My Italian Grandma's Spaghetti Sauce / Tomato Sauce / Marinara Recipe

canned tomatoes

🥗Healthier: fresh tomatoes

💰Cheaper: crushed tomatoes

Fresh tomatoes can enhance flavor, while crushed tomatoes are often less expensive.

olive oil

🥗Healthier: avocado oil

💰Cheaper: vegetable oil

Avocado oil is healthier, while vegetable oil is typically cheaper.

sugar

🥗Healthier: honey

💰Cheaper: maple syrup

Honey is a natural sweetener, while maple syrup can be less expensive.

fresh basil

🥗Healthier: dried basil

💰Cheaper: basil paste

Dried basil is convenient and often less expensive than fresh.

Prep a yellow onion by making notches down the side, flipping it sideways, adding more notches, and dicing it.

Prep a green bell pepper by cutting off the top, scooping out the insides and seeds, cutting it sideways, and dicing it.

Smash and mince 6 cloves of garlic, keeping them separate from the onions and bell peppers on the prep plate.

Open 5 cans of tomato paste, totaling 30 ounces, using 2 large 12-ounce cans and 1 6-ounce can.

Measure out 1.5 tablespoons of sugar and set aside.

Measure out a big half tablespoon each of dried basil and dried oregano, combining them in a ramekin.

Set the stove to medium-high heat and add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan.

Once the oil is heated, add the diced onion and cook for about 3 minutes until they start to become translucent.

Add the diced bell pepper to the onions and cook for another couple of minutes.

Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute, allowing the flavors to infuse.

Add all 30 ounces of tomato paste to the pan and sauté it for a couple of minutes to mix with the onions and bell peppers.

Add the 1.5 tablespoons of sugar and mix it in with the tomato paste.

Add 2 cans of water for every can of tomato paste, mixing well.

Add the combined basil and oregano, along with additional salt and pepper to taste, and mix everything together.

Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary