Homemade Marinara Sauce with Fresh Basil

Homemade Marinara Sauce with Fresh Basil
Post by Tisha


Yields: 12 cups (or 48 "1/4 cup servings")

Brief Description:
Store bought marinara sauces taste nothing like homemade, especially when fresh basil is used.  In this marinara sauce recipe, there is a secret ingredient: pureed carrots.  The carrot puree adds a deep orange-red color and additional sweetness.  This is a great ingredient to include if you have members in your family that typically avoid vegetables.  Carrots are a great source of vitamin A, C, K, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium.  Findings ways to add vegetables "here and there" in our recipes will help bolster the amount of nutrients our family members taken in throughout the week.  With all that said, making this sauce in bulk is a must!


Ingredients:
6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
4 celery stalks, finely diced (or more if you prefer)
5 fresh garlic cloves, minced
1 cup carrot puree (or 2-3 whole carrots, peeled and finely diced)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
3 bay leaves (remove before serving)
Handful of fresh basil, chopped (or 2 tsp dried basil)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
12 cups S&W Whole Peeled Tomatoes (An entire 6lb 6oz can from Costco)
(A pinch of brown sugar toward the end if sauce is not sweet enough)


Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat 3 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add onions, celery, (diced carrots as well, if opting not to use carrot puree), salt, and pepper; saute the vegetables until they are soft (about 10-15 minutes).
2. Add garlic, stir, and allow to cook for about 1 minute.  Make sure not to burn the garlic.
3. Add carrot puree, remaining extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, and bay leaves. Stir.
4. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer.
5. Simmer for a minimum of 1 hour and up to 5 hours.  (Longer the simmer time, better the flavor.)
6. Toward the end, take the lid off to allow the sauce to thicken and mash tomatoes with potato masher.
7. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, as well as the optional pinch of brown sugar.
8. Remove bay leaves.
9. Serve warm.

Tips:
-Allow the sauce to cool and refrigerate for later use.  Extra sauce can be frozen; first allow sauce to cool completely, then pour 2 cup portions into freezer bags or freezer containers for up to 3 months.
-If possible, using fresh whole tomatoes would be better than canned.
-FYI, dried herbs hold up better to longer cooking times than fresh herbs.  It is often recommended to add fresh herbs toward the end of the cooking process.

Per 1/4 cup serving:
Calories-33
Carbs-4g
Fat-2g
Protein-1g
Sugar-2g
Sodium-160mg