Ashley’s Favorite Sauces: Marinara

This is a great multipurpose marinara: you can do everything from your basic spaghetti-and-meatballs to pizza sauce to Parma Rosa to... etc etc with it! I’ll put up a post tomorrow on some of the recipes my cookbook has with it, and some of the different things I do with it.

It’s a big batch, this recipe. I make ahead and freeze. It’s SO much better to have a Tupperware of this in the freezer to pull out for dinner than buying a jar of sauce at the grocery!

MARINARA SAUCE

3-4 T olive oil

3 T minced garlic (or to taste)

1 T sugar

2 t salt

3 t dried basil

1 1/2 t dried oregano

1 t dried thyme

1 t freshly ground black pepper

2 T balsamic vinegar 

2 C chicken broth

3 28oz cans crushed tomatoes 

*Ashley Pro-Tip; Mix your sugar, salt, spices, and pepper together in a small bowl before you start. This goes together quick; you won’t have time to measure.

1. Heat oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; stir until fragrant and starting to brown. Add sugar, salt, spices, and pepper; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in vinegar; cook 30 seconds.

2. Add broth and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low; cook over low heat until sauce thickens or as long as you can, stirring occasionally.

*Freezing instructions: I spray my plastic containers with pan spray first, to keep the tomato-stains to a minimum. Ladle room-temperature or chilled sauce into plastic or glass containers and freeze. I freeze in dinner-size increments, so I can pull out just what I need on a rushed evening and stick it in the microwave for a quick dinner.

Serving size: 1/2 cup

Calories per serving: 50