Red wine Marinara Sauce

For those of you who don’t know, I come from an amazing and rather large extended Italian family. My great grandma, Nana, and grandma, whom we call Mima, along with my mom and all of her five brothers are amazing cooks! When I was growing up we used to gather at Mima and Papa’s house for weekly Sunday dinners where we almost always had pasta. I loved Spaghetti dinners so much and these dinners have always been some of my favorite childhood memories.  Before I left for college many years ago, I asked my Mima to show me how to make her marinara sauce. She told me that fennel was the KEY to the tanginess, and that red wine really added depth of flavor. I hope you enjoy this simple Red Wine Marinara sauce that is even BETTER the next day and therefore perfect for your Make Ahead of Monday needs! Bon Appetit!

Ingredients

½ yellow onion chopped 
2 cloves of garlic minced
1T olive oil
4 - 16oz cans of organic tomato sauce
2 tsp crushed fennel seed (or more for taste)
2 - 3 T of dry red wine
2 tsp dried basil or 4 tsp chopped fresh basil
Dash of salt

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Directions

1. Heat medium saucepan on medium high heat
   
2. Add olive oil, onion and garlic and saute until fragrant and translucent making sure not to brown or burn
   
3. Slightly reduce heat and add cans of tomato sauce, crushed fennel, red wine, basil and a dash of salt.
   
4. Stir to incorporate, cover and simmer for 20 minutes on low. 
   
5. Adjust seasoning as needed. 
   
6. Use right away or let sauce cool and add to a freezer safe container. Sauce can be refrigerated to use later in the week or can be frozen for up to 5 months. ​