Introduction
Making homemade pasta sauce from scratch is a rewarding experience that can elevate your pasta dishes to a whole new level. With fresh ingredients and a bit of patience, you can create a sauce that’s rich, flavorful, and far superior to anything you’ll find in a jar. This detailed recipe will guide you through making a classic marinara sauce, perfect for pairing with any type of pasta.
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- Olive oil: 2 tablespoons
- Garlic: 6 cloves, minced
- Onion: 1 large, finely chopped
- Carrot: 1 large, grated
- Celery: 1 stalk, finely chopped
- Crushed tomatoes: 2 cans (28 ounces each)
- Tomato paste: 2 tablespoons
- Red wine: 1/2 cup (optional)
- Dried oregano: 1 teaspoon
- Dried basil: 1 teaspoon
- Dried thyme: 1/2 teaspoon
- Bay leaves: 2
- Sugar: 1 teaspoon (optional, to balance acidity)
- Salt: To taste
- Black pepper: To taste
- Fresh basil: 1/4 cup, chopped
- Fresh parsley: 1/4 cup, chopped