Tomatoes this time of year are looking better and better, so we are very excited to have some fresh marinara sauce again! This recipe is surprisingly delicious considering it has so few ingredients. I love Marcella Hazan’s technique of just cutting the onion in half and using butter which adds a richness to the sauce that can’t be rivaled. The dark red color of the sauce is achieved by using canned San Marzano tomatoes while the fresh roasted tomatoes add an earthy flavor. Enjoy!
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the roasted tomatoes:
- 1-pound of fresh heirloom tomatoes or Roma tomatoes
- ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
For the rest of the marinara sauce:
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 Vidalia onion peeled and sliced in half
- 1-28 ounce can whole San Marzano Italian-style tomatoes
- Sea salt such as Maldon to taste
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves torn (optional)
- ½ teaspoon cane sugar
- 1-pound of spaghetti noodles (or any other type of noodle you prefer)
- Freshly grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Roughly chop 1-pound of heirloom or Roma tomatoes into large pieces and drizzle them with ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ teaspoon of sea salt, and ¼ teaspoon of cane sugar. Place them in the pre-heated oven to caramelize for about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium-sized saucepan melt 4 tablespoons of butter and add 1 Vidalia onion peeled and chopped in half. Sauté the onion over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
- Add 1-28 ounce can of San Marzano tomatoes with their sauce, sea salt to taste, torn fresh basil leaves, and ½ teaspoon cane sugar to the saucepan and bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer the sauce uncovered for about 30 minutes stirring it with a wooden spoon every few minutes and using a potato masher to crush the tomatoes.
- Once the tomato sauce has finished simmering for 30 minutes, add your fresh roasted tomatoes and continue to simmer the sauce for about 15 more minutes.
- While the sauce is cooking, bring some salted water to a boil and cook your spaghetti noodles until al dente.
- Once the marinara sauce has finished simmering, remove the onions and discard them.
- Grate some fresh Pecorino or Parmesan cheese over your spaghetti noodles and stir them to combine the cheese with the noodles. Top your noodles with the marinara sauce and more cheese.
Enjoy this pasta marinara with some fresh salad or French bread!
Source: Adapted from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015178-marcella-hazans-tomato-sauce