Several years ago it occured to me that instead of buying jarred marinara from the grocery store for a simple, quick pasta meal for my kids, I could easily make my own sauce. Boy, what a discovery! Not only is it still an easy go-to comfort meal for my family, it is soooo much better than sauce in a jar! It's not uncommon for us to have this once a week, along with a salad and good crusty bread with olive oil for dipping. Here's the recipe that I came up with--I'm sure you might have ways to alter it that will make it even more appealing for your family.
Marvelous Marinara
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
Additional 1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup cooking white wine
salt and pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in large saute pan over medium heat; add onions and saute for 3 minutes. Add garlic, saute for an additional 2 minutes (be careful to not brown the onions and garlic; might want to turn the heat down to low). Add the tomatoes and additional olive oil; bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add cooking wine; simmer for 5 additional minutes. Add salt and pepper if needed. Serve over your choice of pasta--we usually eat it with penne. Great to add a little freshly grated parmesan cheese as well once you have dished the pasta and sauce into bowls!
Try it--I promise you won't be disappointed if you like a simple, but fresh tasting sauce! Also good for homemade pizza. Let me know what you think!
