Ready-made Marinara sauce is better than its creators - the Italians!

A little information

The sailors were interested in the versatility of this sauce made from juicy ripe tomatoes, which perfectly complemented spaghetti, seafood, and deli meats. Among other things, “Marinara” has another important advantage, which will be appreciated primarily by those who cannot cook too often - we are talking about a rather long shelf life.

All these benefits, collected in one sauce, are in great demand even now, however, not only in Italy, but throughout the world. Cooks also appreciate this wonderful gravy for its ease of preparation. Making it yourself is absolutely easy, and it has an unsurpassed taste. Only today, Marinara sauce is for the most part considered an excellent alternative to plain ketchup.

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Traditional dressing is prepared using fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic, spices and herbs. In addition, there are recipes for Marinara sauce that contain capers, olives or black olives. To prepare the gravy, you can use whole tomatoes, but it is still advisable to remove the skin. After all, without it, the consistency of the finished sauce will be more uniform and tender.

To chop tomatoes, you can use a food processor, blender, or a simple meat grinder with a fine mesh. But even if you don’t have such devices, take a closer look at your grater - maybe it will be suitable for high-quality grinding of tomatoes. Chopped tomatoes must be boiled together with the other ingredients until a thick, homogeneous mass is obtained.

Peculiarities

If you plan to store Marinara sauce for a long time, then you should add natural preservatives in the form of lemon juice, sugar or salt. Wine can also significantly increase the shelf life of gravy, but it is not present in all recipes.

Tomato Marinara sauce goes well with fish, poultry, meat, simple cereals and pasta. You can marinate delicious shashlik in this gravy, or use it as a dressing for a salad, main course, or baked dish. In general, the easy-to-make Marinara sauce will be an excellent addition to any dish, be it gourmet pasta or simple boiled rice.

On the shelves you can easily find many versions of this gravy from different manufacturers and with a variety of compositions. But why not make a spicy marinara sauce recipe at home? Simple, reliable instructions with photos will help you cope with this task as easily, quickly and with guaranteed good results.

Health benefits of marinara sauce

The sauce stimulates appetite and increases the production of digestive enzymes. Stagnation does not occur, waste and toxins do not accumulate.

Benefits of marinara sauce:

1. Has an anti-stress and calming effect, normalizes sleep.
2. Inhibits the development of atherosclerosis, reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke, and dysfunction of the cardiovascular system.
3. Improves vision function, reduces the rate of degenerative changes in the optic nerve and retina.
4. Normalizes oxidative processes in the body, protects the DNA structure at the cellular level from changes (due to lycopene).
5. Reduces the number of free radicals circulating in the lumen of the intestinal loops, suppresses the production of atypical cells.
6. Reduces the risk of intestinal, kidney and prostate tumors.
7. Prevents the development of caries and gingivitis, suppresses the activity of harmful bacteria.

Marinara sauce, made independently, can be introduced into the diet of children from the age of 1.5 years and pregnant women, provided that the amount of spices is reduced.

If you avoid frying in oil and limit yourself to stewing and then grinding the ingredients, the nutritional value of the product will drop to 40 kcal. This sauce is a healthy food. It can be added to the menu of patients recovering from debilitating diseases caused by intoxication.

Cooking secrets

Creating culinary masterpieces on the high seas is an almost impossible task; complex treats would hardly be popular with sailors. So it’s not at all difficult to guess that making the famous Italian gravy is not at all difficult. And simple cooking tips will help you in the process. In fact, even completely inexperienced housewives can make Marinara sauce.

• To make a classic spicy gravy, it is advisable to choose fleshy, ripe tomatoes. And for lovers of green tomatoes, there are other variations of the sauce.
• It will be much easier to peel tomatoes if you make cross-shaped cuts on them and pour boiling water over the fruits. Then the vegetables will need to be immediately placed in cold water. Now they will be surprisingly easy to clean.
• It is best to thoroughly grind peeled tomatoes through a sieve. This will prevent seeds from getting into the finished sauce. But kitchen tools are also great for this purpose. For example, you can use a blender or meat grinder with a special attachment.
• You can achieve the longest possible shelf life for the sauce if you preserve it correctly. Sterilized glass jars are suitable for this. Canned sauce can be stored for a whole year. If you put the finished gravy in an ordinary container, it can spoil in just 5 days.
• Tomato sauce may burn when cooked. To prevent this from happening, try to stir it constantly. Thick-walled containers are best for preparing gravy.
• Marinara sauce can be served with fish, meat, noodles and other side dishes. Among other things, it can be used to prepare other treats, for example, for seasoning first courses.

Cooking method

Wash the tomatoes and pour boiling water over them, or even better, place them in boiling water for a couple of minutes. Then let them cool slightly and peel them. Cut the tomatoes into several slices, removing the stem.

Now the tomatoes need to be pureed, carefully grinding them through a sieve or using kitchen devices. Only one thing is important - the gruel should be homogeneous and delicate.

Peel the garlic and finely chop it. Heat the oil in a saucepan or small saucepan and add the chopped cloves. Fry the garlic for a few minutes.

Now add tomato paste to it. Over low heat, stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil. Send prepared Provençal herbs and sugar here. Mix the ingredients thoroughly.

Cook the sauce, stirring it all the time, until the required consistency is obtained - the mass should be thick. After achieving the desired effect, pour wine into the gravy.

Boil the sauce for another 5 minutes, then add freshly squeezed lemon juice, thoroughly squeezing half the citrus fruit. Make sure that no bones accidentally get into the mixture.

