Light and Simple Marinara Recipe

In the time it takes to boil water and cook your pasta, you can make a homemade pasta sauce that everyone will love!

Ingredients

1  pound pasta of choice

4  cloves garlic, pressed

1  Tablespoon olive oil

1  can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes, unsalted

1/3 cup water

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Ricotta cheese (optional)

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally according to the package directions.
2. While you prepare the pasta, in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic and oil.
3. Cook until the garlic starts to soften, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes and water and season with salt and pepper.
5. Stir in the sugar and bring the sauce to a boil. Cover the pot, lower the heat, and simmer while the pasta is cooking. Once the pasta is cooked, turn off the heat and add half of the basil to the sauce.
6. While draining the pasta, reserve some of the cooking liquid and set it aside. Do not rinse.
7. Before serving, add a ladle of sauce into the pasta pot. Turn on the heat to low, add in the drained pasta and toss it with the sauce to coat. Use some of the reserved cooking liquid if it looks a bit dry.
8. Portion the pasta into warm bowls and top with a ladle of sauce, remaining chopped basil, a sprinkle of cheese and a dollop of ricotta.

Nutritional Information : Marina Sauce Only

Servings: 8 / 77 calories per serving

14g carbohydrates; 0mg cholesterol; 3g protein; 2g fat (0.3g sat); 2g fiber; 131mg sodium

Tips from Helene’s Kitchen

Because the sauce is meatless, it’s perfect for vegetarian and vegan dishes. Make a big batch of pasta to use for my upcoming recipe for Pasta Frittata.