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My Homemade Marinara Sauce

This is my everyday red sauce - the one I make in big batches and keep in jars in the fridge. It's simple, tastes way better than jarred stuff, and costs about half as much. I use it for everything from pasta to pizza to chicken parm.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 28-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1 medium carrot minced
  • 1 small onion finely diced
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 5 tbsp canola oil
  • 1/2 tbsp dried oregano optional
  • 1 tsp black pepper optional
  • 1 bunch fresh basil
  • Sea salt to taste

Instructions

  • Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat.
  • Sauté onion and carrot 3 minutes until onion is translucent.
  • Add garlic, cook 1 minute until fragrant.
  • Add tomatoes, oregano, pepper, and 1/2 cup water.
  • Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low.
  • Simmer 30-60 minutes until thickened.
  • Use immersion blender to puree until mostly smooth with some texture.
  • Place torn basil leaves in clean quart jars.
  • Pour hot sauce over basil.
  • Cool completely before refrigerating.
  • Keeps 1 week refrigerated or 3 months frozen.
  • Makes 2 quarts.