Rich Organic Marinara Sauce

This rich organic marinara sauce recipe is the best! It offers lively tomato and herbal flavor, and it is very easy to make. The success of this recipe is hidden in the well-binded combination of organic vegetables (good canned tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, garlic), flavourful herbs (basil, parsley, oregano), hearty spices (chili flakes and paprika) and healthy extra virgin olive oil.

We recommend using canned whole peeled tomatoes, but diced work as well. Organic marinara sauce is a fool-proof recipe. As long as you use good quality organic tomatoes and fresh herbs, the rest kind of happens naturally.

Unlike most sauces that you can buy in the supermarkets, this marinara sauce is free of added sugar. The secret to the desired subtle sweetness in the sauce is onion. So don’t exclude this healthy ingredient if you aim to avoid sugar in your diet. However, you can add sugar to this recipe if you are not fussy about sugar and would like your marinara a bit sweeter.

This organic marinara sauce is perfect for any Italian dish, simple pasta dishes, or vegetarian bean dishes, such as Black Bean Meatballs with Mushrooms. It also makes an incredible pizza sauce.

Recipe yields 4 cups sauce (enough for 8 servings), and it can be doubled if desired, because it stores so well!

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Once hot, add 2 tbsp olive oil, add finely chopped onion and saute for 2 min over medium heat.

2. In a food processor place canned tomatoes, minced garlic, tomato paste, chopped parsley and basil, oregano, salt chili flakes (reduce or increase according to spice preference) and paprika. Blend until smooth.

3. Add blended tomato sauce to the skillet, bring the sauce to a simmer over medium-high heat, then lover the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 30 minutes (or a bit longer if desired a thicker sauce). Stir occasionally. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt, herbs or sugar if desired.

4. Serve warm with your favourite Italian dishes or simply over cooked pasta. This sauce can be kept refrigerated for up to 5 days, and can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Chef’s notes:
- 2 large garlic cloves are equal to 3 small garlic cloves or 2 tbsp minced garlic.
- If you notice that the sauce has thickened too much at this point, thin with a little water.
- Don’t be impatient and try to make this organic marinara sauce quicker by reducing cooking time. It’s impossible to achieve the right marinara flavor in under 30 minutes.
- Recipe makes about 4 cups of sauce.