I always have a few cups of this sauce in my freezer, because it can be used for dozens of quick, delicious dishes. And when you make the sauce yourself, you get to control the salt and sugar content, which equals more health to you.
Classic Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4-5 cloves garlic smashed, peeled
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 3 sprigs oregano
- 1 medium orange zested and juiced
- 2 28oz cans diced tomatoes
- 1 large carrot peeled, cut into 3 large pieces
- salt tt
- black pepper tt
- 1 pinch nutmeg optional, fresh ground if possible
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil, reduce the heat to medium low and sweat the onions and garlic until translucent.
- Add the bay leaf, thyme and oregano and stir around. Allow to sweat for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add 2 tsp orange zest and the juice of the orange (it needs to be fresh squeezed - concentrate will be too acidic). Stir around.
- Add the tomatoes and stir together. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the pieces of carrot, stir together and simmer for 30 minutes. Be sure to stir it every 5-8 minutes to prevent scorching. If sauce becomes too thick, add chicken stock or bone broth.
- Use the sauce immediately or store in the freezer for up to one month.
Equipment used:
| Cutting Board | Knife | Cast Iron Pot |
|---|---|---|
| Wooden Spoon | Ingredient Cups | Food Containers |
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Love this sauce thank you for the recipe! What guten free options do you typically pair this sauce with?
We do zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, shiritake noodles (not my favorite), regular GF noodles, and even on top of omelettes.
Wohoooooooooooooo, it’s vegan!!!!!
I’ve never made my own marinara; this makes it seem so easy! I’m confused about the carrot, though. I wouldn’t think it would break down enough in 30 minutes to just stir in. Do you just leave it in chunks? Thanks!
Sorry, left that part out. You just remove it and discard it (or cut it up and eat it alongside whatever you’re having). It’s just to help with some sweetness and cut the acidity.
Hi, Chris! What do you do with the three large carrot pieces after the sauce has simmered? Remove or blend them in?
Sorry if I’m missing this somewhere in the recipe!
I’ll fix the recipe but I left that part out by mistake. You just remove and discard/eat it. :)
I’ve seen marinara with carrots but never orange zest and juice. What does it add? I’m more likely to add red wine. Since you don’t use alcohol, is this replacing that?
It’s not a replacement for anything – orange and tomato love each other!
How funny, just this weekend I made (for the first time) my own marinara. My husband and I were continually underwhelmed by store-bought, and I was tired of spending up to $8/jar for “it’s OK” sauce. I grabbed a bunch of different tomatoes from Trader Joe’s, an onion, 8 cloves of garlic. Chopped it all up (except the garlic cloves), laid on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, doused with olive oil/S&P. I roasted in the oven, used the broiler for a few mins to get some color on the top, then removed/cooled. Next day I threw them in the food processor, juices and all, added a little red wine vinegar and sugar, and BAM! Deliciousness. Even my husband was impressed.
Sounds delicious!
Orange zest and juice. Interesting! Okay. I’ll do it! Thanks Chris.