Homemade Chunky Marinara or Meat Sauce - and a Wine Recommendation!

I grew up a Prego man. My mom used it for all sorts of italian dishes. And honestly, it's not a bad store bought sauce. It's OK in a spaghetti emergency, but you taste the extra corn syrup. I tried a few others... but none of them were that good. Ragu tastes like Spaghetti-o sauce. Paul Newman's is better, but don't warm it up twice, it gets a little crusty.

So once I started cooking in my own kitchen, I thought that I should try to make one of my own. Now there were some suggestions. My ex-wife stated that her mom used to make a sauce out of ketchup... and after holding down the bile that was going to paint our university student apartment cinder block walls, I thought I should start doing some cookbook reading.

You know, marinara sauce can seem like one of the simplest things in the world. But to get the perfect combination of spice, tomato and other accents is pretty difficult. And ironically, it was my current wife who made the suggestions to make this sauce exactly the way I like it.

Ah... my wife. I love her so. She's my culinary guinea pig. I cook all sorts of outrageous recipes and she always is willing to try it. And she's always great at recommending slight changes. She's the one who recommended a small amount of pepperoni to add some extra flavor to the meat sauce recipe. So to my wife, I thank you, I love you and I will always make you anything you desire.

So after years of practice, I think we have a winner. I wanted to make a sauce that didn't require a lot of preparation. You can combine all of the ingredients and as soon as the spices are added, boil the water and cook the noodles. When the noodles are ready, the sauce is as well.

Marinara Sauce

Covers 6 portions of pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil (regular or extra virgin preferred)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4-5 white mushrooms, sliced to whatever size you prefer
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
2 1/2 tablespoons dried basil, or 1 1/2 tablespoons of freshly cut basil
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Heat a stock pot or large deep saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. add the minced garlic and mushrooms and saute for about 2-3 minutes. Next add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes and tomato paste and stir until the paste is completely mixed in. Now add the spices and the brown sugar (to cut the acidity of the tomato paste) and stir. Once the sauce begins to lightly boil, reduce the heat to medium-low heat and cover loosely so the steam can escape. Better yet, if you have a splatter guard (big metal mesh pot cover), use that instead. Stir every couple of minutes while you cook your pasta. After about 15-20 minutes the sauce should thicken and be ready to serve.

Now a pure marinara is good, but I'm a carnivore. I need to have a little meat in there. Now you can anything you'd like. I've seen hamburger, Italian sausage, pepperoni, salami, chicken, and even panchetta added to marinaras and all of them are great. I really like the panchetta. For those of you have not tried this glorious creation, it's an Italian cured bacon that is sliced like salami. But it's pricey, like $14.99 a pound type of pricey. So what I normally use is the following...

Meat Sauce

Marinara Recipe listed above
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound Italian sausage
2 ounces pepperoni

Follow the same instructions as above, but as you finish sauteing the mushrooms, add the ground beef and sausage and brown the meat. Next, add the tomatoes and spices, slice the pepperoni into very small pieces and add to the mixture. reduce to medium low and cook for 15-20 minutes.

And when your done, make sure you top your noodles and sauce with a little fresh Parmesan cheese.

This sauce also freezes well, so you can double or triple the recipe, place the leftovers in plastic containers and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. And if you make a large batch, the ingredients you use will be cheaper than the pre-bottled sauces on the grocery store shelves.

I use this sauce for almost any Italian dish I create, like Manicotti, Stuffed Chicken Parmesan or Lasagna. I'll post each of these recipes in the next few months, so keep reading!!!

Oh and before I forget... A good glass of wine always goes will with pasta. Now there are people who say that you have to have a red or a white with a certain type of meal. To them I say, "Why are you being picky? Drink up and shut up!" I like to think that there's never a wrong choice, as long as you like the way it tastes!

My personal wine preference is a Reisling (light white wine) or a Cabernet Sauvignon (solid red) from the Chateau Ste. Michelle winery in Woodinville, Waashington. I was spoiled by its convenience when I lived 3 miles away from the winery during my short stint in Seattle, but I definitely partook of it often. I love how they taste and the name reminds me of my best friend in Phoenix. They're great wines, available almost everywhere and economically priced. My last bottle of Reisling cost $9.00. So if you're looking for a great bottle of vino, definitely try this out.