Background

• Marinara sauce (or just red sauce) is an important element of Italian-American cuisine
• It is a simple, mildly sweet sauce of tomatoes, garlic, onions, and herbs
• The quality of tomatoes is very important for a good marinara. I use DiNapoli San Marzano style whole peeled tomatoes. They’re grown in California and only available on the west coast, but sold as Bianco DiNapoli at Whole Foods all over the country.
• Another option is actual San Marzano DOP tomatoes, which are required to be grown in Italy in volcanic soil in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius

Ingredients

• 28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes (use crushed if you can’t get whole peeled)
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
• ½ onion, peeled and halved
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon basil
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the garlic and onion to cook them a bit before adding the