After adding the juice, simmer the gravy for a few more minutes and add salt and pepper to your taste. It is very important to do this at the final stage of cooking. After all, the sauce is constantly boiling down, decreasing in volume, which is why it can turn out too salty if you add seasonings at the very beginning.

If you are preparing the sauce in reserve, then pour it into prepared jars. If you plan to serve with some kind of treat, then do it right away. That's all, the aromatic, amazingly tasty and spicy sauce is ready. It can be served both hot and cold.

Recipes with marinara sauce

The sauce can be called universal. It is used to season spaghetti, meat dishes, and is used to make pizza under the same name and hot dogs. Russians add it as a dressing to cabbage soup, and Ukrainians add it to borscht.

Recipes with marinara sauce:

1. Stewed sea bass
   . Red peppers (2 pieces) are baked in the oven for 15 minutes at 200°C, peeled and cut into ribbons. Chop the onion and a little garlic, fry in a fireproof form in olive oil (2 tbsp), add pepper and 450 g of sea bass fillet, cut into portions. Pour 1.5 cups of marinara and 0.25 cups of dry white wine into a gravy boat and evaporate until it thickens. Pour wine sauce over pieces of fish to completely cover the surface, salt, pepper and bake at a temperature of 180-190°C. After 20 minutes you can taste it. Before serving, sprinkle with fresh herbs of your choice and always basil.
2. Cottage cheese dumplings
   . Mix ricotta (250 g), chopped parmesan (30 g), wheat flour (100 g), a whole egg and 1 yolk. The consistency of the dough should allow you to form the dumplings by hand (you may need to add more flour). Roll out the dough several times, sprinkling the cutting surface with flour, roll it into a layer, and then roll it up, cut it into dumplings and give each one a pillow shape. Sprinkle the plates with semolina flour, lay out the pieces so they don’t stick together, and put them in the freezer for 30 minutes. Bring water to a boil, add some salt, and cook the dumplings until they float. Heat 2 cups of marinara to a boil, dilute with a little water from the gnocchi, and first drain them in a colander and then into a saucepan with boiling sauce. As soon as it boils, remove from heat, sprinkle with herbs, season with salt and pepper.
3. Pasta casserole
   . Grind 120 g ricotta and 80 g parmesan. In boiling marinara seasoning (1.5 l), dissolve both cheeses, a glass of 20% cream, and cook until thickened. Beat in 2 eggs. Separately, cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Mix it with cheese sauce and place it on a baking sheet greased with sunflower oil and cover with foil. Bake for 40 minutes at 190-200°C. Open the oven, remove the foil, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and put it back in the oven. Wait until the cheese crust turns golden brown. While the casserole is hot, add herbs.

See also recipes for dishes with sabayon sauce.

Compound

To prepare the sauce you will need:

• 2 kg of green tomatoes;
• 5 cloves of garlic;
• 20 ml olive oil;
• the same amount of sugar;
• 150 g onion;
• 200 g carrots;
• 50 ml lemon juice;
• salt and pepper to taste.

If you wish, you can add fresh and dry herbs, various herbs and spices to this gravy. For example, Provencal herbs, oregano, thyme, sage and nutmeg will perfectly complement the delicate and at the same time piquant taste of Marinara sauce.

Composition and calorie content of marinara sauce

Pictured is marinara sauce

Despite the fact that the sauce contains olive oil, the nutritional value is low. It can be safely used during a weight loss diet.

Calorie content of marinara sauce is 54.7 kcal per 100 g, of which:

• Proteins - 1.5 g;
• Fats - 1.4 g;
• Carbohydrates - 6.9 g;
• Dietary fiber - 1.5 g;
• Water - 86 g.

Vitamins per 100 g:

• Vitamin A - 155.4 mcg;
• Beta Carotene - 1.123 mg;
• Vitamin B1, thiamine - 0.05 mg;
• Vitamin B2, riboflavin - 0.071 mg;
• Vitamin B4, choline - 10.96 mg;
• Vitamin B5, pantothenic acid - 0.298 mg;
• Vitamin B6, pyridoxine - 0.161 mg;
• Vitamin B9, folate - 26.538 mcg;
• Vitamin C, ascorbic acid - 28.34 mg;
• Vitamin E, alpha tocopherol - 1.082 mg;
• Vitamin H, biotin - 0.762 mcg;
• Vitamin K, phylloquinone - 96.8 mcg;
• Vitamin PP - 0.9753 mg.

Macronutrients

• Potassium, K - 419.12 mg;
• Calcium, Ca - 37.72 mg;
• Magnesium, Mg - 29.87 mg;
• Sodium, Na - 333.35 mg;
• Sulfur, S - 19.74 mg;
• Phosphorus, P - 54.1 mg;
• Chlorine, Cl - 366.1 mg.

Microelements per 100 g:

• Boron, B - 73.1 µg;
• Iron, Fe - 1.502 mg;
• Iodine, I - 1.27 μg;
• Cobalt, Co - 3.895 mcg
• Manganese, Mn - 0.2508 mg;
• Copper, Cu - 146.11 μg;
• Molybdenum, Mo - 5.055 μg;
• Selenium, Se - 1.185 μg;
• Fluorine, F - 37.41 μg;
• Chromium, Cr - 3.18 μg;
• Zinc, Zn - 0.3678 mg.

The marinara sauce is rich in flavor. In addition to the vitamin-mineral complex, it contains organic acids, amino acids, and essential oils. Spicy herbs and lemon juice are added at the very end of cooking, so the beneficial substances are preserved almost in full.

Marinara sauce contains lycopene. This carotenoid pigment has special properties. During heat treatment, its amount increases. The substance protects plants from excess oxidation, and the human body from free radicals.

• See also the composition and calorie content of Valoise sauce