5 Minute Marinara gets its day in the sun

I've blogged variations of the 5-minute marinara recipe (which actually takes more like 15 minutes with prep) as part of several other recipes in the past including a homemade Lasagna and a Meatball Sub recipe, but this is a recipe that deserves individual kudos.  I say this because since stumbling across this little gem I have been able to abandon the high sodium store bought alternatives entirely without sacrificing any flavor or versatility.  So here it is again, this time as a stand-alone find.  Like most recipes I post, I've taken what was already good and changed things up a bit to meet my needs or preferred flavor profile.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion chopped
3 cloves garlic crushed
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon tomato paste (be generous with this)
1 32-ounce can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes (if you can't find these any crushed tomato will do)
Salt and pepper

Add the olive oil to a medium-size saucepan over moderate heat. Add the onion to the heated olive oil, saute for 2 minutes.  Add garlic and saute for another minute.  Add crushed pepper, oregano and basil. Toast the herbs for about 1 minute.  Add canned tomatoes and tomato paste.  Bring to boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for five minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

If you have an immersion blender (thanks Boxy!), give your sauce a quick buzz with it to smooth out the texture. If you don't have one, this sauce is great to eat as is or blended in a counter-top blender.  Just remember to leave a way for the steam to escape when blending hot foods.

This recipe makes about 3 servings of sauce good for many uses.  For those WW followers out there, this sauce is 3 PP value.