Sometimes I forget to be grateful for time.
I forget there will come a time when dinner will be at 8 o’clock at night when it’s dark and cold outside. I forget there will be a time when I’ll throw something together in 15 minutes and call it dinner. I forget to enjoy the time I have now to cook, drink, and relax.
That being said, I remembered the other day just how lucky I am now. I spent an evening savoring the smells of homemade marinara cooking away on my stove and carefully crafting homemade pasta to go with it.
There is this satisfaction I get knowing that while I could have dumped pasta out of a box and heated marinara out of a jar, I didn’t.
Instead I took seasonal ingredients and made a dish that was not only special but absolutely delicious. I love knowing that my entire meal was void of pre-processed crap.
If you haven’t ever homemade pasta or homemade marinara, I highly suggest you do it. 
I have to warn you thought, once you make it yourself, store bought may never seem the same
- 1 recipe for whole wheat pasta
- 12 large, ripe tomatoes
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 cup onions, diced
- 4 cloves garlic
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- ¼ tablespoons fresh oregano
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Make whole wheat pasta and set aside to let dry.
- To make marinara sauce, cute the top of the tomato out and cut an “X” in the top. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch 3-4 tomatoes at a time for 20-30 seconds until skin begins to peel. Place blanched tomatoes in an ice bath and remove skin from tomatoes. Set aside and continue with remaining tomatoes. Cut tomatoes into quarters, remove seeds, and dice into large chunks.
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in onions and garlic, sauteing until fragrant (about 4-5 minutes.) De-glaze the pan with white wine and add in tomato chunks.
- Bring tomatoes to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Let cook for 90 minutes until tomato sauce has reduced down. Add in fresh herbs and sugar, continuing to cook for 1 more minute.
- Remove from heat and using an immersion blender, puree sauce until smooth. Toss with freshly cooked pasta and serve hot.
Stay in Touch
