Mom’s Glorified Marinara Sauce

Saute garlic and onion in a little butter just until onion begins to turn translucent.

Then add all ingredients into a large pot and simmer for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally. The longer it simmers, the better. Taste and make adjustments after the sauce has simmered for an hour or so.

If you wrap tinfoil around the top of the pot it keeps the sauce from splattering all over your stove. I usually wrap the foil around 3/4 of the rim, leaving just enough room to get a wooden spoon in to stir occasionally. Less mess = less clean up = more time for bon bons on the couch. Or so I’ve heard.

If you want a meat sauce, add 1 lb of ground meat (cooked and drained) to the pot about halfway through simmering process. If sauce is a bit thick after adding the meat, thin it down with some tomato sauce (usually not more than an 8oz can). Just make sure you simmer it long enough after adding the extra tomato sauce to give it time to meld into the rest of sauce. We don’t want to taste straight tomato sauce in there.

This sauce, with meat added (but not thinned out), is perfect for lasagna.