Ah, marinara: a great red sauce that works in pasta, dips, and many more dishes. Having a recipe for marinara in your back pocket (or some frozen for regular use) is crucial, as it makes whipping up a full meal of pasta, pizza, sandwiches, you name it - so much easier.

Parmesan Rinds

When you buy a block of parmesan from the store, it will usually come with the rind still on: This is a gift for red sauces, and any sauce that would benefit from a parmesan cheese flavor. Parmesan is naturally loaded with MSG, or monosodium glutamate (the key flavor compound in any and all tomatoes). The cheese rinds are largely inedible due to their hardness, but they can lend all their flavor by simmering for hours in a sauce. Save your rinds!

Quick note for our vegetarian friends: Parmesan is always made with animal enzymes (also known as "rennet"), so it is not a vegetarian cheese. If you want to keep this vegetarian, other hard Italian cheeses may not use rennet. You can simply omit the rind, and the sauce will still taste great. If you miss the deep savory flavor of parmesan, however, you can add powdered MSG instead.

Pressure cooking and slow cooking

Marinara can also be made quickly by using a pressure cooker, or left to simmer all day in a slow cooker. For both steps, the aromatics still need to be sauteed before the ingredients are left to slow cook or pressure cook. For some pressure cookers (Like NINJA or Instant-Pot brand) you can sauté the aromatics right in the cooker: this is ideal, and what we do all the time. When you get to the simmering stage:

Pressure Cooker: set your pressure cooker to 30 minutes, high pressure, normal temperature (on an InstantPot), and do a quick release of pressure when it beeps.

Slow-Cooker: Set the temperature to low for 8 hours.

How to make it

Cook the aromatics and spices

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add onions and sauté until translucent (about 10 minutes).

Add tomato paste, garlic, and spices and sauté until the tomato paste turns a deep rust colour (about 2 minutes)

Simmer

Add the diced tomatoes, stock, and parmesan rind. Cover and simmer 2 hours, stirring occasionally. If you are pressure cooking, stir after the timer runs out.

Remove what is left of the parmesan rind and discard. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Season until the sauce is vibrant and bright. This may be more salt than you normally use; Let your taste guide you.

Blend (if you want) and store

If you want a smooth sauce, use an immersion blender to blend the sauce until smooth.

Divide the cooled sauce into clean containers and store in the fridge or freezer. Leave a little space at the top of the container in case the liquid expands as it freezes.