Reviewed: May 15, 2008

Because of a special diet I can't use canned tomatoes or paste so I just subbed the same amount of fresh diced tomatoes. There was enough juice from the tomatoes to make it just right. Also, I used 4 cloves of garlic because of personal taste. The addition of fresh basil and oregeno made this dish exceptional.

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134 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

NoviceCook

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Grangeville, Louisiana, USA

Living In: Walker, Louisiana, USA

Reviewed: Dec. 2, 2006

There may be better recipes out there for marinara sauce, but I gave this 5 stars just because I made it exactly as the recipe stated and it was tasty--plus it was super easy and quick and the ingredients are all things you tend to have on hand.

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121 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Jill R.

Cooking Level: Beginning

Living In: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Reviewed: Mar. 7, 2005

Husband says not to bother buying sauce any more after eating this. Changes: added some black pepper, Italian seasonings, parsley, & basil. Used a (drained) can of diced tomatoes w/ garlic & mushrooms. Could use diced tomatoes w/ jalapeno for more of a kick.

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93 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

ROUVER

Reviewed: Mar. 31, 2008

This was delicious. My changes: 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp basil, 1 tsp salt, then I pureed the sauce (my kids like it better that way). I doubt I will buy marinara at the store anymore.

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38 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

lovin' jesus

Reviewed: Apr. 17, 2006

This is a really good basic recipe. Personally, I use canned whole tomatoes (the closest thing you can get to fresh tom's, imo) that I split with my fingers, remove the seeds (which only make the sauce bitter), then roughly chop. Depending on what I'm using it for, I use a hand blender to puree the sauce until it is as smooth/chunky as required (smooth for marinara dipping sauce, chunky for pizza sauce, chunkier for pasta sauce etc). Something else I do (I saw this on tv) is to save the dry rinds from Parmesan, and add those to the sauce. Remove them when you're done, and you've got a lovely subtle flavor. Anyway, I'm looking forward to having this later for dinner with 'Sicilian Meat Roll.' Thanks, Betsy!

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27 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Caroline C

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Denver, Colorado, USA

Reviewed: May 15, 2008

I have been making this sauce for years, except we prefer basil instead of oregano. In a pinch or for a quick sauce, use dried minced onion and garlic salt. And for a more elaborate sauce, add this recipe to any jar of spagetti sauce. Don't be afraid to experiment with different ingredients to find what tastes best to you.

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21 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

recipes

Reviewed: Jan. 15, 2008

Great basic sauce. I didn't have an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce, so I used a 6 oz. can of tomato paste and added 4 ounces of water. Let it simmer, covered, for quite a while, until dinner was ready. Added a little fresh basil and no salt. Had this with Fast and Friendly Meatballs, from this site, whole wheat angel hair, and steamed broccoli.

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18 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

What a Dish!

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: May 4, 2008

This recipe is delicious! I added some sauteed mushrooms and green peppers to the sauce to add something a little extra. I love this sauce. It's so easy to make and change to your liking.

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17 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

chamilton12

Reviewed: Dec. 18, 2006

This was great! Simple and tasty. I prefer a smoother sauce so I blended the onion, garlic and diced tomatos in the food processor then added that to the rest of the ingredients. Wonderful!

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17 users found this review helpful