Penne Pasta with Italian Marinara Sauce
This Penne Pasta with Italian Marinara Sauce really hits home if you are looking for homemade comfort food. This sauce is full of so many Italian herbs and spices! The fresh oregano, basil and Italian parsley pairs so well with the zesty tomatoes, fresh minced garlic and onions! Everyone in your family will rave over this pasta dish!
Servings: 8
Calories: 261kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef or ground Italian sausage
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (if you have a flavored olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large unpeeled carrots, finely chopped
- 2 can cans whole tomatoes, (14.5 ounce cans)
- 1 can can petite diced tomatoes (14.5 ounce can)
- ½ can tomato paste, (6 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 Tablespoons oregano, finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon basil, fresh chopped
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¾ cups water
- Cooked pasta for serving (either gluten free or traditional)
- Fresh Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the meat until no longer pink. Drain and set aside.
- Finely shop the onion, garlic and carrots and place in a bowl. Don't peel the carrots...that's where most of the nutrition is!
- In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- When oil is hot, add in the chopped onion, garlic and carrots and saute for about 5 minutes.
- While the vegetables are sauteing, pour the 2 cans of whole tomatoes in a bowl and break apart with your hands. You want to release the juices and ensure they tomatoes are broken into smaller pieces.
- Once the vegetables are done sauteing, add the broken up tomatoes to the pot, along with the can of diced tomatoes. Also add in the water and half the can of tomato paste. Stir well to start mixing all the ingredients together.
- Add cooked meat, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, sugar and parsley to the sauce and stir well.
- Bring the sauce to a rolling boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once the sauce is close to being done, cook your pasta according to the box directions.
- Serve the sauce over the cooked pasta and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Nutrition
Calories: 261kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 578mg | Potassium: 643mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2924IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 4mg