Meatless Friday: Garden Marinara Sauce

When the tomatoes in your garden all come in at once, this is a delicious way to use them! You can make a big batch of this sauce and freeze it, so you'll enjoy that garden-fresh flavor later in the year. While this recipe is great for people who believe there can never be too much garlic in the marinara, you can certainly adjust that to your family's taste. I made it with a mixture of red and yellow heirloom tomatoes, but any fresh, ripe tomatoes can be used. Try this sauce over ravioli, tortellini, or your favorite pasta.

Garden Marinara Sauce

6 tomatoes, chopped (about 6 cups)
2 TBL olive oil
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
8 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 TBL tomato paste

Place a colander into a large bowl. After washing and chopping tomatoes, put them in the colander to drain. Meanwhile, saute onion until it softens, then add garlic. Deglaze the pan with the white wine.

Add remaining ingredients, stir well and simmer 30 to 40 minutes. Serve over your favorite pasta. This makes 8 servings, 1/2 cup each.