Mamma Mia! An Easy, Authentic Italian Pasta Sauce!

Authentic Italian Pasta Sauce:

A good marinara sauce is hard to come by if you do not have an Italian grandmother to whip one up in the kitchen! Instead, you are left to your devices. However, it is not difficult to make an authentic Italian pasta sauce. All you need are fresh ingredients, and a little bit of time to make the perfect sauce. First of all, you will need to get the following:

• 2 small cans of pureed tomato
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 small can of crushed tomatoes
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1 small can of skinless tomatoes
• 1 red onion
• 2 tablespoons of basil
• 1 tablespoons of oregano
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup of milk

Now, of course, you can always add more spices or take away the cheese depending on how you want to tailor your recipe. If you want to add meat, then buy one pound of ground beef to add to the sauce once it is nearly done. This will make the sauce rich and satisfying to any bolognaise lover! However, the following instructions will teach you how to make a basic marinara.

Getting Started

First of all, the key to a great marinara sauce is having the patience to water it down and wait for it to reduce several times. However, more on that later. The first thing you need to do is peel your tomatoes, and crush their them in a separate bowl.

Next, you will need to dice the onion and garlic into little pieces. Sauté them with a little of butter. Once they are nice a brown along the edges you can add in your spices and the rest of the tomatoes. You will need to stir this continually as the sauce comes together. It is best if you use a non stick pan on a low heat setting. Add a cup of water if it looks to dry. Keep adding water as it starts to simmer down low. You will need to do this continually for at least an hour.

Your sauce should be a rich red and thick to touch. Now, the trick that my nonna use is to add a little bit of milk at the end and a sprinkle of sugar. This will make your pasta sauce a little creamier, and ultimately Italian. Finish it off with a little sprinkle of cheese of Parmesan, and it is good to go!