Start by heating 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sized cast-iron skillet over low-medium heat. (If you don’t have cast iron, a 3-4 quart saucepan would work just as well.)

Finely mince your garlic (or use store-bought chopped garlic) and add to the skillet, stirring to make sure the garlic doesn’t burn. (Some browning is okay and even helps enhance the flavor; you just don’t want it to turn black!)

I’m not one for kitchen gadgets, but my six-year-old bought me this garlic chopper for Christmas last year, and I actually love it. All you do is put the cloves in, close the lid, and drive it like a Hot Wheels car back and forth on a cutting board! Voila! Instant finely chopped garlic!

Dice one medium sweet onion and add to the skillet. Stir and cook until onions are tender and begin to caramelize (turn golden brown).

Pour in the crushed tomatoes and stir to combine; let simmer. If you don’t have crushed tomatoes but, like me, have an abundance of home-canned tomatoes calling your name, simply drain off some of the excess water from your tomato jar, and then blend the tomato chunks into a thick puree.

Now for the flavor punch: the herbs! You can totally use dried store-bought herbs in this recipe, but if you happen to have some fresh herbs sitting on your windowsill, they will really take this recipe over the edge!

I actually found some “living” herbs in the produce section at our local small-town grocery store. They were hydroponically-grown herbs that still had the root system in tack! I popped the roots in pint mason jars of water, plucked off what I needed for this recipe, and plan to plant the herbs to continue growing on my windowsill all winter long! Not bad for $2.79!

Mince the fresh parsley, and chiffonade cut the basil.

(Chiffonade is a fancy term for layering the leaves on top of each other, rolling them up tightly lengthwise, and then slicing thinly across the width. It makes beautiful fine ribbons and makes you feel fancy with little effort!)

Add the herbs to the simmering tomato sauce, sprinkle in some salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes and then stir in 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Stir again, and allow to continue on a low simmer for an additional 10 minutes. (Tip: I use this last simmering time to cook my noodles!)

That’s it! This marinara sauce is super simple, yet is rich and flavorful. It is great served on its own over noodles, or you can even bake meatballs right in the sauce for spaghetti and meatballs!