Marinara sauce is a simple, robust Italian sauce made with tomatoes, onions, garlic and herbs. Although canned and jarred marinara sauce is readily available in grocery stores, it's much cheaper, healthier and more delicious if you make it yourself. Marinara recipes abound on the Internet and in cookbooks, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find a marinara sauce recipe that works for you.
A great way to amp up the flavor of marinara sauce is to add some red wine during the cooking process. Any red wine will do, although robust wines like burgundy or zinfandel lend the heartiest flavors. Follow these instructions for a simple red wine sauce.
Ingredients:
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté until the onion just starts to turn brown. Deglaze the pan with red wine and then add the tomatoes and water. Season with salt and basil and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the sauce is boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste the marinara sauce before serving. If it's too tart, add a little bit of sugar.
The beauty of marinara recipes is how simple they are to serve. Often, marinara sauce is just served over hot pasta and topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. However, marinara sauce recipes can also be used as a base for other Italian dishes, such as pizza or lasagna. Marinara sauce is also delicious served as a dipping sauce for mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, pizza rolls or other appetizers.