For a few years now, Mr. D and I have been known for our health advocacies, part of which is encouraging people to read food labels, to know exactly what is in the "food" they're buying. Grocery shopping has truly been a challenge for us, mostly since it's really hard to find products that do not contain toxic chemicals, preservatives and artificial flavors & coloring. Making everything from scratch definitely is the best route to take, but I have to admit that a little help doesn't hurt either, especially when it comes to making a huge batch of marinara sauce for our favorite pasta dinners.
A year ago, we decided to forgo having our usual weekly tomato-based pasta meals when the tomato sauce brand we used, to our shock, changed some of their ingredients, it was not so healthy anymore. Having a school grader and an active toddler to take care of, and being heavily pregnant at that, just made making marinara sauce from scratch not an option. Fortunately, Mr/ D discovered Clara Ole Tomato Sauce while doing the grocery shopping, it's All-Natural and has NO Preservatives. So here's my simple and healthy marinara sauce recipe that our whole family enjoys on a weekly basis:
Marinara Meat Sauce by Mrs. D
1/2 kg Ground Pork
1/2 kg Lean Ground Pork
1 kg Clara Ole Tomato Sauce
3 Medium Red Onions diced
5 Stalks of Celery chopped
2 Medium Carrots diced
3 Ripe Tomatoes diced
1 clove of Garlic finely minced
Italian Basil
Oregano
Rosemary
Thyme
Butter
Muscovado Sugar
Sea Salt
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
Water
Heat your pot to a medium-high heat and add just enough amount of butter to coat your Mirepoix, which is also known as the Holy Trinity in Louisiana, or Soffritto in Spain just minus the garlic. It's a mixture of onions, celery and carrots that is usually used as the base for a lot of sauces, soups and broths. Saute the mirepoix and let the diced up vegetables sweat out for a bit to release the juices, season with just enough herbs, salt and pepper.
Add all the pork and make sure to season it well with salt, pepper, sugar and all the herbs. Once the pork is cooked half way, add the diced tomatoes and garlic. After around 10 minutes, add the Clara Ole Tomato Sauce and a bit of water to thin it out a bit. Cover your pot and let it boil. When it comes to a boil put the heat on low, adjust the seasoning as you desire and let it simmer for 5 minutes before turning off the stove. And that's it.
It's that easy. You can use this meaty sauce for tacos, spaghetti, pizza, burritos, and a whole lot more. The possibilities are endless. You can even change it up by adding different herbs to produce a different flavor profile. Try it yourselves!
I'd love to hear any feedback on this recipe, so do drop me a line sometime! Hope you like it as much as we do! God bless!
Reference:
http://claraole.com
http://claraole.com/products/tomato-sauce/tomato-sauce
Awesome idea! Will try
ReplyDeleteThanks! Let me know how that goes! =)
ReplyDelete