Here we go, the best ever marinara sauce. I know, I know, everyone says this. But so far this is the best one I have made. The red wine really adds a whole new layer of flavor!
Marinara sauce is great, you can use it on all sorts of things eggs, minestrone soup, pizza, pasta, breadsticks, mozzarella sticks <- my favorite.
The key to making a good marinara is time. You have to let the flavors develop.
Good can of tomatoes for the marinara
Buy a good brand of crushed tomatoes. You will pay a bit more, but trust me, it is worth it. Some good brands are:
- Cento San Marzano Certified
- Whole Foods 365 Organic
- Muir Glen Organic
- Red Gold
- Pomi
There are many others, but this will give you an idea.
Saute your onions until they are translucent. This will usually be around 5-10 minutes. This will reduce the sharp pungency of the raw onion and give it more of a milder flavor in the red wine marinara sauce. Add the garlic 10 seconds before you add the red wine. You don’t want the garlic to burn.
Add your red wine and turn heat up the heat. You only need to cook this for 3-4 minutes, just until most of the liquid from the red wine has evaporated.
Get your parsley ready.
Time for the tomatoes. Add them along with the bay leaves, parsley, salt & pepper. Now the waiting game. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours.. If you don’t have 2 hours, you can get by with 30 minutes or so. The longer you simmer, the better the flavors will be.
And there you have it, homemade red wine marinara sauce. I make this stuff in batches and freeze it. This way, I have marinara sauce on hand whenever I need it. Marinara sauce is a great base for many dishes. Enjoy!
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion (1 onion)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cup red wine, such as Chianti
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent, 5-10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add wine and turn heat to high, cook for 3 minutes or until most of the wine has evaporated.
- Turn heat to low. Stir in the tomatoes, bay leaves, parsley, salt. and pepper. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.