Homemade marinara sauce

Homemade marinara sauce. So easy, delicious and customizable with different herbs!

Contrary to what I made it sound like before, my grandma does send me recipes!

Lots of good ones and not enough time to make ’em all. 

I simply had to make this one she sent me for marinara sauce.

If I’m remembering the story correctly, this is a recipe from a friend of hers that gives homemade batches of these out as holiday gifts.

Now THAT is a good friend!

You can make a big batch of this and freeze some, or just eat it on everything for a week (which is what I did).

Pizzas, spaghetti, spaghetti squash, ziti – lots of marinara was cooked and devoured in my kitchen.

When it was all gone I ACTUALLY FROWNED at the empty pot. True story.

Oregano and basil are the spices used here, but you can adjust to your tastes.

Start with 1 teaspoon of each if using dried, 1 tablespoon if using fresh. (Conversion for fresh to dried is about 3x. The more you know.)

Add more as necessary. I added more oregano because I had some fresh oregano, and I also like oregano. 

But if you’re someone who doesn’t like oregano, don’t add as much (or at all!).

I’m typing oregano so many times it’s starting to look weird. Oregano.

I’m thinking you could add other veggies in here too (maybe mushrooms?) but start with this as a base and go from there.

It’s pretty simple – sauté the onion, celery and garlic, add crushed tomato, spices and a tiny bit of sugar and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

My grandma’s tried it with fresh tomatoes and it just doesn’t turn out the same. Maybe one day I’ll figure out the trick.

I used an immersion blender to get rid of most the lumps, but you could leave it chunky if you like it that way.