Nonna Pia's Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 Garlic (cloves, whole or lightly smashed)
• 1 Onion (a little piece)
• 1 stalk Celery (a little piece, including leaves)
• 2 tbsp Olive oil (for frying aromatics)
• 1 jar Tomato purée (large jar of home-canned or high-quality store-bought passata)
• 3 sprig Fresh basil (fresh leaves)
• 0.25 cup Water (used to rinse the tomato jar)
• 1 tbsp Pecorino Romano cheese (grated)

Steps

1. 1

   Prepare the aromatics by gathering two cloves of garlic, a small piece of onion, and a small piece of celery. Ensure you include the celery leaves as they provide significant flavor.

2. 2

   Add the olive oil to a pot and place it on the stove over medium heat.

3. 3

   Add the garlic, onion, and celery to the oil and fry for approximately 2 minutes until fragrant.

4. 4

   Pour in one large jar of tomato purée (sauce).

5. 5

   Rinse the empty tomato jar with a small amount of water to ensure no sauce is wasted, and pour that water into the pot.

6. 6

   Add fresh basil leaves and a spoonful of grated Pecorino Romano cheese to the pot.

7. 7

   Bring the sauce to a boil. Once boiling, let it cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. Since the base sauce was previously cooked during the canning process, it only needs a short time to marry the flavors.

8. 8

   Remove from heat once the sauce looks beautiful and well-combined. Serve with pasta or your choice of dish.

Notes

Nonna Pia uses home-canned tomatoes that were already cooked outside during the canning process, which is why the final simmer time is so short. If using raw canned tomatoes, you may need to simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Nutrition per serving

• Italian
• Marinara
• Pasta Sauce
• Vegetarian
• Quick
• Main
• Traditional