Need a quick pasta sauce? Need to take mince from bleh to fabulous? Making a pizza?
Got leftover chicken? Marinara is your man!
Marinara Has A Long History
Marinara means “seafaring” and not because it has anything to do with seafood. It was developed back in the 16th century in Naples by the wives of the seafaring community when tomatoes first appeared in Europe.
A Marinara sauce is a tomato based sauce with garlic, basil and oregano. Our version is soooo easy to make and keeps for a week in the fridge too. Perfect for meal prepping ahead of a busy week.
Our Marinara Recipe
We share our recipe here. It has been tested hundreds of times, updating as we go. We also share some ideas of what to do with it.
You will need:
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp crushed garlic
a little oil
2 tbsp tomato paste (1 sachet)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tin crushed tomato (400g)
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp salt
Pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Fry the onions in the oil until soft.
Add tomato paste, garlic, vinegar, crushed tomato and bring to a boil.
Add the herbs, salt and pepper. Let it simmer on low for 20 minutes.
Things To Do With Your Marinara Sauce:
This amount makes a very nice pasta sauce over spaghetti for 3 people - crumble feta over the top of each serving while still hot.
Add some bacon bits and green pepper (or just one of the two) after the onion for a more sophisticated sauce.
Stir chopped leftover chicken and some green beans or baby marrow into the sauce just before the “simmer for 20 minutes” stage. This can also be served on pasta. Or use it on its own for a perfect low carb meal.
If you’re making a pizza, marinara makes a lovely base on top of the crust before you put your toppings on.
To make fabulous savoury mince, fry up 500 g of beef mince and then add a cup of marinara sauce and a splash of dry red wine - so easy and very yummy!
You have hake in the freezer? Bake it in the oven in marinara sauce!
All in all, it’s well worth making a batch or two of this versatile sauce on the weekend to keep in your fridge for quick weekday meals.