Name: Marinara Sauce
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 2 Servings
Ingredients: Crushed Tomatoes: 16 ounces; Olive Oil: 2 Tablespoons; Onion: 0.5 cup, chopped; Garlic Cloves: 6 large; Fresh Basil Leaves: 6; Water: 0.5 cup; Sea Salt: 1 teaspoon; Ground Black Pepper: 0.25 teaspoon; Red Pepper Flakes: 0.25 teaspoon (optional); Brown Sugar/Coconut Sugar: 2 teaspoons (optional); Marinara Sauce: 16 ounces; Spaghetti: 5 ounces; Balsamic Vinegar: 1 Tablespoon; Ricotta Cheese: 1 Tablespoon (per serving); Fresh Basil Leaves: for garnish

Ingredients

16 ounces Crushed Tomatoes

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

0.5 cup, chopped Onion

6 large Garlic Cloves

6 Fresh Basil Leaves

0.5 cup Water

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

0.25 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

0.25 teaspoon (optional) Red Pepper Flakes

2 teaspoons (optional) Brown Sugar/Coconut Sugar

To Make The Spaghetti with Sauce

16 ounces Marinara Sauce

5 ounces Spaghetti

1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tablespoon (per serving) Ricotta Cheese

for garnish Fresh Basil Leaves

Directions

Easy, homemade marinara sauce or as some like to call it – red sauce!

Nothing beats a homemade sauce. When it’s this easy and flavorful, there is no reason to buy store bought.

Store bought sauces are often full of sugars, saturated fats and unnecessary ingredients.

Just 8 simple ingredients and time is all you need for the most perfect marinara sauce.

Patience is definitely the name of this game because flavor develops over time when it comes to this red sauce.

But fear not, this recipe is very easy and hands-off. You just need to stir it every so often, grab a spoon and give it a taste once in a while!

As this is a tomato forward recipe, choosing the right canned tomatoes is key!

Tomatoes grown in Italy or California are the most flavorful.

This tomato sauce first originated in Italy! It is usually made with tomatoes, garlic, herbs and onions.

You can level up this sauce by adding capers, olives, red wine or even cheese!

This sauce pairs well with any kind of pasta shape, use it as a pizza sauce or as a dip with crusty bread!

You can leave the sauce chunky but I blend mine for a smooth and silky outcome.

Just add some spaghetti for a simple comfort food!

Steps

1 Done	Quick Prep Work Peel and lightly smash the garlic cloves with the back of your knife. Peel and roughly chop the onion.
2 Done	Start The Sauce To your sauce pot, add the olive oil and heat on medium heat. Next, add the chopped onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic cloves, stir and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Next, add the crushed tomatoes, water and basil leaves. Cover the pot, and allow the sauce to simmer on low heat for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, one or two times is sufficient.
3 Done	Blend The Sauce After 45 minutes, blend the sauce with an immersion blender or standing blender until smooth. Add the sauce back to your sauce pot and season with salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes (only if you like it a bit spicy) and a little bit of brown sugar or coconut sugar. Stir to combine then cover and simmer on low heat for another 15-20 minutes.
4 Done	Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce To serve the sauce with spaghetti, cook the spaghetti in a pot of boiling water with 1 tablespoon of salt 2-3 minutes less than the time listed on the package directions. Before draining the pasta, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Next, add the marinara sauce to a large skillet and and heat on medium low heat. Add the al-dente spaghetti to the sauce. Using tongs toss the spaghetti in the sauce so that every strand is well coated. Next, add a splash (1/4 cup) of the reserved pasta water. This will thin out the sauce slightly, add more flavor and make it more silky. Now, add the balsamic vinegar and stir/toss again. Allow the pasta to cook through completely while stirring and tossing for a couple of minutes.
5 Done	Serve Add the pasta to a warm bowl and top with ricotta cheese, a light drizzle of balsamic and olive oil and a couple of basil leaves for garnish.