Easy Marinara Sauce
This is my favorite marinara sauce. We make it all of the time! It goes great with pasta, lasagna, polenta, and any other Italian dish you can think of!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- Pinch of fennel seed
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar, optional
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/3 cup freshly chopped basil
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the carrots and celery. Saute until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add in the fennel seed, crushed red pepper, and bay leaf.
- Stir in the tomatoes. Add the sugar, salt and pepper, and basil. Simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Taste the sauce and season with more salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Note-I like to make big batches of this sauce and freeze it. You can also can this sauce. Serve with pasta, lasagna, polenta, chicken or eggplant parmesan, etc.
Notes
Makes about 4 cups marinara sauce
Nutrition
Calories: 150kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 276mg, Potassium: 682mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 2993IU, Vitamin C: 22mg, Calcium: 84mg, Iron: 3mg