Feeling saucy..

A few years ago, I started making my own marinara sauce. It sounds difficult, and a bit intimidating but I promise - you can do it and it's so worth it. Aaron and I can't really eat jarred sauces anymore - we are sauce snobs and you can be too :) I'll be posting a meat marinara sauce eventually, but this one's for my veggies out there. Carnivores - trust me, you'll love it too.

Kelly's Marinara

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried basil

Heat up a sauce pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add in oil, onion, carrot and celery and saute for 3 minutes or until vegetables start to soften/onion is translucent. Add in garlic and saute for another minute. Add in all the spices and stir for 1 minute (this will smell awesome!). Lastly, add in the tomatoes. Give it a stir - and then let it simmer on low for at least an hour, stirring every fifteen minutes or so. If you have the time - let it simmer for longer, it will be delish!

If you're making a batch to freeze:

Let sauce cool completely before spooning it into tupperware or quart size freezer baggies (I recommend these as you can lay them completely flat and stack them in your freezer). They'll last up to three months in the freezer.

If you're matching a batch to eat immediately:

Enjoy! :)