Marinara Sauce

This is Sunday, which usually means I'm watching football while sauce simmers on the stove. This is today's sauce. It's simmering now and the house smells amazing. I add spinach to try and get some more nutrients into my kids and they think it's basil. Shhhh....don't tell!

Marinara Sauce

1 shallot,chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced (4 will be used immediately, the other 2 will be added a little later)

8oz cremini mushrooms

2 large handfuls fresh spinach

1/4 cup sherry

2 cans San Marzano tomatoes 

15-20 basil leaves

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp dried basil

Saute shallot and 4 garlic cloves in about 1 tbsp olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and spinach. When the spinach has cooked down and the mushrooms are softened (a few minutes), add the sherry and simmer 5 more minutes. 

 Add the tomatoes.

These are whole tomatoes, so I just take them out by hand and squish them into the pot. You can use a fork to break them up in a bowl first, but it's not as much fun as squishing them. lol. Add the remaining ingredients. I usually let my sauce simmer for a few hours with the lid on because I like the sauce to be on the thinner side. You do need it to simmer for at least 30 minutes. The longer the better, in my opinion. If you leave the lid off, it will be thicker, so it depends on your preference. If I were making a lasagna, for example, I would let it simmer without a lid.