Marinara Sauce

As a Italian house we love love love our pasta. So it was with "fear and trembling" (grin) that I tried Suzanne's Marinara Sauce. I mean... who could make sauce like his mother or older sister?? Certainly NOT this little midwesterner with NO Italian in her blood line! Or could she!!

I DID IT! I actually doubled the recipe so we could have extra. And I used dried minced onion and garlic from the jar, and fresh basil. I didn't have tomato sauce so I used 2 of the large cans of tomatoes and a small jar of tomato paste. The recipe called for "4 garlic cloves, pressed". Not sure what "pressed' was so I just through them in. Maybe the JUICE from the garlic?? I guess I'll have to google that. If anyone knows, please add instructions in the comment section. :)

And basil.... I actually don't have dried basil. Will have to put that on my shopping list. But the only herb we grow is basil, so I used 6 medium leaves and sliced them.

Then I have this jar-grinder thing of Melissa's Italian Herbs. So I added a teaspoon of that too.

Geez, it doesn't look like it was her recipe after all! So let me put Brenda's translation of the Marinara Sauce on page 170

4 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoon minced onion (hydrated in water for 10 minutes then drained)
2 teaspoon minced garlic (in jar, not dried)
2 can (28 ounces) tomatoes
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
4 tablespoon dried parsley
6 medium leaves fresh basil (sliced up)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt

Heat the oil in a sauce pan and add the onion and garlic. Cook 1 minute. Add all the other ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 hours or more.

That's it! Super easy! for us... it could have used more garlic. :)

I steamed some bell pepper, broccoli and snow peas.

Add pasta, then steamed veggies, then Parmesan cheese (I used the shredded) and top with your home made marinara sauce!

Hubby at it with cottage cheese (a family tradition that doesn't seem to get broken. they are convinced that cuts back on the acid from the tomatoes). He said a bit later it was the first time he ate pasta until he was full and didn't get bloated afterwards! Thank you Suzanne Somers! I'm not sure what difference there was in what I served and the regular. But I'm sure as I go into this more, I'll learn.