Summer Vegetable Garden Marinara

Summer Vegetable Garden Marinara

Turn your summer bounty into a simple, yet delicious red sauce reminiscent of the flavors of Italy.

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Course: Basics

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Sauce, Tomato Sauce

Prep Time: 45

Cook Time: 1 30

Servings: Quarts

Calories: 67kcal

Equipment

2 Large, Heavy-Bottomed Pot
Cutting Board
Chef Knife
Wooden Spoon
Food Mill
Ladle
Storage for Sauce (Mason Jars, Glass Containers, or Freezer Ziploc Bags)

Ingredients

7 lbs Fresh, Garden Tomatoes (any variety)
1 Lg. Onion (White or Yellow)
3 Lg. Carrots, peeled and chopped
2 Ea. Green Bell Peppers, seeded and diced
1 Ea. Red Bell Pepper, seeded and diced
⅓ C. Tomato Paste
2-3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
3 Bay Leaves
1 Tbsp. Basil, Fresh or Dried
2 Tbsp. Kosher Salt (or to taste)
1 Tbsp. Black Pepper (or to taste)
2 tsp. Garlic Powder (or to taste)
1 Tbsp. Granulated Sugar, optional

Instructions

Prep all of your vegetables (scrubbed clean), setting aside your tomatoes and peeling/chopping the others.
In a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat your olive oil over medium heat, and add in the diced onions. Season with salt and pepper, then stir regularly. Cook until translucent, then increase the heat to medium-high.
When the onions start taking on a little browning around the edges, add in the carrots, seasoning with a little additional salt and pepper. Cook down until just softened.
Next, add in the bell peppers, stirring everything together with a little additional salt and pepper.

The key to "season as you go" allows you to build flavor along the cooking process, not waiting until the end when salt and pepper will often be too strong and overpower the dish. Few foods taste better "salty" but if those essential seasonings are missing, foods will lack flavor.

Once the vegetables have softened, push to the sides of the pot, creating a little well in the center. Add the tomato paste and give a few minutes to begin cooking down. Allow to brown slightly, then scrape using a wooden spoon. Mix everything together to combine. Reduce the temperature to low.
Cut up your tomatoes, discarding the core. *See notes below if you are not using a food mill.
Add the tomatoes to the pot, mixing everything together. Increase the heat to medium and cook down the tomatoes. Bring to a light simmer, stirring fairly often, about thirty minutes.
With your food mill fitted over a second large pot, slowly begin to ladle your sauce into the top of the mill, and press through. The tomato skins and seeds will remain above the sieve while the rest of the smooth vegetable puree gets processed. Repeat until all of the sauce has gone through the food mill.

Compost or toss the leftover solids caught by the food mill.

Place the sauce pot back on the stove and taste for flavor, adjusting for additional salt and pepper, sugar for sweetness or to cut the acidity, or even a little garlic powder for flavor, if needed. Add in the bay leaves and allow the sauce to simmer and thicken for another 30 minutes on medium-low.
Remove the bay leaves, remove the sauce from heat, and allow it to cool before storing. If freezing your sauce, fill your storage bags just enough that you can lay the bag flat, gently pressing out additional air, then sealing. Place the bags flat on a sheet pan and pop into a freezer until solid. Makes it much easier to store!

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