Simple 10-Minute Tomato Sauce (Marinara)

One of the most popular recipes on this blog has been my san marzano tomato sauce that I posted a number of years ago.  And I have to say, it's popular for good reason, it's a fabulous recipe.  But honestly, it takes quite a bit of time to prepare, and 9 times out of 10 I prefer this simple marinara that only takes about 10 minutes to make.  Let me show you how it's done.

Before you do anything, make sure you have the can of crushed tomatoes open and place it near the stovetop.

In a heavy-bottom sauce pan, heat extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, and optional crushed red pepper flakes over medium high heat.

Saute the garlic for about 1 minute until fragrant, being careful not to let the garlic burn.

Immediately pour the crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper into the pan and stir well.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. 

If you want to add the optional fresh basil, add a whole sprig about 5 minutes after adding the crushed tomatoes to the saucepan.

Just stir the sprig into the sauce and let it simmer away for the remaining 5 minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and get ready to add the magic ingredient, a pat of butter.  Yes, butter!  So to recap, the crushed red pepper flakes are optional, the fresh basil is optional, but the butter is NOT optional!  You'll thank me later.  You're welcome.

Just before serving, remove the wilted and discolored basil.  It's imparted all its wonderful flavor into the sauce so we don't need it anymore.   Enjoy!  

Item's used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• Mauviel stainless rondeau https://amzn.to/3DWKaQX

• SMT tomatoes https://amzn.to/3HFNYFP

• Cento tomatoes https://amzn.to/3sBfP3I

• Muir Glen tomatoes https://amzn.to/34O7mSb

• Tuttorosso tomatoes https://amzn.to/34o02NC

• Sclafani tomatoes https://amzn.to/3uDa1co

• la valle tomatoes https://amzn.to/34G7za9

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Simple 10-Minute Tomato Sauce

makes about 3 cups

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

• 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes (suggested brands: smt, cento, muir glen, tuttorosso, sclafani, la Valle)

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or half as much table salt or fine sea salt)

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 sprig of basil (optional)

• 1 tablespoon butter (don't leave this out - it's magic)

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, heat olive olive oil, garlic, and optional crushed red pepper flakes until garlic is fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.

2. Add crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper; stir well.

3. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes (or up to 30 minutes if you have the time). If using optional basil, add it whole during the last 5 minutes of cooking, then discard.

4. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted.

Spicy Leeks and Rainbow Chard

I found the most beautiful rainbow chard and baby leeks at the farmer's market and decided to come up with a recipe that featured both.  It's excellent served as a side dish, but it's equally good into an omelet.  

I was so taken by the beauty of my rainbow chard, I forgot to take a number of the prep photos for this recipe, but be sure to wash the produce well and spin it pretty dry in a salad spinner (I think I use mine just about every day!).  This recipe involves a lot of chopping too, but a good sharp chef's knife will make fast work of it.

Start with a bunch of swiss chard, stems and leaves separated.  Cut the tender leaves into ribbons and chop the stems into 1/2-inch lengths - you can see how I separate the stems from the leaves here in my recipe for Swiss Chard with Bacon and Garlic.  

In a large skillet, saute 4 stips of thick bacon, cut into small pieces (called "lardon" in the biz).  When the bacon is done just the way you like it, remove it from the skillet, but leave all the drippings in the pan.

Over medium heat, saute the chopped chard stems with a pinch of kosher salt in the bacon drippings until softened, about 4 minutes.

Add the leek rings with another pinch of kosher salt (be sure to wash well - leeks can have a lot of sandy grit hiding between the leaves).  Saute for another 4 or 5 minutes until the rings have separated and become tender.

Add the chard leaves that have been cut into ribbons.  Stir for about a minute until the leaves wilt.

Return the cooked bacon to the pan.

Add a tablespoon of sriracha....

And 1/4 teaspoon of red wine vinegar.  Stir until mixed well and serve.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• salad spinner https://amzn.to/2wA40AL

• veggie wash https://amzn.to/2jUg3A1

• sriracha https://amzn.to/3ozOX2I

• chef's knife https://amzn.to/2KeWw8g

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Spicy Leeks and Swiss Chard

makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 slices thick cut bacon, cut into lardon (small strips)

• swiss or rainbow chard, (12 leaves about 8 inches in length), stems and leaves chopped separately

• 4 baby leeks (about 1/2-inch in diameter), cut into 1/4-inch rings

• kosher salt to taste

• 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon sriracha

Directions

1. In a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until desired doneness; remove bacon from pan, but reserve drippings.

2. Cut chard stems into 1/2-inch lengths and saute with a pinch of kosher salt in hot bacon drippings until tender, about 4 minutes.

3. Add the sliced leeks and a pinch of kosher salt to the pan; saute for another 4 minutes, stirring often to separate leek rings.

4. Add chard leaves that have been cut into ribbons; stir for about a minute until the leaves wilt.

5. Return cooked bacon to the pan; add sriracha and red wine vinegar and stir well. Serve immediately.