Quick and easy marinara sauce

Marinara sauce (as previously seen on my vegan meatball sub) is a  hugely versatile and simple dish and can be jazzed up with various other ingredients to give it a bit of a twist- let you imagination run free….

Make a big batch to freeze in portioned size containers, then at a moment’s notice (well, ok 10 minutes tops!) you have a simple tasty meal- heat and mix through spaghetti topped with sweet corn, beans or whatever you happen to have to hand. You really can’t go wrong!

Recipe: Marinara sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

2 fresh tomatoes- coarsely chopped

1 carrot- grated

1 small onion- finely chopped

2 tsp olive oil

Dried herbs- 1tsp parsley, 2 tsp Italian herb mix (or oregano and basil) or use fresh if you have them!

½ tsp garlic granules or puree (or 2 minced cloves)

1 tsp Tabasco sauce or chilli flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Sauté the carrot and onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients (except tomatoes) and blend wither in a blender/food processor or with a hand blender until almost smooth, add chopped fresh tomatoes (or add along with the other ingredients if you prefer a smooth sauce). Bring to the boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Note: To make this a super quick and efficient recipe, I have used dried herbs and spices as these are always available in my cupboard whereas I don’t always have fresh to hand- feel free to use fresh if you prefer!