Red Wine Herb Marinara Sauce

Time for July's Improv Cooking Challenge! 

The theme for this month is tomatoes and herbs. Perfect for late August when my garden is overflowing with delicious fresh herbs. My tomatoes were ready yet, but I used a canned San Marazano to create a marinara sauce, but canned garden tomatoes would be amazing as well.

I knew I wanted to make a pasta sauce, but I wanted to give a a little twist with a generous amount of red wine and a nice long simmer on the stove top. I love marinara sauce and this was fantastic. I used this sauce to make a garden vegetable and sausage lasagna (recipe coming next week) and it was absolutely perfect.  My husband always wants meat with his pasta and loved this sauce as is. Kellen helped me stir the sauce and liked it so much he requested a small bowl and a spoon for his snack after waking up from his Saturday afternoon nap. 

This recipe makes about 2 jars of sauce (this might depend on how much it reduces as it simmers) and I like to freeze the remaining sauce to use for a quick weeknight meal for my family -spaghetti and meatballs or a pizza anyone?

Tonight, I am working on a few things around the house and would love to get out to the park to play. It has cooled down a bit (65 degrees), but it is suppose to get back to warmer temps this weekend and I am hoping to get to the waterside with Kellen because September is just around the corner and that means fall is coming! 

Is anyone planning on watching Fear the Walking Dead on Sunday? I am a big fan of The Walking Dead, and I am really excited about this spin off!  The previews remind me of 28 Days Later and I am hoping that it is a great show!

If you want to join the fun of the Improv Cooking Challenge visit Lesa of Edesia's Notebook for details! 

Stay tuned for next month's recipe using apples and oats! 

Ingredients

3 Tbl olive oil

1 white onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

2 (28 oz) cans San Marazano whole peeled tomatoes

2 1/2 Tbl chopped fresh basil

1 1/2 Tbl chopped fresh thyme

4 1/2 Tbl chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbl chopped fresh rosemary

1 1/2 Tbl chopped fresh orgeano

1 1/2 cup red wine

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

Instructions

Saute onions, garlic, carrots and pepper for 3 minutes on medium heat. 

Add herbs, tomatoes and red wine. Lightly simmer for 2 hours stirring every 15 minutes and breaking the tomatoes up with a spoon. 

Using and immersion blender blend the sauce till smooth (if you don't have one you can use a regular blender or opt for a chunkier sauce). Add with salt and sugar and cook for an additional 15 minutes. 

The sauce will keep for about a week, but can be frozen and used later.

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