Name: Italian-style marinara tomato sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 30 ml extra virgin olive oil; 12 g garlic; 800 g whole peeled canned tomatoes; 2 g dried oregano; 0.5 g chile flakes; 7 g fine salt; 10 g fresh basil leaves

Method

Warm the olive oil in a 24 cm saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook for 60 to 90 seconds, stirring, until fragrant and barely golden at the edges. Do not let it brown deeply or it will taste bitter.
Add the crushed tomatoes and their juices carefully because they may splutter. Stir in the oregano, optional chile flakes, and salt.
Bring to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat. Cook uncovered for 25 to 35 minutes, stirring every few minutes and scraping the bottom, until the raw tomato taste is gone and the sauce lightly coats a spoon.
Remove from the heat and stir in the torn basil. Taste and adjust the salt. If serving with pasta or gnocchi, loosen the sauce in a wide pan with a splash of starchy cooking water before adding the cooked pasta.

Ingredient substitutions

In Germany, canned whole San Marzano-style tomatoes or good-quality whole geschälte Tomaten both work. Passierte Tomaten produce a smoother sauce and usually need 5 to 10 minutes less cooking.
In Canada, use whole canned plum tomatoes or passata. Thick commercial tomato purée may need 50 to 100 ml water so it simmers rather than scorches.
Flat-leaf parsley may replace basil for a sharper finish. Add it off the heat, just as you would the basil.

Notes

Marinara here means a meatless Italian-style tomato sauce. It should not be confused with seafood pasta marinara.
Cool the sauce in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours. Keep refrigerated for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheat to a rolling simmer while stirring. Add a spoonful of water if freezing has made the sauce too thick.