Canned tomatoes will always vary slightly in taste depending on where they were packed and what time of year they were harvested—so sometimes the same recipe for sauce might need a touch more salt, while another needs a hint of sweetener. This Biggest Loser Family Cookbook marinara keeps both to a minimum, letting the tomatoes shine.

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Main Event Marinara Sauce

Canned tomatoes will always vary slightly in taste depending on where they were packed and what time of year they were harvested. So sometimes the same recipe for sauce might require a touch of salt, while another may require a hint of sweetener. Here, we added very little of each and loved the results.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings: 7 (1/2-cup) servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Olive oil spray
  • 1 cup minced yellow or white onion
  • 2 tablespoons freshly minced garlic
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • Salt, to taste (optional)

Method
 

  1. Spray a medium nonstick saucepan with the olive oil spray and place over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until just becoming tender (they should not brown), 4 to 6 minutes.
  2. Reduce the heat to low and with a wooden spoon stir in the tomatoes, water, tomato paste, honey, oregano, basil, and pepper flakes until well combined. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for at least 1 hour. Season with salt, if needed.

Notes

Makes about 3½ cups sauce.
Per serving: 63 calories, 3 g protein, 15 g carbohydrates, less than 1 g fat (trace saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 156 mg sodium
Reprinted from The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook by Chef Devin Alexander and the Biggest Loser Experts and Cast © 2009 by Universal Studios Licensing LLLP. The Biggest Loser (TM) and NBC Studios, Inc., and Reveille LLC. Permission granted by Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098.
Photo Credit: Mitch Mandel
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