Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes is a delicious, homemade pasta sauce is bursting with ripe, juicy tomatoes, savory garlic, and fresh herbs…but the best part is that it’s ready in 30 minutes! Show
Happy Friday, friends! I'm back today with another fabulous recipe that's amazingly full of flavor for being so quick and easy to throw together. And conveniently enough, this 30-minute Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes can actually be used as an ingredient in the 30-Minute Skillet Lasagna that I posted last week! In many ways, I am sad to see summer go. I've been spoiled all season long by fresh produce from my in-laws' garden, roadside stands, and farmers markets, from zucchini to yellow squash to cucumbers to peaches. But my favorite fresh summer produce of all, hands-down, would be tomatoes. Whether I'm enjoying caprese salads, thick-sliced tomato sandwiches, Marinated Tomatoes, or refreshing Gazpacho alllll summer long, I am addicted to tomatoes, I tell ya. 30-Minute MarinaraIf you've been visiting Five Heart Home for any length of time -- or heck, even if this is your first visit (welcome!) and you've done little more than read the tagline at the top of my site -- you already know that I'm all about quick and easy recipes. In fact, I somehow (unintentionally) manage to work that phrase into just about every post...not because I'm trying to, but because it's true! If a recipe is not quick and easy, odds are that my three young children won't afford me the time (or the energy) to make it. So this 30-Minute Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes is not your Italian grandmother's slow-cooked-all-day, secret family recipe marinara. Rather, as the name implies, it starts with fresh tomatoes and it's done in about half an hour. Now I ask you...how can you beat that?! How to Make ItIf you've made homemade marinara sauce before, you know that it typically involves blanching and peeling tomatoes and slowly simmering them for hours to develop a deep, rich, mellow flavor. Well, this is not that marinara sauce. For one thing, let's just be honest here...I am too lazy to blanch and peel tomatoes. And that's okay, because I don't at all mind little bits of tomato skin in my sauce. In fact, I enjoy a marinara with a bit of texture, and this one has that. My method for making this sauce is to cut my tomatoes into chunks and then squeeze them with my hands into a big pot to break them up into little bits. This can be a messy process, so if you would rather give your tomato chunks a few pulses in the food processor to achieve the same effect, I would completely understand. IngredientsIn addition to fresh tomatoes, this recipe features olive oil, garlic, fresh herbs, and a bit of seasoning/flavor-balancing thanks to salt, pepper, sugar, and balsamic vinegar. That's it! Simple ingredients...simple, fresh-tasting, flavorful marinara. Fresh Herb ShortcutI'm all about shortcuts, and if you are, too, I've got one more for ya. When making this marinara, I toss a big bunch of fresh herbs directly into the sauce, stems and all. All that's required is to give them a quick rinse...no chopping required. During the simmering process, the leaves will fall away and it's easy to pick out the stems after everything is finished cooking. How to PureeAfter the sauce has cooked down for 30 minutes, I like to give it a quick whirl with my immersion blender so that it's slightly pureed but still has texture. If you don't have an immersion blender, you could also pulse it a few times in the food processor...just be sure to let it cool down a good bit before doing so! And if you prefer a chunky marinara, simply leave your sauce as-is. Subbing Canned TomatoesIf you get a hankering for this quick marinara after tomato season is over, feel free to simply use canned, preferably high-quality tomatoes (like San Marzano). Look for tomatoes canned in their own juices without the addition of garlic, herbs, or extra seasonings. Canned whole tomatoes will need to be cut/mashed up as directed in this recipe; canned diced tomatoes may be used as-is. And finally, if using canned tomatoes, drain and reserve the juice, only adding to the marinara sauce if more liquid is required. Whether you make it with fresh tomatoes or canned, in July or February, this quick and easy Marinara Sauce is perfect over pasta or incorporated into any recipe that calls for marinara, from Slow Cooker Meatball Subs to Zucchini Marinara to anything in between. It's a great beginner recipe for someone who's never made homemade marinara sauce before, but it's so delicious that you'll revisit it time and time again. Enjoy, y'all! More Fresh Tomato Recipes
Calories: 129kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 314mg | Potassium: 1087mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 3800IU | Vitamin C: 63.4mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 1.3mg Adapted from
Food52. Can you leave skin on tomatoes when making sauce?Leave the skins on (they're delicious and nutritious) and you can make several batches of this fresh and flavorful tomato sauce in one easy afternoon.
What happens if you don't peel tomatoes for sauce?The tomato skin is a different texture from the tomato flesh, and will remain so in sauces and purées—you'll get tiny chunks of skin instead of an uniformly smooth mixture. Moreover, the tomato skin is heavy in a kind of nutrient called flavonols, which impart a bitter flavor.
Do Italians peel tomatoes for sauce?Peeled tomatoes are the basis for many Italian dishes, beginning with the most typical dishes like those served with ragù, amatriciana or peperonata sauces, including meatballs simmered in sauce. Even a very simple tomato and basil sauce is made with peeled tomatoes, so this product is a staple in Italian pantries.
Do you have to peel and seed tomatoes for sauce?In order to get your tomatoes ready for mashing into a marvelous tomato sauce, you need to peel and seed them. Don't worry, it's very easy and quick to do.
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