Full GAPS Marinara Sauce

This marinara warms garlic and Italian herbs in a measured cooking fat, then brings a jar of plain strained tomatoes to a gentle simmer. It makes about three cups of sauce, ready to spoon over the meal you are making or measure into another recipe.

Have the garlic minced and the ingredients measured before you turn on the burner. The cooking estimate is about ten minutes, with the first sizzle of garlic and small bubbles in the tomatoes giving you the useful checks along the way.

Choose plain strained tomatoes

Use one 24-ounce glass jar of plain strained tomatoes, also called passata. Passata is a pourable tomato purée with the skins and seeds removed. Check the whole ingredient list: it should contain tomatoes, with salt as the only optional addition.

Choose that plain tomato ingredient rather than a finished pasta sauce with its own oil, sweetener or seasonings. This recipe adds its own garlic, herbs, fat and salt. Citric acid, added sugar, starch and other additives do not belong in the selected tomato ingredient.

Keep the 24-ounce amount when you shop. A larger can of chunky crushed tomatoes, a small jar of concentrated tomato paste and a pile of fresh tomatoes have different textures or amounts. This short method is written for the strained tomato ingredient in the measured jar.

Measure the cooking fat and seasonings

For the base batch, measure three tablespoons of one cooking fat, two minced garlic cloves, one tablespoon of pure Italian herbs and one teaspoon of natural mineral salt. Add those to the measured passata when the steps call for them.

Choose finished homemade ghee, rendered animal fat or natural non-hydrogenated coconut oil for the three-tablespoon cooking measure. Use one of those fats for the batch. If you choose ghee, make it beforehand and measure the finished strained fat. Ghee is dairy-derived and needs to be introduced and tolerated.

Read the Italian seasoning label as carefully as the tomato label. You need a blend made only from pure herbs, without sugar, starch, anticaking agents or another filler.

An optional drizzle of cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil goes on the portion you are serving after cooking. It is separate from the three tablespoons of cooking fat. Keep sauce intended for storage without that finishing drizzle so you can reheat it before adding olive oil at the table.

Start cold, then listen for the garlic

Use a medium stainless-steel or enameled saucepan, a stirring spoon and measuring spoons. A small knife and wooden cutting board are useful for mincing the garlic. Keep the open jar of passata nearby so you can add it as soon as the garlic starts to sizzle.

1. Fill the cold saucepan. Put the measured cooking fat, minced garlic and Italian herb blend into the pan before turning on the burner.
2. Warm gently. Set the burner to medium and stir as the fat melts and the garlic and herbs warm together.
3. Watch for the first sizzle. Listen for the garlic to start sizzling, about one minute. It should still be pale, so move straight to the next step.
4. Add tomatoes and salt. Pour in the plain passata and add the listed amount of mineral salt. Stir to bring the garlic, herbs and cooking fat through the tomatoes.
5. Reach a low simmer. Heat the sauce until small bubbles rise gently through it, stirring as it warms. Once it reaches that low simmer, it is ready; there is no extra long reduction to add.
6. Taste before adding more salt. Add extra mineral salt only if you want it after tasting the cooked sauce. The measured salt has already gone in, and the passata may contain some salt too.
7. Finish off the heat. Remove the saucepan from the burner. Serve the sauce, adding an optional unmeasured drizzle of cold-pressed olive oil to the portion you are eating now.

Stay beside the pan during the garlic stage. The cue is the beginning of a sizzle, not a browned garlic crust. Having the tomatoes ready keeps that short step manageable.

For the simmer, look for small bubbles rather than a hard rolling boil. Stir across the base of the saucepan as the sauce heats. A larger doubled batch may take longer to warm through, so follow the same low-simmer cue instead of expecting the clock to control it.

Full GAPS and tomato tolerance

This is a Full GAPS sauce after tomatoes and the other included foods are introduced and tolerated. Choose pure tomato purée made only from tomatoes and optional salt. Check the whole label rather than assuming a prepared pasta sauce has the same ingredients.

Tomatoes belong to the nightshade family. If you are sensitive to nightshades, avoid the foods that cause a reaction and introduce them gradually, one at a time, when ready. Cooked sauce does not remove that individual tolerance question or establish an earlier GAPS stage.

Ghee, rendered animal fat and natural non-hydrogenated coconut oil are the cooking-fat choices here. Keep cold-pressed olive oil for the finished portion after the pan leaves the heat. For a version without dairy-derived ingredients, choose the rendered-fat or coconut-oil option rather than ghee.

If tomatoes are not a fit for you, the separate stovetop nomato sauce uses cooked root vegetables instead. Read its own ingredient list and preparation to check that they suit the foods you already tolerate.

Serving, cooling and reheating

Use the marinara as a prepared sauce alongside a meal or measure the amount another recipe needs. Keep the sauce separate until that recipe calls for it. The yield is about three cups, with some variation from the tomato product and how much moisture evaporates.

Refrigerate leftovers promptly in shallow, covered containers at 40°F (4°C) or below. Put them away within two hours, or within one hour when the temperature is above 90°F (32°C), and use within three to four days.

Freeze portions in suitable well-sealed freezer containers at 0°F (-18°C) or below for up to three months for quality. Leave expansion space according to the container’s instructions; not every glass jar is made for freezing. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat on the stove until the sauce reaches 165°F (74°C), stirring to heat it evenly. Add any optional olive-oil finish to the served portion after reheating.

Questions before you begin

Can I use fresh tomatoes or tomato paste?

This batch is measured for 24 ounces of pourable strained tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes need preparation and a different cooking assessment, while concentrated paste would make the sauce much thicker. Keep this ingredient and amount for the short method described here.

Does the sauce need another hour of simmering?

No additional long simmer is part of this recipe. Bring it to the low simmer described in the steps, taste and finish. The cooking estimate is about ten minutes once the garlic is minced and the ingredients are ready.

What changes at 2×?

The card doubles all five measured amounts: six tablespoons cooking fat, four garlic cloves, two tablespoons herbs, 48 ounces of passata (two 24-ounce jars) and two teaspoons salt. Expect about six cups of sauce. Use a saucepan with enough space to stir comfortably and follow the same garlic-sizzle and low-simmer cues. The optional finishing drizzle remains unmeasured.

Keep a few homemade sauces ready

The planned Sauces, Dressings & Condiments Cookbook is listed in the WFLI Shop, where you can check current release information. For this batch, measure the sauce you need for dinner and put the remaining portions into suitable refrigerator or freezer containers promptly.