I've hesitated to add this recipe to the blog for a long time - not because it tastes bad or anything, but because it seems too easy to actually be a recipe. After numerous requests to add a marinara sauce to the blog I realized that not everyone has a wonderful Italian mother who whips up this sauce when she doesn't have time to make "real" sauce. With that in mind it translates to a perfect quick dinner for a #SApro because it will be finished in the time it takes to boil water and cook pasta. Even better is that it lends itself to a bunch of second round recipes for later in the week like chicken parmesan, meatball heroes, pizza, stromboli, etc.
Coat the bottom of a large pot or dutch oven with olive oil and bring to medium heat. Use your garlic press to crush two large cloves of garlic and add them to the pot with crushed red pepper flakes. Feel free to add more or less red pepper flakes based on your preference - add more if you're serving this with seafood! Let the garlic cook for a minute or two, being careful not to let it brown, then quickly add the red wine. Use any red wine that you have open and around the house. For me that means its most likely a cabernet sauvignon or a shiraz, but any red will do. My non-drinking friends can skip this step without worry.
Once the wine has reduced, about two minutes, add the crushed tomatoes and the small can of tomato sauce. Be careful not to use sauce with seasoning - we're taking care of that ourselves. Add salt and stir the sauce together. Bring to a rolling boil before you add the fresh basil and simmer semi-covered for 20 minutes.
Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
- 8 oz. can of plain tomato sauce
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 cup of red wine
- 2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a small pot in olive oil and bring to medium heat
- Add crushed garlic and red pepper flakes, cook for 1-2 minutes
- Add red wine and let it reduce, about two minutes
- Add tomatoes and salt, stir, and bring to a boil
- Add fresh basil and let simmer covered for 20 minutes
This summer I'm doing a NODA internship at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL). The schedule for days when we have orientation sessions is tight, so taking time to cook is going to be on the back burner. When I get busy I like to lean on some good make ahead meals like this quiche. Make it on a Sunday afternoon and you can have it for breakfast all week, or have it for dinner with a salad. You can also use this recipe as a base and add whatever ingredients you like - tomato and basil is perfect for the summer though!
Start by poking some holes in the bottom of the pie crust with the tines of a fork. You could make your own pie crust, but I feel like that defeats the purpose of a time saving meal... It will be delicious either way.
Next slice the tomato crosswise to maximize the surface area and make it look pretty. Shred the cheese and cut the basil into a chiffonade. Start with a layer of cheese, then tomato, then basil and repeat. Top this off with a final layer of cheese and basil. Pour four whisked eggs, heavy cream, salt, and pepper into the pie crust. Bake at 350 for forty minutes.
This really isn't that hard - most of the time spent making it is not actively cooking so it makes a great time saving recipe. Here are some of my other favorite quiche fillings:
- Turkey sausage, green chiles, and a mexican cheese blend
- Bacon, apple, caramelized onions, and swiss cheese
- Spinach, diced tomato, and feta cheese
- Asparagus and goat cheese
Tomato Basil Quiche
Ingredients
- 1 frozen pie crust
- 4 eggs
- 2 tbsp. heavy cream
- 1 and 1/4 cups of shredded smoked gouda
- 5 large basil leaves
- 1 beefsteak tomato
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Thinly slice 1 large tomato crosswise, about 1/8th of an inch thick
- Use a fork to poke holes in the bottom of the pie crust
- Layer cheese, tomato, and basil (in that order) in the pie crust twice.
- Add a final layer of cheese and basil to the top of the pie crust
- Beat four eggs with 2 tbsp. heavy cream, salt, and pepper and pout over the tomato and cheese layers
- Bake on a foil lined sheet pan for 40 minutes, or until a knife comes cleanly out of the center
