Quick Tomato Sauce

20-minute marinara — garlic bloomed in oil, a can of tomatoes, done · for the rollatini or any weeknight

~3 cups · 5 min

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¼ cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, sliced or minced
pinch chili flakes (optional)
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes — or a jar of your canned tomato sauce
salt · pepper · pinch sugar (if it needs it) · basil or oregano
optional: ½ onion diced · splash red wine · a parmesan rind

What you need

¼ cup olive oil

4 garlic cloves, sliced or minced

pinch chili flakes (optional)

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes — or a jar of your canned tomato sauce

salt · pepper · pinch sugar (if it needs it) · basil or oregano

optional: ½ onion diced · splash red wine · a parmesan rind

Bloom the garlic. Warm the olive oil over medium, add the garlic (and chili, and onion if using), and cook gently until fragrant and pale gold — do not let it brown. (Onion in? Soften it first, then add the garlic for the last minute.)
Tomatoes in, simmer. Add the crushed tomatoes (a splash of wine first, if using), season with salt, and simmer 15–20 min until it thickens a little and loses that tinny, raw-can edge. A parmesan rind dropped in melts flavor as it goes.
Finish. Tear in basil, taste for salt (and a pinch of sugar only if the tomatoes bite). Use it hot — spoon it into the rollatini dish, or toss with pasta.

Steps — tap one to keep your place

1. Bloom the garlic. Warm the olive oil over medium, add the garlic (and chili, and onion if using), and cook gently until fragrant and pale gold — do not let it brown. (Onion in? Soften it first, then add the garlic for the last minute.)

2. Tomatoes in, simmer. Add the crushed tomatoes (a splash of wine first, if using), season with salt, and simmer 15–20 min until it thickens a little and loses that tinny, raw-can edge. A parmesan rind dropped in melts flavor as it goes.

3. Finish. Tear in basil, taste for salt (and a pinch of sugar only if the tomatoes bite). Use it hot — spoon it into the rollatini dish, or toss with pasta.

No alcohol? swap the wine or beer for the same amount of stock, with a splash of vinegar or lemon for the brightness. Low salt — salt at the end and taste as you go; broth, cheese, and canned goods already bring salt.