I cook a lot of dinners that require a cup or two of marinara sauce.  It’s pretty convenient to add spaghetti sauce to my grocery list and pick up a jar of sauce whenever I’m out and about.  But then I discovered a recipe for a basic marinara on Cooking Light’s website.  And I decided I would buy spaghetti sauce no more.

If you happen to be looking for something to do on a Sunday afternoon, look no further.  This basic marinara is not too labor intensive and it makes somewhere around 12 cups of sauce.  I’m already thinking of the unlimited possibilities – manicotti, chicken parmesan, lasagna, and the list goes on and on.  (My head is spinning with all of the future blog posts!)  Did I mention that your house will smell incredibe?

This marinara freezes well and if you freeze it in one-cup increments, you’ll pretty much be set for whenever a recipe calls for marinara.

I used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, so the vegetarians in my life won’t be left out if we have lasagna at the next Glee watch party.  I also omitted the extra salt, because I couldn’t find no-salt-added crushed tomatoes at the store.  Otherwise, I just followed the recipe.

Basic Marinara Sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups chopped yellow onion (about 3 medium)
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cups vegetable broth
3 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add sugar and next 6 ingredients (through fennel seeds); cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in vinegar; cook 30 seconds. Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Cook over low heat for 55 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.

Slightly adapted from Cooking Light