Marinara Sauce

Marinara is so easy to make.  I truly don't have a recipe to copy here because it changes every time I make it.  The basis is the same, and here's how I do it:

I don't love every vegetable in the grocery store, namely the squash family.  But marinara is a great way to add vegetables to your kids' diets and THEY'LL NEVER KNOW!  Plus, it usually makes a lot and these are cheap ingredients.

I usually add 2 zucchini, a bunch of tomatoes, carrots and celery, onions, bell peppers (roast them and skin them).
You could add a little fennel, spinach, broccoli, etc.  As long as the tomato is the star, it will be indistinguishable which other veggies are included.

I add a variety of spices including salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, marjoram, fennel seed, thyme, parsely, and garlic.

I also add canned tomatoes and tomato paste, plus water, and sometimes a bullion cube.

Cook it all down, toss it in a blender and blend until very smooth.  *a side note: if it is not fully smooth, the texture of the vegetables is too easy to distinguish and it's somewhat gritty and unpleasant. So blend well.
I usually put it back on the stove to cook further, adjusting some spices and adding fresh herbs and sometimes a few chunks of canned tomato reserved from the can.  Sometimes I add greek yogurt or neufchatel to make it slightly creamy.

Use this as a base for soup, jar it, or freeze for future uses.  Turn it into a vodka cream sauce and serve with penne for dinner one night.  Add into chili-seasoned beans and beef and serve as chili.  Use as base for tortilla soup, adding cilantro, jalapenos, and cumin.  Make meatballs and use their cooking juices to flavor the marinara.  Marinara is so versatile!  Have fun with it.