Easy Marinara Sauce

Start the sauce off with finely diced carrot, celery, onion and garlic.  And then you have the finished tomato goodness!

 So I have recently been making this sauce quite a bit for a variety of reasons.  I've taught my cooking students how to make it.  I've been working quite a few Make Ahead Meal nights where we have made the sauce, I made Chicken Parmesan for clients multiple times in the last month and this is the sauce I list with that recipe.  I make spaghetti for my family every other week.  You could say this sauce has been on my mind a lot.  So I decided it deserved it's own post.  For me, this sauce is a starting point; I simmer lean beef or sausage in it for a meat sauce.  I throw in other veggies like mushroom, spinach or kale.  It's the sauce I use for lasagna, chicken parm, baked ziti or spaghetti casserole.  Make a big batch, split it up in containers and freeze it.  I usually always have some in my freezer because I can turn it into a meal very quickly on a busy night.  But also, a single batch can be made quickly and eaten just as quick.  :)

Erika’s Easy Marinara Sauce

1 tbl olive oil
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 medium carrot, finely diced
2 ribs of celery, finely diced
1/2 onion (yellow or red, whatever you like), finely diced
1 32 oz can crushed tomatoes (can be the kind seasoned with oregano and basil, or not)
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 6 oz can tomato paste
6 oz of water or broth (just fill the tomato paste can)
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (contains basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, minced garlic, crushed red pepper)
2 tsp. sugar (or equivalent sugar substitute)

Directions
In medium pot heat oil over medium heat, add garlic, carrot, celery and onion.  Stir frequently and cook down until they are soft and begin to caramelize.
Add the Italian seasoning, stir and cook a few minutes more until the seasonings are fragrant.
Add cans of tomatoes, sauce and paste. Fill paste can w/ water or broth (I use water) and add just some of it to pot. Stir to incorporate the paste into the sauce. If it seems too thick, add more water.  Simmer for 5 minutes.
Add sugar (or substitute), stir and taste, if too tart for your taste, add more sugar.
Cover the pot and let the sauce boil. The sauce can still boil even on a lower heat; this can keep it from boiling over in the pot and/or splattering when you lift the lid. Let it simmer, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes.
At this point, it's ready for use or you can keep simmering for 30 minutes. 

Options:  After the initial 15 minute simmer, I have added uncooked ground Italian sausage and/or ground beef or turkey.  Lean beef must be very lean to minimize the added oil to the sauce, but I have found that cooking the meat in the sauce really enhances the flavors together.  Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour on low.

Add chopped spinach or kale and let it cook for another 15 minutes.  Or include mushrooms when you are first starting with the carrot, celery and onion.