Marinara Extra Sauce
4 cups (1 L), Preparation Time 25 minutes
A Marinara sauce is a simple type of tomato sauce, typically made with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and Italian herbs. Tomato sauce is more complex often including beef, pork, chicken, or fish and cooked over a longer time frame. Our version of the Marinara sauce is a little more complex than typical because we add extra vegetables, and hence our name of "Marinara Extra". A common trait of the Marinara sauce is that it is quick to make and that has a chunky appearance. We are recommending a smoother finish for our Marinara Extra sauce, but if you want a more rustic look to your sauce don't purée or mash the ingredients and consider adding small, fresh tomatoes wedges. Common variations of a Marinara sauce may include the addition of capers, olives, spices, and a dash of wine. You may wish to add these or other preferred ingredients to your version of a Marinara Extra sauce.
- 3 cups (680 ml) strained tomatoes
- 1 large white or yellow onion, skinned and chopped into small pieces
- 4 cloves of garlic, skinned and finally chopped
- 2 red or yellow sweet Shepherd peppers or 1 large sweet Bell pepper
- 1 large carrot, washed, peeled, and chopped into large chunks
- 1 cup of water
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- salt & black pepper to taste
- In a blender or food processor purée the sweet peppers, carrot, with a little water. Add more water as needed. Alternatively, you may cook the vegetables in a pot and mash them when softened or purée using an inverted blender.
- Add remaining ingredients together in a stove top pot and bring the sauce to a boil then lower to a simmer. Allow your Marinara Extra Sauce to simmer for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Once completed your Marinara Extra Sauce is ready to cover your favourite pasta noodles to make a delectable lunch or dinner dish. Apart from the obvious usage as pasta sauce, it stores well and can be used as a component of another meal. Your Marinara Extra Sauce can be used as a condiment on its own as dipping sauce or added to flavour soups, stir fries, or as a component to pizza, casserole, lasagna, or other baked pasta dishes.
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