Marinara Sauce (Edit)

Yield

Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced

• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

• ¼ or ½ cup water (optional)

• 1 16 oz. can finely diced tomatoes

• 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 Tbsp dried basil

• 1 tsp oregano

• 1-2 Tbsp sugar

• 2 Tbsp italian seasoning

• 1 bay leaf

Directions

• Put oil in the bottom of the saucepan, then add garlic and lightly brown to make it fragrant. (If you are sensitive to garlic or prefer less of a garlic flavor, feel free to reduce the amount used in this recipe.)

• Add onion (salt and pepper to taste–like ¼ or ½ tsp of both) and continue cooking until the onion is caramelized.

• Put onion and garlic mixture into a blender, add water to make it easier to blend. Blend until the mixture forms almost a paste. Spoon mixture back into the saucepan.

• Add the diced tomatoes, sauce, salt, basil, oregano, sugar, italian seasoning, and bay leaf to the pot and stir well. If you desire a smoother mixture, feel free to replace the diced tomatoes with tomato sauce entirely.

• Simmer on low for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If you want a thinner sauce, keep the mixture covered. If you want to steam off some of the liquid, then leave the lid cracked so more of the steam can escape. (The longer the mixture simmers, the stronger, deeper, and more complex the flavor will be. The bay leaf really adds to this process so don’t leave it out.) Taste after this first hour and make sure the sauce is balanced. Usually if the sauce is off, it needs a touch more sugar (to counter the salt and bitterness) or spices.