Got a garden of overly ripe tomatoes? I've got the answer. While scratch made marinara using real tomatoes may sound intimidating, it's not at all!
A simple boil and ice bath makes for peeling the skin off a breeze. Followed by a few pulses in the blender, this recipe is fool proof!
I like to add fragrant flavors like garlic, onions and fresh basil plus a little carrot to sweeten.
My fiancé's favorite counterpart to a homemade sauce is sweet and spicy sausages. We let the sausages and sauce cook ALL DAY in the slow cooker which leaves you with a thick marinara and melt in your mouth bites of sausage.
Perfect in a toasted roll with cheese or over a heaping plate of pasta! Topped with plenty of parmesan of course...
Garden Tomato Scratch Made Marinara
6-8 servings, 4-5 cups sauce | Cook time: 30 minutes | Slow cook: for best results 6-8 hours slow cook
Notes: A true Italian speciality. Sausages cooked low and slow in home GROWN tomato sauce. Truly nothing better.
Ingredients:
5 lbs fresh tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
4 cloves garlic
1/2 large onion (~100g), diced
2 tbsp carrots (~30g), diced
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 cup fresh basil
Optional: 1 lb sweet sausage, 1 lb spicy sausage
Directions:
Rinse tomatoes of dirt etc.
Remove stems from the top of tomatoes.
Use a pairing knife to cut a small x on the bottom of each tomato.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and place a large bowl with ice water next to it.
Use a slotted spoon to lower a few tomatoes at a time into the boiling water for a minute or so- you’ll see the skin start to wrinkle and peel back.
Remove tomatoes and place in ice bath.
Repeat steps 5 and 6 until all tomatoes have been placed in the ice bath.
Once cool, peel the skin back off the tomatoes and discard. Place the peeled tomatoes in a blender (may need to work in batches).
Dice onions, carrots and garlic roughly. Add to the blender along with Italian seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder.
Pulse until desired consistency- more pulses, smoother sauce, less pulses more chunky (I prefer mine still a little chunky).
Discard the boiled water and return the pot to medium heat. You could also replace the pot with a dutch oven, instant pot or slow cooker instead. Add olive oil to the pot and heat for a minute.
If using sausage, add sausage to sear - not a necessary step but gives great flavor. Sear for about a minute or so each side until it has a nice brown outside but hasn’t cooked all the way through yet.
Remove the sausages and set aside. Add the tomato paste to the oil and use a wooden spoon to mix and cook a minute.
Pour the blended tomatoes into the pot and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cover.
Slice the sausages into 1” chunks and stir into the sauce.
Cover and allow the sausages to cook for at least 30 minutes.
Note: For best results I like to make the sauce in the morning and put my slow cooker/instant pot on low slow cook and cook until dinner. You could also use a dutch oven in a low heated oven or over a low flame. I prefer the slow cooker so I don’t have to worry about having my oven on or an open flame. After ~6 hours of slow cooking the sausages will literally melt in your mouth and the sauce should be nice and thick.
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Nutrition Facts are provided as a guideline only. Exact nutrition will depend on quantity, brand and ingredients used.
