Marinara (Meatless Spaghetti Sauce)
Whip up a batch of this marinara for a simple meatless spaghetti sauce featuring zesty garlic, spicy red pepper, sweet basil, and more.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (See Note 1)
- 1/2 cup dry red wine optional
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 28 oz crushed San Marzano tomatoes (See Note 2)
- 12 basil leaves roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley chopped and garnish
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over a medium-high heat and add the minced garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium and add the wine (optional), tomato paste, sugar, dried oregano, salt and red pepper flakes, sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, stir and simmer until reduced slightly, about 20 minutes. In last 10 minutes of simmering, add the basil and stir. Season the sauce with more salt to taste.
- At this point you could leave it chunky, or for a smooth sauce, you could use a immersion hand blender and puree, or put in a blender and puree until smooth.
- Serve over any pasta or meatball dish and top with fresh chopped parsley and grated or shaved parmesan cheese.
Video
Notes
- As this recipe is written, the flavors are amazing, although if cooking this low and slow (3-4 hour simmer stovetop), I would omit the tomato paste as this will thicken on it’s own. I use the tomato paste when time is tight.
- Per The Kitchn, San Marzano tomatoes are grown in the rich volcanic soil at the base of Mount Vesuvius, which gives them a sweet flavor and low acidity and they are coveted for their firm pulp, deep red color, easy to remove skin and low seed count. Feel free to use whatever brand you prefer. This recipe is good for 1 pound of cooked pasta.
Nutrition
Calories: 58kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 358mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 396IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg