3 Garlic Marinara Sauce

When it comes to marinara sauce I have never found a bottled that I really liked. So naturally I had to come up with my own. This recipe may seem a little strange but the end result will not disappoint. I uses this stuff for dipping sauce, pasta dishes, pizza or anything else that calls for a meatless red sauce.

This process takes a little bit but it's really easy. When you chop the veggies for roasting don't worry about making them uniform, they are all going to get roasted off then pureed. Also from what I have learned watching Alton Brown you should use a blended red wine when cooking. I used a Shiraz Cabernet which worked out perfectly. Also the canned tomato sauce I use is crushed because I like a smooth marinara. You can used tomato sauce, diced, stewed or whatever you like. One more thing and that's roasted garlic can found in your produce section. If you have any questions don't be afraid to ask.

Ingredients
- 10 carrots peeled and roughly chopped
- 10 stalks celery, roughly chopped
- 2 onions, paper skins removed and roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 3/4 cups of red wine, divided
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons roasted garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 2 - 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

The Process
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Take the carrots, celery and onions and place in a roasting pan. Cover with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven until the carrots are soft, stirring occasionally about 45 minutes. Set aside and let cool. When veggies are cooled place in blender or food processor with 1/4 cup of red wine and puree until smooth. Set aside.
2. Heat the remaining tablespoon on olive oil over medium heat in a large sauce pan. Add the minced garlic and pepper flakes and saute for about a minute. Add the remaining 1.5 cups of wine and let reduce for 5 minutes. Add the reserved roasted vegetable puree, tomato sauce, roasted garlic, oregano, basil, sugar, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese. Add the pepper than season with the salt until it tastes about right. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 - 45 minutes stirring occasionally. Make sure to cover because it will spit up.
3. Remove from heat and use for whatever you like. You can freeze it into individual servings when done it's keeps for quit a while.
4. Enjoy!!!