With only 5 ingredients, this homemade marinara sauce is bursting with richness and flavor and can be used in so many ways. You can serve it over pasta (or zoodles!), use it as a base for a Bolognese sauce, serve it on meatball subs, or my personal favorite, use it to make chicken parmesan.

This marina freezes very well so you can make a quadruple batch, if you like, and freeze it in several portions to use all winter long!

Makes 1 quart of marinara sauce.

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, ,minced
• 8 large tomatoes (any variety!), chopped
• 1+  teaspoons salt
• Chopped fresh basil, if desired

1. Pour the olive oil into a large saucepan and bring to medium/high heat. Add the diced onions and 1 teaspoon salt and sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until they become translucent. Add the garlic to the onions and sauté for another minute.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan, along with all of their juices. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium. Let simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce is done when it is no longer watery when stirred. The juices should have reduced to give you a thick, glossy tomato sauce. Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken up a bit as it cools.
3. If you would like to add fresh basil to your sauce, stir in about 1 tablespoon after the sauce finishes cooking. Taste the sauce and add more salt, if desired.

Store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze the sauce in Ziploc bags or freezer-safe containers. Pull out of the freezer and place in the fridge 24 hours before you want to use it.