Watching sodium for me tends to be harder than calories. Going to the store and buying a can of marinara tends to just be easier and cheaper but also contains a lot more sodium. I found that I can cut that sodium substantially by making things from scratch. Here is a very simple recipe for marinara that cuts sodium and preservatives.
What you will need:
1 yellow onion
12+ Roma tomatoes
Other kinds of tomato if u like as well (I like lots of tomato)
Fresh Garlic (Minced is fine) about 3 cloves
4 teaspoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt ( to taste.. the less salt the less sodium. ;)
Black Pepper .5 tsp
Crushed red pepper (To taste, I love it)
Oregano
Red wine vinegar 2 Tbsp
olive oil 3Tbsp
How to:
First let me say I am kind of bad at precise measurements. I like to taste as I cook and add seasonings to my taste. The seasonings listed above will also have to be to your tastes. I find in cooking I like my food better if I come up with my own recipes as I go. Remember adding oils and sugars adds calories and adding salt adds sodium which will make your recipe less healthy. The more vegetables and the less extras, the better it will be for you.
Step 1:
Preheat oven to 425. Wash your tomatoes. Cut them in half lengthwise. Place them cut side down on a baking sheet. (line the sheet with parchment paper or I used tin foil with a spray of non stick spray. Roast your tomatoes for around 10 minutes. This will make the peals come right off.
Step 2:
Remove the peals from your roasted tomatoes. Also discard stems if you have not already. Chop the roasted tomatoes or crush them with clean hands. (drain some liquid if you like thicker sauce)
Step 3:
Finely chop your yellow onion and then saute in a small amount of olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Add minced garlic (about 3 cloves. I just used a small spoonful) and continue to saute. Add a small amount of the red wine vinegar and a small amount more oil to taste.
Step 4:
Make sure your pan is big enough to cook your sauce. Add your tomatoes and a small amount of sugarto your onions and garlic. Cover and let simmer on low heat for about 2-3 hours stirring occasionally. After this add seasonings to taste. Salt, pepper, sugar, oregano, oil, vinegar, crushed red peppers. You can add a single drop of red food coloring if you like your sauce to be very red but this is not necessary and purely just a color thing.
Step 5:
Taste and season to perfection. If you don't like chunky marinara it can be chopped in a food processor. If you do than it is ready to eat. You can serve immediately or you can place the sauce in containers and freeze, To eat later simply thaw overnight, microwave and enjoy. The sauce is good 2-3 days in the refrigerator or a couple months in the freezer. Eat quickly or freeze as it is made with fresh ingredients.
Goes well with Spaghetti Squash, or Stuffed Bell Peppers.
The enire batch (for all 12 servings) would be about:
Calories: 899
Sodium:2427mg
Fat: 48g
Carbs: 114g
Fiber:15g
Calcium: 18%
Or
If divided into
12 servings this recipe has:
Calories: 75
Sodium:202mg
Fat: 4g
Carbs: 10g
Fiber:1g
Calcium: 2%
per serving.
