Simple Marinara Tomato Sauce

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 stalk celery & leaves, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 32 ounces crushed tomatoes (or 2 cans)
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• sea salt, to taste
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Recipe

• 1 in a large casserole pot or skillet, heat oil over medium heat.
• 2 add the chopped onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, or about 5 to 10 minutes.
• 3 add the celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper, i usually go with a large pinch of salt and a whole lot of pepper because i love black pepper, but it is up to your tastes.
• 4 add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for one hour or until thick.
• 5 remove the bay leaves and check for seasoning. if the sauce still tastes acidic, add the unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
• 6 add 1/2 of the tomato sauce to the food processor and process until smooth. continue with the remaining 1/2 of the tomato sauce.
• 7 enjoy!
• 8 if not using up all of the sauce at once, allow it to cool completely and then freeze in freezer bags. this can be kept frozen for up to 6 months.