Homemade Marinara Sauce

The following recipe was taken from the book Pizza From Every Day to Gourmet by pizzacraft.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, small dice
• 1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 can whole, peeled tomatoes; 28-oz.
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1 Parmesan rind*
  *Instead of a Parmesan rind, add 1/4 c of finely grated Parmesan cheese to the finished sauce.

Method

Heat a skillet over medium heat for one minute. Add the olive oil, followed by the diced onion and minced garlic. Sauté the mixture until the onion is translucent, approximately 6 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and sauté until the tomato paste begins to brown, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Next, add the whole, peeled tomatoes and mash with potato masher, leaving some chunks in the sauce. The tomatoes will continue to break down as the sauce cooks.

Add the dried basil and the Parmesan rind and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and allow the sauce to simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove the Parmesan rind and season with salt and black pepper to taste.

This recipe yields approximately two cups of sauce.

Personal Tips

• I shredded a block of parmesan cheese instead of getting a parmesan rind and it worked out perfectly!
• Careful with mashing the tomatoes, wear an apron or a shirt you don’t mind getting dirty!
• This recipe is enough for three 16-inch pizzas.