Free-For-All Homemade Marinara

I think now's a good time to talk about Marinara.

Why? No particular reason. It's delicious when it's homemade, and it's easy. It also pretty much transcends every season (whether or not that's true, let's just pretend), so you can make it whenever you feel like it. Those are the reasons.

I know pasta gets a bad rap for being unhealthy, but homemade marinara makes up for it.
So eat as much as you want! This message brought to you by me.

Oh yeah. And one more reason. There's a bit of a recipe backup over here. As you may know, this blog is purely a casual mix between hobby and organization --- I enjoy cooking, and I like to take pictures of what I eat so I remember to make it (or not make it) again.

You can probably tell by the shoddy photography that at this point in the blog, I'd rather cook stuff up and snap a quick photo before I devour it (sometimes I forget), instead of taking lovely still photography photos of every ingredient and each step. One day I want to do that, but right now I feel a bit guilty spending too much time on it because, well, I probably should be spending time looking for a job instead. *wince*

So, now that I said that, on to the fun stuff!

Dis one's got ground turkey meat, yo. But dat's optional. Why am I talkin' like dis?

These photos are actually of a dish my boyfriend made! I'm so proud of him. He's seen me make fresh marinara before, and wanted to surprise me and give it a shot himself. Not that he's a bad cook, but he's just a lot simpler in his meal sentiments (a piece of fruit for breakfast, cold cereal for a snack, a few carrots for dinner...).

It really is easy to make homemade marinara. Here's what I always add to make a small serving:

1 8oz can diced tomatoes
Diced Onion (probably about 1/4 of a large one)
1 Large Clove Garlic
Splash Red Wine
Small bit of Honey (about the size of half a peanut shell)
Bay Leaf
Handful Fresh Basil
A Few Shakes Dry Basil
A Few Shakes Dried Oregano
A Small Shake Red Pepper Flakes
Generous S&P


A handful of spinach, diced mushrooms, or ground meat are optional!

I have also been known to add some sort of stock to thin it out if it gets too thick, or a Tablespoon of tomato paste if it's somehow still too runny. But typically all the water evaporates and the sauce condenses into a beautifully chunky sauce. If you don't like chunky, throw everything in the blender (save for the bay leaf).


There's really only three steps to this dish.

1.) Add onions with some oil and sautee until slightly translucent.
2.) Add garlic, and cook for about a minute.
3.) Add everything else!

And there you have it. Don't forget to sprinkle with fresh parsley or more basil if you desire. And, of course, definitely try to make homemade pasta! There's proof it can be done, see?