Name: Easy Marinara Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American, Italian
Ingredients: 1 small yellow onion ($0.70); 2 cloves garlic* ($0.08); 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.44); 2 Tbsp tomato paste ($0.18); 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes** ($1.67); 1/2 tsp dried basil ($0.05); 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05); 1 tsp brown sugar, optional ($0.02); 1 tsp salt, or to taste ($0.03)

Ingredients

8 serv.

1 small yellow onion ($0.70)
2 cloves garlic* ($0.08)
2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.44)
2 Tbsp tomato paste ($0.18)
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes** ($1.67)
1/2 tsp dried basil ($0.05)
1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
1 tsp brown sugar, optional ($0.02)
1 tsp salt, or to taste ($0.03)

Instructions

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1 Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion, garlic, and olive oil to a sauce pot and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent (about 5 minutes).
2 Add the tomato paste and continue to stir and cook for 3-5 minutes more, or until the tomato paste takes on a slightly darker color. This caramelizes the sugars in the tomato paste to give it a slightly sweeter and less acidic flavor.
3 Add the crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, brown sugar, and salt to the pot. Stir to combine and dissolve any tomato paste from the bottom of the pot.
4 Allow the sauce to come to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover the pot, and allow the sauce to simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5 After simmering for 30 minutes, taste the sauce and adjust the salt, sugar, or other seasonings to your liking. If the sauce is too acidic for your liking, you can let it simmer longer (about one hour) or add more sugar. Serve hot or refrigerate until ready to eat.