This quick marinara sauce recipe comes together in less than 30 minutes and is chockful of anti-oxidant fresh vegetables.
I am pretty picky when it comes to tomato sauce, or Italian gravy. To me tomato sauce should be thick and cling to pasta like a child to its mother.
Making a quick marinara sauce at home is quite simple and doesn't require hours standing over the stove and stirring the pot. I also love this avocado sauce recipe and this roasted tomato and garlic sauce - anything that I can whip up t home and be able to control my salt and sugar intake. I find it more difficult to consistently find good quality jarred pasta sauce without the added sugar and high fructose corn syrup.
I definitely try to steer clear of the jars of sauces at the grocery store, the ones with the high fructose corn syrup and added sugar. A few years ago another blogger gave me this recipe and I have tweaked it a few times. I sometimes love to use two orange bell peppers instead of the green pepper for a little more sweetness. And I never use canned tomatoes, always fresh tomatoes. Especially when you can get some fresh tomatoes from New Jersey in the summer.
And the sauce is even better with fresh oregano and basil, though I don't always have the fresh stuff on hand. If you like to have a bit of a sweeter tomato sauce, simmer the vegetables with a couple slices of carrots in step 3 of this recipe. Then remove the carrot before blending the sauce in the blender. The natural sugars in the carrots leak into the sauce - make it a little sweeter naturally without having to add extra sugar.
Quick Marinara Sauce
A super easy and quick marinara sauce that comes together in less than 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large white onion, diced
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 large orange bell pepper, diced
- 7 medium sized beefsteak tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano (or 2 tablespoons fresh)
- 2 teaspoons dried basil (or 2 tablespoons fresh)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the green and orange bell pepper and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the spices and chopped tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes.
- To a blender add the tomato mixture and pulse until blended. The sauce should be slightly chunky and not liquified.
Notes
If you like to have a bit of a sweeter tomato sauce, simmer the vegetables with a couple slices of carrots in step 3 of this recipe. Then remove the carrot before blending the sauce in the blender.