Marinara Sauce

As a young adult, I was weirdly afraid to attempt homemade spaghetti sauce, assumed it was a mysterious day-long process, unattainable to a novice cook. When I did finally try to make a basic tomato sauce I couldn't believe how simple and tasty it was, so much better than the jarred stuff, and it didn't take all day. A perfectly good marinara sauce can be prepared in the time it takes to boil water and cook pasta.

I taught this recipe to Henry, who at 13 is certainly not afraid of spaghetti sauce; after one lesson he insisted he had it down.

Marinara Sauce

1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes

4 medium garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oil in sauce pan, add garlic and sauté one minute.

Add tomatoes, salt, oregano and thyme.

Bring to a simmer and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, 15-20 minutes.

A couple of weeks after our first lesson, I was short on time but wanted to make lasagne. I asked Henry if he could make the sauce while I cooked the pasta and prepped the cheese. He did! In a flash, lasagne team lovesmith had this ready to go in the oven:

I'm thinking that having a live-in saucier-in-training is going to be a major boon.