Easy Garden Marinara

No need to peel the tomatoes!

Wash them, chop into quarters and puree in a blender until they’re really smooth — 1 to 2 minutes. You can add a splash or two of water if needed to facilitate blending.

If you double or triple the batch (which I recommend doing, and then freezing the extras – since the basic batch only serves 2-3 adults) be sure to blend your tomatoes in only 1.5 pound batches or it’ll be too large for most blenders.

Pour tomato puree through a medium-mesh (screen) sieve into a heavy saucepan, pressing hard with the back of the spoon, and discarding solids.

Add all of the other ingredients to the puree and gently simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently and (optionally) skimming froth, until sauce is slightly thickened and reduced to desired thickness. This will take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour and a half depending on how well you want the seasonings to marry.

Around 30 minutes at a light bubbling simmer results in a nice consistency for spooning over pasta.

Before serving, feel free to add any ingredients you like: fresh herbs, roasted red peppers, sauteed mushrooms, browned ground beef, romano cheese, you name it! But I’ve found this sauce, especially when simmered a good amount of time, really is flavorful enough to stand on its own.