Quick and Easy Marinara Sauce

I broke down the other night and used a bottled sauce.

Yes, I know.  We have a great marinara sauce that we posted way back in the beginning of the blog.  It's a great recipe for a good, chunky flavorful sauce.

But I was tired.

And it was on sale.

And even though you may not believe this from someone who lives in the kitchen, but I was in one of those moods everyone gets into where 30-45 minutes in the kitchen just sounded too long.  So I picked up the sale sauce and made a basic spaghetti.

And I paid for it.  The sugar overpowered the spices and the sauce was watered down to where a giant reddish clear puddle pooled underneath the noodles.  The money and small amount of time I saved was not worth it.

I should have used my Chunky Marinara sauce, but then I realized that there will be times where you may not have the 30-40 minutes to build a major sauce.  Or you may want a marinara without all the extra ingredients.  Especially if you're going to be using it in recipes where a chunky marinara is not the best.

So after a little trial an error, I have discovered a great basic homemade marinara sauce that takes all of 15 minutes.  It'll be done at the same time as the noodles if you begin when you start boiling your water.  It's easy and it's cheap.  You probably already have the garlic and basil in your pantry.  So your only cost is the tomatoes, which should be equal to or less than almost any bottled sauce out there.  Plus, there's no sugary sweet aftertaste.

And the absolute best part: It's the foundation sauce for so many other recipes.  Whether it be Stuffed Shells, Bakes Ziti, Lasagna, Italian Meatballs, or just a quick pasta dish on a night where you have very little time, it works great!

Quick and Easy Marinara Sauce

Creates 4+ cups of sauce

3 14 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons basil
2 cloves garlic, minced fine
1/2 can (3 oz.) tomato paste

Pour the crushed tomatoes and paste into a skillet over medium high heat.  Add the basil and garlic and stir to combine.  When it begins to bubble, turn the heat down to medium low and allow it to simmer while you prepare the rest of the meal.

That's it...

Let it simmer...

And add it to whatever you want when you're ready.

If you want some meat in the sauce, you can brown it in the same pan before you add the ingredients.  Just drain any excess fat out of the pan before adding the tomatoes.  Do the same if you want to add some mushrooms, onions, olive or any other veggies.

See, it doesn't have to be difficult.  It takes no longer to prepare than cooking a batch of noodles.  The cost is just as much as a bottle of pre-made sauce, and tastes MUCH, much, better.

So the next time you're preparing spaghetti, make your own sauce and truly enjoy the pasta.