Spicy, Chunky Marinara Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: About an hour and 15 minutes
Yield: 2 quarts of sauce and 5 one cup servings of spaghetti

What You’ll Need:

• 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 1/2 cup of mushrooms, stemed and chopped
• 48 ounces of crushed tomatoes
• 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons of red pepper flakes (more or less depending on desired flavor)
• 1/2 tablespoon chili powder (again, more or less depending on desired flavor)
• 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning (or a mix of oregano and basil)
• 7 ounces Turkey sausage (optional)
• 3 dried bay leaves
• 4 fresh chives, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to Make It:

1. In a medium sauce pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add onions, cook for a few minutes, then add garlic. Cook until lightly browned. Add mushrooms and carrots and cook until veggies are brown and carmelized.
2. Take pan off heat. In a larger pot, add vegetables, tomatoes and tomato sauce and set on medium heat. Add in spices, bay leaves and salt and pepper and heat for about an hour.
3. While sauce is heating, cook turkey sausage by boiling it for 5-7 minutes. When done, chop into bite size pieces.
4. Once sausage is chopped, set aside. In another pot, heat 6 – 8 cups of water to a boil, add spaghetti and cook until just soft. Set aside.  Taste test sauce (once it’s perfectly seasoned to your palette), take off heat and add in sausage. Serve over noodles with a dash of parmesean cheese and chopped chive.

Nutritional information per 1 cup of sauce with 3/4 cup of pasta: 370 calories, 12 grams of fat, 45 grams of carbohydrates and 22 grams of protein.