Recipe - Marinara Sauce

Over the weekend I made a fantastic sauce that can be used for many dishes. On Sunday, we had it with chicken (that recipe coming up later this week). This sauce is so versatile we are even going to use it as a pizza sauce. I started out looking for a good marinara sauce recipe online, but in the end, I just did my own thing.

I assembled all the ingredients and cooked this in my slow cooker all day (8 hours on low or 4 hours on high). You can also cook it on the stove for 1-2 hours, simmering on low.

Except for the roasted red peppers, you should have many of the ingredients already on hand in your pantry. You can roast your own peppers, but I prefer to buy them by the jar, just make sure you buy the ones packed in water, not oil, to save fat and calories.

A 3x5 card version of this recipe can be found here.

Makes at least 18 servings

~ 6 oz. of roasted red peppers
~ 1 medium onion, rough chopped
~ 2 cloves of garlic, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
~ 1 - 28 oz. can of tomato puree
~ 1 - 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
~ 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
~ 2 tablespoons dried parsley
~ 1-1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
~ 1 tablespoon dried oregano
~ 1 teaspoon black pepper
~ 1/2 teaspoon salt
~ 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
~ 1 bay leaf

In a blender or food processor (I like to use my Magic Bullet Express Blender), chop up the onion, garlic, and roasted red peppers to make a paste. Combine all the remaining ingredients in the slow cooker along with this paste and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

If you decide to use fresh herbs, double the amounts listed. I happen to think the dried herbs hold up better when cooking for long periods of time.

Remove bay leaf before serving.

Freezes well.