make your own.  This is where I appreciate my grocery store.  Every time I shop, I pass by the canned tomato aisle and if there’s a sale, I stock up.  I hope the FDA bans the BPA liners found in all cans as soon as possible.

These recipes make about 34 ounces of sauce, which can cover a pound of pasta and maybe a bit more.  You can make it in advance if you have a crazy week and store it in a jar in your refrigerator.  It will last a few weeks.  You can also freeze it if you want, but I think that’s more trouble than it’s worth considering how fast it is to make these sauces.  If you plan to store your sauce, I recommend using dried herbs instead of fresh.  That extends the life a bit.  I prefer the taste of fresh herbs, so I like to add those right before serving.  In all the recipes, you decide.  For best results, under cook your pasta by two minutes and add it to warm marinara to finish cooking.  Each noodle will be well-coated and the pasta will absorb the sauce a bit, making every bite extra delicious.

Perfect Marinara

olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T tomato paste
1 32 oz can of tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, or whole peeled tomatoes (you decide texture)
splash of red wine (optional, about 1/4 c)
1 bay leaf
1 t dried oregano leaves OR 1 T fresh oregano, torn or chopped
1 T dried basil leaves OR 3 T fresh basil, torn or chopped
optional fresh parsley as a garnish

1.  Heat several tablespoons of olive oil in a suacepan over a medium high flame.  Add onions and a generous pinch of both sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Cook for about 5 minutes, until soft and transparent.

2.  Add garlic and stir.  Cook for about 1 minute, until you smell it.  Add tomato paste and stir until it is incorporated.  Add tomatoes, bay leaf and dried herbs if you are using them.  (If you are using fresh herbs, wait until the end.)  Stir.  Taste and season with more salt and pepper.  Add a splash of wine if you like.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes.  Remove bay leaf.

3.  If you chose to use whole tomatoes, either mash them while they cook or puree the sauce in a food processor.  Add fresh herbs just before serving.

Tangy Marinara (think Olive Garden)

I highly recommend using San Marzano tomatoes or organic tomatoes in this recipe.  A rule of thumb is: the fewer the ingredients, the more quality counts.  San Marzano tomatoes are grown in a very distinct soil and are reputed to be the best in the world.  You can buy them at Italian markets and better grocery stores.

1/4 c olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, sliced lengthwise
1 can tomatoes (Again, choose your own texture.  I usually have whole San Marzano tomatoes for this recipe, and then I puree it.)

1.  Heat the olive oil and garlic chips in a large saucepan over medium high heat for about three minutes.  Once garlic has browned, but not burned, remove it and turn off the heat.

2.  Let the garlic oil rest for about 5 minutes to avoid splatters.  Add tomatoes and heat the pan to a nice simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Puree if you wish.  When serving on pasta, add plenty of fresh basil and parmesan cheese as a garnish.

Spicy Marinara (great on pizza or with shrimp)

olive oil
1/2 -1 t red pepper flakes (you decide the heat)
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T tomato paste
2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chilis
1 t dried oregano leaves OR 1 T fresh oregano, torn or chopped
1 T dried basil leaves OR 3 T fresh basil, torn or chopped
optional fresh parsley as a garnish

1.  Heat several tablespoons of olive oil and red pepper flakes in a saucepan over a medium high flame.  Once you can smell the pepper, add onions and a generous pinch of both sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Cook for about 5 minutes, until soft and transparent.

2.  Add garlic and stir.  Cook for about 1 minute, until you smell it.  Add tomato paste and stir until incorporated.  Add tomatoes and dried herbs if you are using them.  (If you are using fresh herbs, wait until the end.)  Stir.  Taste and season with more salt and pepper.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes.

3.  Puree sauce if you wish.  Add fresh herbs just before serving.

Vegetable Marinara (especially designed for picky eaters)

olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 T tomato paste
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 32 oz can of tomato sauce, diced tomatoes or whole peeled tomatoes (you decide texture)
splash of red wine (optional, about 1/4 c)
1 bay leaf
1 t dried oregano leaves OR 1 T fresh oregano, torn or chopped
1 T dried basil leaves OR 3 T fresh basil, torn or chopped
optional fresh parsley as a garnish

1.  Heat several tablespoons of olive oil in a suacepan over a medium high flame.  Add onions and a generous pinch of both sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Cook for about 5 minutes, until soft and transparent.

2.  Add garlic and stir.  Cook for about 1 minute, until you smell it.  Add tomato paste and stir until incorporated.  Add pepper, zucchini and carrot.  Add another pinch of sea salt and black pepper.  Cook for about 5 minutes, until veggies are softened.  Add tomatoes, bay leaf and dried herbs if you are using them.  (If you are using fresh herbs, wait until the end.)  Stir.  Adjust seasonings if necessary.  Add a splash of wine if you like.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes.  Remove bay leaf.

3.  Puree the sauce in a food processor to hide veggies.  Add fresh herbs just before serving.

The Bottom Line

Making your own marinara is easy and makes a simple pasta dinner a meal, rather than a cop-out.  You can add anything you like to these recipes: mushrooms, shrimp, kalamata olives….  Marinara can top pasta, pizza or veggies.  You can use it as a dip for bread or cheese or as a poaching liquid for seafood or eggs.  It’s so versatile and such a crowd-pleaser, I make it just about every week.  The four different varieties help keep it interesting.

As far as price is concerned, it depends which recipe and which tomatoes you use.  You can buy a store brand of pureed tomatoes for $1.49 for 32 ounces.  I know an organic brand that goes for $2.25 for 32 ounces.  I usually pay between $2.99 and $3.49 for San Marzano tomatoes, but I’ve seen them much higher.  The Vegetable Marinara recipe costs more because of the added veggies, but it also has a higher nutritional value.  In general manufactured brands run and average or $2.79 for 24 ounces of a marinara sauce.  That can also go upwards.  Check the labels, because I saw one with a warning label that it contains milk and soybeans.  Really?  In marinara?

If you want to save money, shop bogo sales and stock up.  I also like to buy tomato paste in a can, but then I transfer it to my own plastic bag and squeeze out all the air.  I cut the tip and squeeze it out like the tube brand.  That saves a lot of money on the price per unit and it keeps in my fridge for a month.

Flavor and nutritional benefits are primary reasons to make your own.  Also, cooking onions and garlic fills the house with the smell of home cooking everyone loves.  Pasta with marinara is a simple, inexpensive meal.  Round it out with a green salad, bread and wine and the simplest food becomes a feast.  Even the klutziest cook can master these very simple and forgiving recipes.  Part of cooking is about love and taking the trouble to make your own sauce shows whoever you cook for that they matter.  Especially, yourself.