Spaghetti with Marinara sauce

Spaghetti with Marinara sauce is basic Italian preparation where the Spaghetti (long thin round strands or noodle like pasta) is served with a tangy tomato, onion, garlic & herbs sauce famously known as Marinara sauce. Its a simple & versatile sauce which can be used for pasta or for even as your pizza sauce. Traditionally this sauce is used to add flavor to pasta, rice or pizza. 


I would also recommend this dish to anyone who is just starting with Italian dishes be it cooking or eating for the first time. Also marinara sauce freezes well so I usually double or triple the recipe so that I have it on hand. 

Ingredients: 

1 packet of Spaghetti  (pasta)
1 onion finely chopped
4 tomatoes finely chopped
handful of basil leaves randomly chopped
2 tbsp of garlic paste
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp of tomato paste
2 tbsp of tomato ketchup
1 tsp of red chili flakes (to taste)
1 tsp of dry parsley
1 tsp of dry oregano
salt & pepper to taste
some Parmigiano Reggiano (cheese) (as required to taste)
pinch of sugar
1 tbsp of olive oil

Method: 

For Pasta: 

• In a large pot, boil sufficient quantity of water & season it well with salt. Add spaghetti to the boiling water & cook as per package instruction. Drain the spaghetti, wash with cold water & sprinkle some oil to avoid it from sticking to each other. Keep aside. 
• Also reserve around 2 cups of the boiling starchy pasta water which we will use for adjusting the marinara sauce consistency. 

For Marinara Sauce:

• In a pan heat some oil, once hot add the bay leaves followed by the onions. Saute till onions are translucent. 
• Then add the garlic paste & saute till raw garlic smell disappears. 
• Add the tomatoes, basil leaves salt & pepper & cook cover till tomatoes are soft. 
• Add the tomato paste, tomato ketchup, red chili flakes, dry parsley, dry oregano & mix.
• Add a pinch of sugar to cut the sourness of tomato.
• Add the 2 cups of reserved pasta water to adjust the consistency. Simmer on medium for 5 mins or till the sauce thickens.

Tip: If you like a smoother consistency you can puree this sauce in a blender. I haven't done that for this recipe. 

For serving: 

• Mix some marinara sauce with the cooked spaghetti to give it some flavor. 
• Serve the spaghetti on the serving dish topped with some more Marinara sauce. 
• Add some Parmigiano Reggiano on top & garnish with basil leaves. 

That's it, our Spaghetti with Marinara sauce is ready, Serve it hot

Happy Cooking
Shweta

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